Evergreens in Compost Increases Acid Soil

By Susan Glaese
Published on January 28, 2011
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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/OLIV
Asparagus and most fruit trees prefer a pH between 6 and 7; I suspect yours is lower.

I just read “Make Organic Compost for Your Garden” in which she said to “go light on evergreens” when building a compost pile. Now I’m antsy about my asparagus.

When I moved to my present home in Maine last fall, I faced truly dreadful soil: an inch of slimy, acid red clay resting on bedrock, all on a 30 degree slope. To create growing beds, I used what I had most of, evergreen boughs, layer upon layer of mostly white spruce, alternating with lime and clay. Then I planted my healthy, seed-grown, compost-fed asparagus plants on these built-up beds and added a nitrogen fertilizer. I also planted seven fruit trees on the same mounds.

My questions: Can I expect good results? Should I replant this spring, adjusting the soil composition?

Evergreens in Compost Increases Acid Soil Levels

It sounds as if you have two major problems. The first is that your beds sit on bedrock, which prevents your plants from developing the deep root systems they need for optimum growth. Asparagus crowns are usually buried eight to 12 inches deep, and fruit trees are planted even deeper, depending on the root ball.

The second problem is the soil’s pH. Heavy applications of spruce and fir would make your acid soil even more acid, drastically inhibiting the bacterial growth needed for decomposition and stunting germination in many plants as well. Asparagus and most fruit trees prefer a pH between 6 and 7; I suspect yours is lower.

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