Hi Member, I was told by one of the local fig tree nursery that I should put some lime on top or mix with dirts when planting fig tree in ground or in container. Have anyone tried this before ?

I do this. I dont know if it helps the tree grow better i have one old fig tree in the yard planted straight in ground mostly clay

Helps with the PH Levels

What type of PH required lime to be applied for better growing ?

I believe fig grow in a wide range of ph levels but i would like to know which is best low high or neutral.

The nursery said he highly recommended adding dolomite lime (must be on top of the soil) and bone meal (can be mixed in or on top of the soil). Never mixed in dolomite lime with soil as it could burn the roots. 

This is from an LSU article. 

Thanks for the help. Going to add bone meal with my lime. Is this done ever year in spring

Richie, I would add the lime now and put the bone meal in the spring.

Ok done deal. HAVE a bag from last spring. Powered kind.

So fig tree preferable alkaline soil or acid sol to stay happy ?

more alkaline, I keep it around 7 the higher the number the more alkaline.

Keep it neutral at PH 7 so to be easy to remember.
Test it with PH tester and ,add limestone if acidic,and leave alone if neutral ,or alkaline.
That is all.

Edit note:Fig tolerate extra acidic and,extra alkaline soil,but do not expect high quality sweet flavorful fruits in those conditions,but barely edible fruits!.

so if its below 7, say 4.5, we add limestone to get it to the neutral PH of 7? the lower the number the more acidic right?

Thanks to all for the valuable informations. Very helpful to the newbie like me.

So Herman is 7-8 preferable? What is too alkaline....maybe 9?

According to LSU PH 8 is something that fig tolerate but do not thrive,so 7 is ideal.
If 8 or over,add sulfur to lower PH,down toward 7.
But follow instruction on sulfur package so you do not apply too much and kill your tree.
However when applying  agricultural limestone , it never kill the plant,even if too much is applied,at once.

Do you have any favorite soil testing kits or are they all pretty much the same? Is the process is the same for potted or in ground soil testing at home? Great info! I was just looking into lime!

If you can submit a soil sample through your state extension service it would be best. In Louisiana I think it is $5 to get the results on your soil from the lab.

Chapman I am from south louisiana also. What is the PH OF YOUR SOIL if you plant in ground. I am on the Northshore ( slidell area )

Richie, I have not checked the Ph of my soil for my inground trees.  I figure it is on the acidic side since that is how most of the soils are in this area.  I have been spreading some pelitized lime around them once a year for the last few years.  They grow good and produce good, so I don't think they are hurting for lime. I also fertilize my trees with what LSU recommends .  I do soil samples for my cow pastures and hay fields and put out lime and fertilizer according to the results.  I bring in the sample to the LSU ag center in my parish and they sent it off to the lab.

I guess all you beed is to lime once,a year and your good. I was just curious. I ordered a ph kit and going to see what i got then lime.

I disagree with most of the posts here. LSU says 6.0 to 6.5 which is acidic as ideal.
If you water with tap water you are adding a lot of carbonates, and you could make your pots very basic, then adding lime too? Soil in containers never becomes more acidic, they become more basic if tap water is used. I myself use rainwater. And yes even in the winter. i store 500 gallons for winter use. I also say if you use hydrated lime it's super easy to burn your plants. Dolomite lime is a lot safer. A strong base like hydrated lime will burn your hands, just like an acid will do, if you leave the lime on your hands long enough.
I also disagree with acidic soil changing sugar levels of the figs. Basically your saying if too many hydrogen ions are in the soil (Acidic) that sugar decreases. I would like to see studies pointing that out. Blueberries are loaded with sugar and grow in soil as low as 4.5 pH.
If you make your own soils using peat, I would add lime as peat is very acidic. If you use Pro-mix which has a lot of peat, but I believe they add lime to balance pH, i would not add more. Gypsum tends to pull mixes to neutral. I have seen studies stating this and I probably can find the study if any interest. So if soils are acidic or basic, gypsum (calcium sulfate) will pull it to neutral. If you must add something, add gypsum.

For in ground with acidic soils lime makes sense. All tap water is basic. Acidic water eats pipes and you'll have water like Flint MI. So part of water treatment is to make water basic. I would avoid tap water if possible. Not to mention fluoride and chlorine are in tap water and certainly bad for any plants.

Here is some background info
http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/alkalinity-control-for-irrigation-water-used-in-nurseries-and-greenhouses