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.

[QUOTE=Chapman]This is from an LSU article. 

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.

[QUOTE=PeterC]more alkaline, I keep it around 7 the higher the number the more alkaline.[/QUOTE]

Thanks

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

DREW thanks for your view on this topic. I use rain water for potted and my well water for in ground figs
I like the idea of gypsum for gathering the ph to neet in the middle .... good suggestion

[QUOTE=drew51]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

[/QUOTE]

Hello Drew: Since I have been using tap water for all yard and fig trees, I better not to put any lime for my fig trees potted in the containers right ?
Unfortunately I have recently bought two bags of hydrated lime, can I put just a little on top of the soil for my in ground fig tree or better not at all ???
Thanks........

Being that proper ph is very important for all plants in ground and in pots, a good digital ph meter would be a very good thing for any gardener to own. You can take soil readings as often as you want and adjust ph if you need to.

Chris

[QUOTE=figpig_66]DREW thanks for your view on this topic. I use rain water for potted and my well water for in ground figs I like the idea of gypsum for gathering the ph to neet in the middle .... good suggestion [/QUOTE]

I'm trying to find the study where I saw that. So far no luck. Gypsum is a sulfate and I must admit my chemistry is not that good. Some sulfates make soil very acidic like Ammonium sulfate. Where as others like Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) do not ever make the soil acidic. Something to do with what metal sulfur is combined with. Again my chemistry knowledge is not great.
Anyway in the study gypsum pulled both acidic and basic soils closer to neutral.
You though have to be careful with anything you add to soil. Too much lime or even gypsum can change the magnesium calcium ratio levels where the plants are unable to uptake these nutrients. This is due to changes in CEC (cation exchange capacity) Luckily an easy way to fix it, keep your pH near neutral you know 6.0-8.0. It appears bad ratios of calcium to magnesium don't matter if pH is good! Let me point to more studies.
http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/CEC_BpH_and_percent_sat.htm
http://www.soils.wisc.edu/extension/pubs/A2986.pdf

I know these documents are tough to get through, worth it to have a better understanding of what you are doing, what you need to do to make soil optimum for plant growth.

The 2nd document shows that even if your calcium to magnesium levels are off if you have the soil at the right pH is doesn't matter. PH is really important to maintain good plant growth.

My whole point is be careful adding lime, you could really screw things up, have a good reason to add it. Monitoring pH it is all you have to do. Add lime to raise and sulfur to lower. Keep it at a good range and your plants will thrive. You can't guess, you have to check!

"Unfortunately I have recently bought two bags of hydrated lime!"

Pacifica:  hydrated lime?: Is not Agricultural limestone
 It burns,the plants.
Not Recomanded for fig trees.!
We already had this discussion on the fig forum.

[QUOTE=Herman2]"Unfortunately I have recently bought two bags of hydrated lime!"

Pacifica:  hydrated lime?: Is not Agricultural limestone
 It burns,the plants.
Not Recomanded for fig trees.!
We already had this discussion on the fig forum.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Herman2. 

Ok. ,i bought a soil test for my in ground fig trees , this is what i got. Is this good or still add lime ?

If it is accurate,it looks close to 7.0 which is good.  Did you take samples from several locations around your trees and mix them together to get a good overall sample?

[QUOTE=figpig_66]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. [/QUOTE]~why a ph kit they make a meter thats easy and quick,i use it my meter has light,moisture,and ph and all three test are accurate.i love the moisture meter my cutting rooting got way better when i water using moisture meter ~  

[QUOTE=Chapman]If it is accurate,it looks close to 7.0 which is good.  Did you take samples from several locations around your trees and mix them together to get a good overall sample?[/QUOTE] just around one tree. Going to do that today. Thanks for the tip

[QUOTE=chucklikestofish][QUOTE=figpig_66]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. [/QUOTE]~why a ph kit they make a meter thats easy and quick,i use it my meter has light,moisture,and ph and all three test are accurate.i love the moisture meter my cutting rooting got way better when i water using moisture meter ~   [/QUOTE] going to get one. And compare the two readings

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]The soil is just fine PH wise, keep in mind more acidic down to 5.5 would not kill the tree it would just not grow as well. I do not see any point in having a higher number than 7. In this case if you wanted to add more calcium you'd need to buy some gypsum. Which would hardly change the PH.[/QUOTE]
Gypsum adds calcium?

[QUOTE=figpig_66][QUOTE=alanmercieca]The soil is just fine PH wise, keep in mind more acidic down to 5.5 would not kill the tree it would just not grow as well. I do not see any point in having a higher number than 7. In this case if you wanted to add more calcium you'd need to buy some gypsum. Which would hardly change the PH.[/QUOTE] Gypsum adds calcium? [/QUOTE]~LET ME KNOW HOW THE TEST TURN OUT WITH THE METER AND TEST KIT ,THANKS,~

Hi Chucklikestofish:
My garden failed all the time, I bought 15 yards of soil to fix this problem and it cost me $300 CND but still not very reliable,  I think that I need a PH / moisture meter.
Thanks for your info, I get this 3 in 1 tester online, it costs less than $4/US, It is well-worth for all guess work in failing garden.

[QUOTE=ricky]Hi Chucklikestofish:
My garden failed all the time, I bought 15 yards of soil to fix this problem and it cost me $300 CND but still not very reliable,  I think that I need a PH / moisture meter.
Thanks for your info, I get this 3 in 1 tester online, it costs less than $4/US, It is well-worth for all guess work in failing garden. ~you are making a very good move ,i love mine so convienient and easy and accurate ~a plan has come together~ thanks ~







[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=ricky]Hi Chucklikestofish:
My garden failed all the time, I bought 15 yards of soil to fix this problem and it cost me $300 CND but still not very reliable,  I think that I need a PH / moisture meter.
Thanks for your info, I get this 3 in 1 tester online, it costs less than $4/US, It is well-worth for all guess work in failing garden. ~good move and price to where at do you get them ????? ,i paid 10.00 at harbor freight years ago battery has been good still~








[/QUOTE]

On the outer banks they use sea shells. I use a mixture of egg shells and coffee grounds.