See the highlights from UF/IFAS research on how soil amendments affect soil pH and nutrient availability in citrus groves.

UF/IFAS has recently shared the results of an experiment lasting four and a half years to see how soil amendments affect soil pH and nutrient availability, according to a Citrus Industry Tip of the Week article. The article maintained that scientists looked at how “fulvic acid, humic acid, and sulfuric acid with and without elemental sulfur” affected soil pH and nutrient availability while tracking and analyzing “canopy size, fruit yield, fruit quality, soil nutrient availability, leaf nutrient levels, and root density.” See the takeaways from the research below.

Soil Research Takeaways

The article shared the following highlights from the experiment:

  • “Moderate acidity (5.5–6.5) promoted nutrient availability compared to pH greater than 7.5.”
  • “There was positive correlation between soil pH and soil calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and boron (B), possibly suggesting that the availability of these soil nutrients increased as pH increased.”
  • “A negative correlation was observed between soil pH and soil iron (Fe), sulfur (S), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P), indicating decreased nutrients in soil solution as pH increased.”
  • “Fulvic acid + elemental sulfur increased root density…”
  • “Humic acid + elemental S showed a significantly lower root density.”
  • “Use of organic acids such as humic acid and fulvic acid should be considered for lowering soil pH along with elemental sulfur. Combined use of organic acids and elemental sulfur increased nutrient availability on Florida sandy soils.”
  • “Fruit yields and fruit quality were comparable between treatments over the four years.”

Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions -or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.