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Optimum pH for Growing Pine Seedlings

Two schools of thought address the optimum soil pH (measured in water) for growing pine seedlings (Pinus spp.) in bareroot nurseries. One school uses nutrient availability charts to determine the best pH range for growing conifers. Students of this school believe pine seedlings grow best at pH 5.5 to 6.5. In contrast, another school uses research from nursery trials to conclude that pines grow best in “very strong acid” soils (pH 4.5 to 5.0). This article compiles some of the findings from seedbed and greenhouse trials and attempts to use data to dispel a few myths about growing pine seedlings in soils with pH less than 5.0. This paper was presented at the Joint Meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association (Lake Charles, LA, July 18–21, 2016).


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Author(s): David B. South

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 60, Number 2 (2017)

Event: Joint Meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association
2016 - Lake Charles, Louisiana

Volume: 60

Number: 2