[Arid_gardener] Crape Myrtle

[Tyler Storey]

Todd, good morning,

You could probably use muriatic acid to acidify your soil, but there are a
couple of good arguments against it.

 

First, muriatic acid is powerful stuff.  I wouldn't use it without pretty
good protective gear: acid-proof gloves, apron, and goggles; a hefty amount
of neutralizer on hand, etc.  Also, if you're looking to put it on existing
plants, I'm not sure you could strike a balance between the dilution and
amount needed to acidify the soil and the dilution and amount that would
damage your plants.

 

Second, the buffering power of our soils here is prodigious because of the
free calcium carbonate content, and nearly all of the calcium carbonate
would need to be neutralized before there is any appreciable reduction in
pH.  Again, that puts us in the position of using really high quantities of
a powerful acid for what will be necessarily a temporary fix. 

 

A better - and safer -  method that has some weight of experienced success
behind it would be to use elemental soil sulfur.  If the plants are not yet
planted, work soil sulfur at the rate of 50 pounds per 1000 square feet into
the planting soil, and water in well.  If the plants are already in the
ground, work the same rate ( 50# / 1000 sq. ft) into the surface of the soil
surrounding the plants, extending out to and beyond the drip line or
watering area; use a hand tool to work it into the top few inches of the
soil, and water in thoroughly.  Use caution in working the soil so that you
are not damaging the surface roots of the plants.  Watering it in may work
best in two sessions: work in the sulfur, water well to soften the sulfur,
wait a couple of days until the soil has dried just a bit, then work the
soil again to break up the sulfur, and water deeply.  

 

In either a pre-planting or post-planting application, fine soil sulfur will
work better than pelleted, but either will work.  Then, annually apply the
same amount of sulfur around the plants, working it in well and watering it
well.  

 

Again, our soils have a powerful buffering capacity, so the sulfur will be
neutralized, but with an annual application you can get a "serial" temporary
pH reduction, which should benefit the Crape Myrtles. 

 

Thanks much,

Tyler

 

 <mailto:tyler at tylerstorey.com> tyler at tylerstorey.com

 <http://tylerstorey.com> http://tylerstorey.com

602-738-2978

  _____  

From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
[mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of Todd Stadmiller
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 6:23 AM
To: arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Crape Myrtle

 

>From Tempe, AZ

 

Can muriatic acid be used to acidy soil for crape myrtles?  If so what is
the amount of muriatic acid to use in a 5 gallon bucket of water, and how
often should it be applied?

 

Thanks,

Toddstad at yahoo.com

 

  _____  

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