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Janis, excellent explanation! Thank you.
Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs
Nursery
Portland, OR
I think we should encourage any young student who is interested in
horticulture, so I will give it a try.
Phosphorus is the plant
nutrient that stimulates flowering. In acid (low pH) soils, phosphorus gets
tied up with iron and aluminum and thus is less available to the plant. In
alkaline (high pH) soils, phosphorus is less available because it gets tied up
by calcium and magnesium. This happens because of the chemical reactions
caused by the relatively higher concentrations of hydrogen ions in acid soil
and the higher hydroxyl concentrations in alkaline soil.
So,
phosphorus is best available to plants at a neutral pH of 7. Theoretically
then, plants would flower best at a pH of 7, and many do. However, some
plants have adapted to lower or higher pH conditions. (Good luck getting
azaleas to grow, let alone bloom, at a pH of 7.)
--Janis
In a message dated 12/12/01 11:04:16 PM Central Standard Time,
perennials-owner@mallorn.com writes:
A neighbor's son, who is doing a school science project, asked
me about the
effect of PH level on flower production. Generally
speaking, if a plant's
PH requirements are met, the plant should grow
and perform better. Other than this generalization, does anyone have
anything else to offer on the subject which I could forward to him?
Thanks! Mea Maryland -
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