Oak Trees and the Soil: Do They Really Turn the Ground Acidic?

DateMay09,

Category

Blog AuthorDavidGaona

OaktreesareastapleintheAmericanlandscape.Theyareoftenplantedinyards andparksbecauseoftheirbeautyandlonglifespan.Butistheremoretooak treesthanmeetstheeye:cantheyalsohaveanimportantimpactonthe surroundingsoil?Oakleavesareacidic,whichmanybelievewillacidifythesoilover time.Ifthisistrue,itcouldhaveamajorimpactonthesurroundingenvironment,

bothplantsandanimalsalike.Inthisblogpost,we’llexploreifoaktreesturnthe soilacidicandwhatitmeansfortheecosystemasawhole!

Do Oak Trees Turn Soil Acidic?

Thereareafewreasonswhypeoplebelieveoaktreesturnthesoilacidic.First,oak leavesarenaturallyacidic.Theycontainhighlevelsoftannins,whichareknownto beacidic.Whentheseleavesfalltothegroundanddecompose,manybelievethey releasetheiracidsintothesoil.Butisthistrue?

Whileoakleavesareacidic,theiraciditybreaksdownastheleavesdecompose. Dependingonthespecies,manygofromslightlyacidtoalkaline.Oakleaveswillnot causeharmwhenusedasmulch,meaningit’sunlikelyit’sturningyoursoilacidic.

What is the pH of the Soil Near My Oak Tree?

pHisascalethatmeasureshowacidicorbasic(alkaline)asubstanceis.ThepH scalegoesfrom0to14,with0beingthemostacidic,14beingthemostbasic,and pHlevelsaroundsevenareconsideredneutral.AcidicsoilshaveapHlevelofsixor lower,whilealkalinesoilshaveapHlevelofsevenorhigher.

Oaktreesprefersoilthatismoreacidic,generallybetween5.06to7.0.Sincethey naturallypreferacidicsoil,manypeoplebelievethatthetreeitselfturnedthesoil acidic.

IfyouwanttocheckthepHofthesoilaroundyourtree,youcanuseahomesoiltest kit.Thesearewidelyavailableandrelativelyinexpensive.Youcanalsotakea sampleofyoursoiltoyourlocalco opresearchandextensionofficefortesting.

How Do I Fix the Soil Around My Oak Tree?

Ifyoufindthatthesoilaroundyouroaktreeistooacidicoralkaline,thereareafew thingsyoucandotofixit.

AddlimetoacidicsoilstoraisethepHlevel.

AddsulfurtoalkalinesoilstolowerthepHlevel.

Youcanalsotryplantingothertreesandshrubsthataretolerantofdifferentsoil conditions.Thiswillhelpcreateamorediverseecosystemaroundyouroaktree!

Ifyou’restillstrugglingtohavethebestsoilforyouroaktree,contactTreeNewal!

OurISACertifiedArboristswillbehappytohelpyoucreateahealthyenvironment foryourtree.

Can I Use Oak Leaves for Mulch?

Whileoakleavesareacidic,theiraciditybreaksdownastheleavesdecompose. Dependingonthespecies,manygofromslightlyacidtoalkaline.Oakleaveswillnot causeharmwhenusedasmulch!

Mulchingwithoakleavesisagreatwaytoimprovethehealthofyoursoil andprovidenutrientsforyourplants.Ifyou’rewantingtousefallenoakleavesfor yourmulch,theyneedabitofpreparationfirst.Sinceoakleaveshavehighlevelsof tannins,thedecompositionisslow.Beforeoakleaveshavedecomposed,theymake apoormulch.Theleavesclumptogetherandmakeathicklayerthatmakesit difficultforperennialsandgroundcoverstobreakthrough.

Ifyou’rewantingtomulchwithoakleaves,thebestthingtodoistoshredtheleaves beforeusingthem.Shreddingthemusingalawnmowerorstringtrimmer,willbreak theleavesdownintosmallerpiecesmakingiteasierforthemtodecompose.

Is My Oak Tree Affecting My Plants?

We’velearnedthattheeffectsofoaktreesaregreatlyexaggerated.Soit’sunlikely thatyouroaktreealoneiscausinganissuewithyourlawnorotherplants.Sinceoak treesarelarge,theycanpreventsunaccesstoyourotherplants.

Ifyou’reworriedaboutyourplantsnotgettingenoughsun,trypruningyouroak tree.Thiswillhelpincreasesunlightandaircirculationtoyourotherplants.Pruning youroaktreewillalsohelpkeepithealthy!Removingdeadordyingbrancheshelps thetreedirectitsenergytohealthierpartsofthetree.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsabouthowtocareforyouroaktree,contactTreeNewal!

Wearethe#1treeandplanthealthcompanyinTexas.WithourISA Certified arborists,we’realwaysherewhenyouneedhelpwithyourtrees.

To learn more about Oak Trees and the Soil: Do They Really Turn the Ground

Acidic?, call our Argyle and Southlake-based teams

at (817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

We’realittledifferentthantheaveragetreeservicescompany.

LearnmoreaboutTreeNewal’sISACertifiedArborists!

OurDallas/FortWorth-basedtreedoctorscanexplainhowsustainabletreecare servicesaddmorevaluetoyourbottomline.

Healthytrees,healthylives.