does anyone know or have any ideas why tomatoes grow better in slightly acidic soil?

Plants that prefer acidic soil (ericaceous) tend to have less efficient roots due to the conditions in which they evolved. Alkaline soils tend to lock up magnesium and particularly iron, which plants need. The less eficient roots of ericaceous plants can't unlock these minerals, where other plants can. Reducing the soil pH frees up these minerals to they are useable by plants such as azalea, rhododendron etc.

 

If you have ericaceous plants in alkaline soil, they will thrive, as long as you provide iron in a form it can utilize (i.e. chelated). A sequestered iron drench once a month will keep them healthy.

so tomatoes like acid becasue it unlocks minerals trapped in alkaline?

Plants evolve to their soil. Tomatoes have lived in more acidic soil, so the ones that grow well in the acidic soil lived, so now all (virtually) tomatoes like acidic soil.

Plants that prefer acidic soil (ericaceous) tend to have less efficient roots due to the conditions in which they evolved. Alkaline soils tend to lock up magnesium and particularly iron' date=' which plants need. The less eficient roots of ericaceous plants can't unlock these minerals, where other plants can. Reducing the soil pH frees up these minerals to they are useable by plants such as azalea, rhododendron etc.

 

If you have ericaceous plants in alkaline soil, they will thrive, as long as you provide iron in a form it can utilize (i.e. chelated). A sequestered iron drench once a month will keep them healthy.[/quote']

 

so acid unlocks minerals based on what glider said here/ right?

Yes, the lower pH binds certain minerals, particularly iron, making them available to these plants, . Acid loving plants in an alkaline soil develop chlorosis (the main symptom of which is yellowing leaves with green veins). As I said, a drench with sequestered iron can solve the problem.

what happens when you give a plant a drink of dilute nitric or sulfuric acid?

the soil would almost imediately convert this into the coresponding nitrates or sulphates with any free minerals or ions available (depending on the soln strength).

i was just wondering becasue i am doing an experiment for bio and needed to explain. thx for the help

by the wayu h2so4, dilute acid help tomato plants grow. But any acid (acid rain) with a ph of 2 or lower is bad for the plant, and casues "burns" on the leaves (dead spots) [found through my BCP project (bio experiment]

Plants evolve to their soil. Tomatoes have lived in more acidic soil, so the ones that grow well in the acidic soil lived, so now all (virtually) tomatoes like acidic soil.

Sry, it's much more complicated than that.