7.4 is only slightly alkaline. A wide range of plants would be quite happy with it. Are you having trouble with growth?

Where are you located? Some soils are naturally high in calcium.

tj

Adding quantities of organic matter - like compost - will help to neutralize a high soil pH. And higher than normal levels of Ca are typically tied to high pH soils as well, so adding the OM should help with both issues.

(btw, higher than typical levels of Ca rarely have any adverse effect on the plantings, except with respect to the pH being out of whack.)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱ Located in Cleveland Ohio area

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK Not so much trouble with simply growth....BUT TROUBLE THAT EVERY HOLLY, HYDRANGEA, ARBORBITAE, SPRUCE and QUINCE HAVE DIED WITHIN MONTHS!!

Most of the plants listed will prefer at least a slightly acidic soil pH but as floral noted, yours is only just slightly above neutral and most plants are adaptable to that. In any case, an irregular soil pH may affect vigorous growth but it wont kill them! I'd suspect that there were other issues going on, like poor drainage or lack of adequate water penetration. Adding quantities of organic matter will help with all of this.

Arbs and spruce do fine in my pH 7.5 soil. Something else killed them.

tj

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱ I really need to find out what killed them. I just contacted the "Soil and Water conservation district" for their input.

Would need to know how they were planted and watered to offer any advice.

tj

some were planted by nursery where purchased. Those planted by us were at the same level as in the pot. I ALWAYS amend the soil (Mix it will Miracle Grow Garden Soil) Always use a sprinkler to water (large area) except , at first, when I water with a hose (low flow)

big city location ...

ambient weather since planting and loss ..

how you watered at planting.. and afterwards ...

how big were the transplants ... did you amend the planting hole ,....

you really havent given us any info to speculate on ... other than soil chemistry which doesnt seem to be an issue .....but losses across such a wide spectrum of plant types makes me think watering or planting issues ...

ken

Ken, I water, I amend the soil, the nursery planted the Hemlocks (they are almost totally dead...it took a while) and I watered them with a drip (per nursery) every day. Oh well ....I am in contact with Soil and Water conservation dept. AND a local nursery (whose owner is VERY knowledgeable and not the same nursery who planted the dying Hemlocks) PA test lab told to use sulphur to lower PH and add a fertilizer 5-10-10 8" into the soil.

With conifers, never rely on the soil depth of the pot. Pull the soil away until you find the root flare and plant exposing that flare. Also, never amend the soil and use only native soil. That said, those things are for long term health and not likely to kill things quickly.. Watering for the first year should be done with a hose at a slow trickle at the trunk for 30 minutes or more in order to make should the roots are soaked. Dig a small hole six inches deep into the root ball to make sure and then dont water again until that root ball feels dry to the touch.

tj

I suspect this is a watering/drainage issue. Amending a planting hole in any soil type will impact drainage, as any change in soil texture will alter water flow. Even more critical if a clay based soil, as the amended hole acts like a sponge, absorbing rain or irrigation water that takes too long to drain away properly.

IME water is most likely to be the issue as others have said. Unamended soils in the Cleveland area (where I started gardening) tend to have very high clay content and water tends to move very slowly through it. Since you are adding a moisture retentive mix like the Miracle Grow garden soil where water tends to move easily, what is most likely happening is that you are creating what gardeners refer to as a bathtub effect. Water moves easily into the MG you added to the hole, but the tight clay soils that surround it prevent excess water from moving away so the roots remain sitting in water and the plant drowns. You want to do a home perc test in the area you want to plant which will test how well water drains. Then come back and share the results, and we can talk about what to do next. In general, however, research has shown that adding anything other than native soil to an individual planting hole is an issue because it typically causes water movement problems, but that does not mean that there is nothing you can do to have a garden.

Directions on how to do a perc test:

https://todayshomeowner.com/diy-soil-drainage-perk-test-for-your-yard/

And if you want to know the percent of the three general sizes of soil particles (sand, silt, and clay) in your soil, you can do a simple home texture analysis.

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/soil-texture-analysis-the-jar-test/

and congratulations to you for taking the time to come here and ask about what is causing the problems!

If the OP has clay soil, I totally agree with the above post. What we did here in MO was to start planting all of our trees and shrubs with about 1/4 of the root ball above the surrounding ground. Mound some soil over the top and then mulch to prevent erosion. Eventually the hump will disappear as the plant grows, but it will be less likely to die from being soggy.

This was learned after several small tree saplings and shrubs died the first year from being planted level or even sunken into the ground in a misguided attempt to collect water!

PS The Soil & Water District is not really the best place for these questions, they deal with grants to farmers for erosion prevention and so forth. What you want is the county Agricultural Extension office, or a Master Gardeners group if there is one, or, as you said, the nursery guy who is really sharp.

What I see in planting holes or post holes is about half almost fill with water in the spring because the water table has risen to the level you see in the hole. Later in the spring when the water table drops all the holes drain down to the new water table level.

An alternative to the don't amend mandate is to amend an entire area. Let's say your putting in a vegetable garden and a row of fruit trees. Cover the whole area with your amendment and then plow it in.

toxcrusadr

Mentioning the SOIL and Water DISTRICT was awesome!! They pulled maps from 1950 forward and they suspect that my soil is compacted by bulldozers and heavy earth moving equipment! I need DEEP boring samples (and a permit ...and an expert)......I THINK I WILL PLANT SHALLOW ROOTED HOSTAS AND FORGET IT.......But thank you EVERYONE for your input, your advice, and for allowing me to grumble!

Aha...very interesting.

If you have highly compacted soil - which is probably clay, or it would not have stayed compacted that long, I would guess - anyway the thing to do is build UP. In other words, raised beds. You don't need a lot, even a few inches will do. If you break up the surface underneath before adding topsoil over it, it will help form a transition which helps with drainage and some other things.

I finally raised my raised vegetable beds (which are on top of dense heavy clay) even higher (from 4-6" up to over a foot) and they are doing much better.

Someone mentioned our BLACK LOCUST trees being a problem. We ignored the comment. TURNS out BLACK LOCUST can release toxic substances that suppress growth of other plants. (Darn, these were in the pack of FREE trees from ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION!)