So I learned my soil is actually acidic using this tool

[Das Bhut]

Even though it's mostly sand apparently a lot of land in Broward has a pH under 7 according to soil samples tested by UF and a few other places

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?q=select+col6+from+1Y-EDT7Fb6Ws6zVGc2JSoNifqJEzCFniQOZbjX-24&viz=MAP&h=false&lat=37.696435496381916&lng=-93.5282267507812&t=1&z=3&l=col6&y=2&tmplt=3&hml=TWO_COL_LAT_LNG

click on the closest dot and look at the lab data. For example tree tops park has nothing but fine sand from 0cm all the way down to 203cm (6.6 feet) but the ph is between 5.1 and 5.9

[Cookie Monster]

Undisturbed Davie muck has ph below 7. The main problem there is drainage. Something like what Hausman has but mixed with a bunch of sand to improve drainage would be ideal.

Davie soil is probably the best in Broward county. Were I to start from scratch, I'd get a home there or in palm beach county, both of which have decent soil.

The lion's share of Broward has ph above 7.5. For the folks in western broward, whose lots sit just a few inches above piles of limestone ("builder's fill"), it's near impossible to successfully grow ph-sensitive plants.

Those samples are of questionable accuracy. The web soil survey data has always been inaccurate when I've tested myself. http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx

[Tropicalgrower89]

There's a site close to me labeled "immokalee" for immokalee fine sand, which is what I have. Very acidic, so I'll use sequestrene 330 for my mameys.

FL0601301   0-15   A   S           5.2      5.6                        
FL0601302   15-28   E   S   4.8      5.4                        
FL0601303   28-48   Eg1   S   4.6      5.1                        
FL0601304   48-81   Eg2   S   4.9      5.5                        
FL0601305   81-97   Eg3   S   5.1      5.5                        
FL0601306   97-107   Bh1   S   5.4      5.8                        
FL0601307   107-127   Bh2   S   5.8      6.2                        
FL0601308 127-157       Bw/Bh   S   6.0      6.3

Here's the overall report. http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.aspx?p=50589&r=1&g=on&

[Cookie Monster]

You might want to check the ph of your soil to make sure it's really acidic. I vaguely remember you having chlorosis, which would be more readily associated with ph > 7. With an acid ph, you should be able to remedy iron issues by just plopping some iron sulfate on the ground, and I'd be surprised that you'd even need it.

You can either buy one of the nice ph meters (not one of the cheap ones -- they are completely inaccurate) or you can send a soil sample off to a lab (www.spectrumanalytic.com will test for a few bucks).

I wouldn't trust those soil samples.

There's a site close to me labeled "immokalee" for immokalee fine sand, which is what I have. Very acidic, so I'll use sequestrene 330 for my mameys.

FL0601301   0-15   A   S           5.2      5.6                        
FL0601302   15-28   E   S   4.8      5.4                        
FL0601303   28-48   Eg1   S   4.6      5.1                        
FL0601304   48-81   Eg2   S   4.9      5.5                        
FL0601305   81-97   Eg3   S   5.1      5.5                        
FL0601306   97-107   Bh1   S   5.4      5.8                        
FL0601307   107-127   Bh2   S   5.8      6.2                        
FL0601308 127-157       Bw/Bh   S   6.0      6.3

Here's the overall report. http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.aspx?p=50589&r=1&g=on&

[KarenRei]

Wow, neat tool. But why such high data density in the US but so little elsewhere? I mean, look at how sharply the collection points end at the US / Canadian border. Maybe some day I'll add the first Icelandic datapoints on there.

Oh hey, I think I get it, all of the datapoints seem to be from a single US laboratory, even the foreign ones.

[Tropicalgrower89]

You might want to check the ph of your soil to make sure it's really acidic. I vaguely remember you having chlorosis, which would be more readily associated with ph > 7. With an acid ph, you should be able to remedy iron issues by just plopping some iron sulfate on the ground, and I'd be surprised that you'd even need it.

You can either buy one of the nice ph meters (not one of the cheap ones -- they are completely inaccurate) or you can send a soil sample off to a lab (www.spectrumanalytic.com will test for a few bucks).

I wouldn't trust those soil samples.

There's a site close to me labeled "immokalee" for immokalee fine sand, which is what I have. Very acidic, so I'll use sequestrene 330 for my mameys.

FL0601301   0-15   A   S           5.2      5.6                        
FL0601302   15-28   E   S   4.8      5.4                        
FL0601303   28-48   Eg1   S   4.6      5.1                        
FL0601304   48-81   Eg2   S   4.9      5.5                        
FL0601305   81-97   Eg3   S   5.1      5.5                        
FL0601306   97-107   Bh1   S   5.4      5.8                        
FL0601307   107-127   Bh2   S   5.8      6.2                        
FL0601308 127-157       Bw/Bh   S   6.0      6.3

Here's the overall report. http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.aspx?p=50589&r=1&g=on&

The chlorosis problem I have are plants that are planted right up against the house in the front garden, which could be from the concrete. The problem I had with the pace mamey was mostly nutritional. The pace mamey growing next to my shed started to show symptoms such as short weird-shaped leaf growth and branch dieback. I began giving it lesco 8-10-10 palm & tropical and cleared away the mulch. After a few months it bounced back and now has full-sized healthy leaves again. I've also been using miller's ferriplus chelated iron as a soil drench.  The minerals in the fertilizer are sulfate versions instead of oxides like vigoro. The vigoro really didn't do anything.

[gunnar429]

how does one read these docs?