Experiments on Fruit Growth Due to Different Sediments

The pH Level

• The pH level of your soil or sediment is the primary factor with respect to proper fruit growth. Different fruits require different pH levels in order to grow properly. For example, blueberries require a pH level of between 4 and 5, which is essential to their proper growth. For strawberries, the pH level should be between 6 and 6.5. The pH levels can be raised by applying lime to your soil and lowered by adding ammonium sulfate fertilizer.

Heavily Compacted Soils

• Heavily compacted soils are a common type of sediment that often lack the essential nutrients and nourishment for your fruit. As a result, this can directly affect fruit growth, in terms of both size and yield. If the land you are cultivating is primarily composed of heavily compacted soils, you can experiment with the composition of the soil by adding sawdust, compost, peat moss or manure directly to the soil itself. This will help infuse the sediment with nutrients for your plants to feed off.

Porous Soil

• Porous soil is a loose, low impact soil that is ideal for fruits that don't rely on stable, tightly packed soil to uphold thick roots. While to the naked eye soil particles appear to be all touching, there are actually small pockets of air in between each particle. These are the pores of the soil. In porous soil, the air pockets are larger, making the soil less densely packed. This is ideal for fruits such as blueberries and cranberries. Sawdust can be added to porous soil to help firm up the soil without entirely changing the texture.

Sedimentary Depth

• In addition to specific types of sediments and pH balances, the depth of the sediment you use will also directly affect the growth of your fruit. Small, bog-based fruits such as blueberries require no more than 18 inches of free-draining soil. Other fruits, such as caneberries and strawberries, take deeper hold of the soil and require a greater sedimentary depth as a result. Fruits that grow on trees, such as bananas and papayas, require even greater soil depth to sustain entire trees.