Citrus Fertilizer Management on Calcareous Soils
Soils in the south Florida flatwoods are underlain by calcium carbonate (CaCO3) that has accumulated through marine deposition over thousands of years. In most flatwoods, the CaCO3 lies below the profile and the overlying surface soil is usually acidic. However, CaCO3 also can occur at the surface, either naturally or as a result of earth-moving operations that have mixed the soil. The resultant soil is called calcareous. Soils also can become calcareous through long-term irrigation with water from the Floridan aquifer. This water contains small amounts of dissolved CaCO3 that can accumulate with time.