Soils with slopes of greater than 10 percent should also be avoided. These areas will possibly grow adequate fruit trees, but require special soil management in order to maintain the productivity of the soils. Excess surface runoff and soil erosion are critical problems on soils greater than 10 to 15 percent. Only with special soil management practices, such as contouring, terracing, strip cropping, as well as a cover crop, should fruit tree production be attempted in these areas. Soil Reaction and Fertility Soil reaction, or soil pH, is the relative acidity or alkalinity of a particular soil.
All plants have a specific pH range in which they grow and thrive best.
Fruit trees are no exception. For most fruit trees, a suggested pH range of about 5.5 to 6.5 is considered ideal. Plums are an exception in that they do best in a soil with a pH of 6 to 7. Fruit trees do tolerate a rather wide range in pH. This general range is from about 4.5 to 7.5. A soil pH above or below this tolerance level may cause adverse physiological problems.