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Comment by asdasdsddd | Hacker News Reader

I'm surprised that the oranges didnt make the soil too acidic, but I guess organic matter + water == lushness works 100% of the time

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Other articles (and the underlying research) actually mention this. It's suspected that the acidity killed off most of the younger, more temporary "new growths" (like non-native grasses) in the area and provides suitable conditions for "old growth" plants to quickly expand into the area after the acidity dropped off.

Some plants prefer a more acidic soil compared to others. Tomatoes are pretty well known for liking acidic soil.

Tomatoes like a fairly neutral ph of ~6.5. A better example is blueberries with mid-4’s.

The acidity is temporary. The organic acids in the peels are eventually metabolized by the fauna and converted to carbon dioxide.

The juice is acidic. Are the peels?

It is recommended against putting them into your composite.

I'm not completely sure, but that might be because of the oils in the peel. Citrus peel oil has antimicrobial properties.

Some people recommend avoiding citrus and onions in compost and worm farms typically because worms don't like it in the early stages of decomposition.

I've never followed that rule personally and my compost system works really well. I get some black soldier fly larvae and other vermiculture in the early stages. In case you're wondering the black soldier flies aren't annoying like houseflies and typically steer clear of homes and humans. I usually only see a few BSFs around the compost and sometimes a lot of larvae, but it's seasonal.

I've never had any trouble.

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