Ah ha! Thanks Evan. Perhaps the 'Take Down' product is what I'm looking for. Will check farm supply for more info on how to introduce it into the system.
I don't have pines in any case, but there are 4 huge old oak trees around the house that have been dropping leaves for a century or more. Their leaves are acidic, too. But even in the shady border under these oaks, the Heliconias and some other more sensitive plants turn chlorotic after a couple of months of well water irrigation. I 'mulch' those beds with the oak leaves, too! (i.e blow all the leaves into the beds with the leaf blower . . ) Obviously the slow break-down of the acidic leaves isn't enough to buffer the fast introduction of alkaline well water once I start irrigating regularly.
I'll bet the Ears are pretty sensitive to pH level in their water too, but seems that mine are not in that active growth until the rain starts, so I haven't seen chlorosis on them particularly.
