On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 09:10:09 +0100, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:

~
~"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
.. .
~ On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 14:58:21 GMT, "Jeremy Watts"
~ wrote:
~
~ Hi,
~
~ I have planted a pieris which is ericaceous in soil which is quite limey.
~ I've only just realised this and dont really want to rip it out again.
~My
~ question is will it die there?
~
~ I've given it ericaceous plant food and sequestered iron.
~
~ thanks
~
~ The main problem with putting ericaceous plants into alkaline soil is
~ lack of iron and manganese, which are relatively insoluble at high
~ soil pH's. You will see if the plant is suffering because the leaves
~ will turn yellow and the plant won't thrive. But it won't drop dead
~ overnight. Chlorosis is a slow process and will take several months to
~ show itself, especially as the central root ball is presumably still
~ acid at the moment.
~
~ Don't over-do the fertiliser, i.e. don't feed any greater amount than
~ you would normally do or as instructed on the packet (I wouldn't feed
~ more frequently than once every six weeks from late spring until the
~ end of summer). You will probably need to treat with the sequestered
~ iron two or three times a season. As the plant gets older and bigger,
~ you will need to treat a wider area to completely cover the root area.
~
~ Don't forget to mulch it well to keep the roots cool and moist. Use
~ acid leaf mould or coarse peat, although neither will make a big
~ difference to the pH of the underlying soil.
~
~
~ --
~ Chris
~
~Chris is obviously a "Glass half full" person, me I would cut my losses now!
~you might get away with a pot if your water supply is not alkaline but in
~the ground it will never thrive, always look poorly, then die. although the
~treated in Chris's bit above will delay the event a number of years.

I inherited a stunted, yellowing pieris when I moved into my house,
which is on chalk (I also acquired several other acid-lovers which the
previous owners had bunged in, probably to make the garden look
better).

I dug them all up and put in pots. The pieris was really tiny (about
6" high) at first so went in a window box with some acid-loving
gentians, and after a couple of years was big enough to move into a
much bigger pot.

I now have a 5' tall plant which is currently amazing - covered in
flowers and new red leaves. And still happily in a 15" pot! I water
with rainwater from a butt, and with ericaceous fertiliser every
couple of weeks.

I'd dig it up now, shake off as much limey soil as possible and pot on
in ericaceous John Innes compost.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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