Help - Enkianthus and Ericaceous soil

idioticlee · Hazel Tree Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 14 Location: Kerry

As a novice gardener I am constantly stumped about soil preferences for specific plants. My soil is a common and garden mix of the stones and pencil that was there to start, and bog ordinary topsoil, compost and manure that I have added since I started my garden. I dont know enough to work out the pH content of my soil but i presume it varies from patch to patch? Is it usual for there to be patchs of acid rich soil in a garden? Is it linked to a factor like shade or drainage. I presume that most gardens have a "normal" soil, and that acid-loving is unusual?

I suppose where I am going with this topic is that I dont understand why Nurseries will sell you a shrub that comes with the manufacturer's little white plastic tag with the name, and, ostensibly, instructions - and yet they consistently fail to tell you about soil type??? I just bought an Enkianthus and bust a gut to carve a beautiful extra large hole for it out of my pencil quarry (a.k.a. the Garden), and which I filled up with a peaty compost/ sand/ manure mix that looked good enough to eat. Now some light coincidental surfing on the internet tells me the Enkianthus shrub is acid loving and works well with other ericaceous plants!!

1. Generally speaking, if the nursery dont specify soil type, does it matter?
2. Do I have to haul out my shrub and repot it in a large and inconvenient pot of ericaceous soil?
3. Is there a way of treating a plant in situ so that it's immediate surrounds become acid loving?

Thanks very much for any advice you can offer.

cooler · Silver Birch Tree Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 180

idioticlee · Hazel Tree Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 14 Location: Kerry

Thanks Cooler for all the advice. I bunked work for an hour, dug up the poor shrub,planted it in a reasonably large pot filled with ericacous soil and then popped the pot back into the original hole so it cant be seen. All of this is a stop gap because I am a weekend gardener, not being released from the "salt mines" until well after sunset. I am hoping my actions may have bought some time, but after that I will tackle the advice you gave, Thanks again