A tip for making soil acid or making soil more acid.

Sb

I was given this tip years ago by my gandmother to help me grow a magnolia bush on my neutral soil.
If you spread used tea leaves at the base of the magnolia it will make the soil more acidic.
Making soil acidic is important for me to grow acid loving plants
Try it, it works well for my magnolia. Very Happy

GPI · Last edited by GPI on Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

great tip SB.
Anybody got some tips to make the soil more alkaline????

Lilith · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject: Ground limestone

In this part of the country, our soil is very acid, so we have to go the other way to grow many things, even decent grass pastures and lawns. Acid lovers like azeleas, blueberries, and rhodedendron flourish with no amendments.

We use ground limestone to make the soil more alkaline. It's best applied in the Fall so it works over the Winter to be ready for Spring planting. It's not very fast-acting like some of the amendments to make the soil more acid.

danmac · Hazel Tree Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Kerry

I'm hoping to convert a small patch of my alkaline soil to acid this winter, in the hope of planting out a rhododendron and two azaleas that are currently sitting in buckets of ericaceous compost.
What I'm wondering about is the feasability of this. I am a bit concerned that even if I convert a patch roughly 12 feet by 8 or 9 feet, will the surrounding alkaline soil elements begin to quickly make their way back into this patch again, through the flow of rainwater, action of earthworms etc.
I was thinking of using sulfur as an acidifying chemical and working some farm manure in. The farm manure I have access to is basically rotted straw bedding with a good amount of both cow and sheep leavings mixed through. Farmer next door has a big slotted unit and lagoon slurry system, but this stuff is too dry to go into that system so any I take is just so much less for him to get rid of.

crosseyedsheep · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 9:12 am Post subject:

My Mother has grown rhododendron quite sucessfully in a garden which wouldn't be very acidic, the method she has used is as follows:

Dig a large hole i.e. a few feet square and over a foot deep, remove the topsoil as you won't be refilling with this..
Line the sides with polothyene (But not the bottom)
Fill the hole with peat and plant your rhododendron.

It's a lot of work, but it works.

danmac · Hazel Tree Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Kerry

That's a good idea, I might try that as I think I have a bit of old builder's film somewhere.

sal · Hazel Tree Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 42

just looking for a reason why the magnolia bush i planted 2 years ago is 2 twigs with 4 leaves between them and is no bigger than when i planted it,i have neutral soil!so as we drink alot of tea,i shall mix the teabags with peat ans replant on the top of this mix,thanks for that