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soil preparation for rhododendrons in a non-acidic soil

mikelata · 2023-04-04 09:45:32

Hi all, A few years ago, I was starting with gardening, I did not know anything about soil types and plant needs, and I planted azaleas and a camellia plant in non-acidic soil. The plants went sad and I fixed them using iron fertiliser. The camelia is now healthy and flowers beautifully, but the azalea plants never really…

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#32 22-12-2023 1:00am
Weedy Gonzalez

Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭

Join Date: December 2023

Posts: 10

I too love rhododendrons so don't be put off by people who consider all rhododendron invasive as it just isn't true.
I find they grow well in neutral to acidic soils. However, they can be grown in any soil conditions buy doing a bit of groundwork prior to planting. Dig a very large rectangular hole 4ft by 4ft. Buy 2 large bags of peat moss. Using a screwdriver pierce about 20 holes on one side of bag. Place this bag into the hole with drainage holes on the bottom. Then cut a 2 foot square window from the top side. On top of that add another large bale of compost with a two foot window cut and placed directly in line with the existing bag in the hole. Top bale should be at ground level. Cut another window from the top and plant the rhododendron. Mulch with bark chip to cover any visible plastic. Your rhododendron will live happily in this altered environment for many years.

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