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Soil-profiling

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  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Well I know I'm on sandstone bedrock (Bulwell Stone) and can see acid loving plants doing well in gardens around me, so I assumed i'm neutral / slightly acid. I don't need a kit to tell me I have humusy, sandy soil - I can just pick it up. However I did try a home pH kit and found the soil was more alkaline than I thought, presumably because of lime mortar in the old garden walls and remnants of hardcore in the ground.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • fizzjanefizzjane Posts: 5
    When I moved into my house about 5 years ago, the first thing I did was look around the immediate area to see what was growing.  Nearby gardens are full of acers, camellias, heather, azaleas and blue hydrangeas so naturally I thought the soil would be acidic but none of these plants grow in my own garden. There was no planting here before so don't think the PH has been purposefully changed so I'm stumped. Any ideas?
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    I would love to have a soil test done but I've been too lazy to arrange it, so far. Give me a website where I can order it online, without messaging anyone or calling anyone and I will order it today... But it looks like there aren't many gardeners interested, it's usually farmers ordering similar services.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    edited March 2021
    @fizzjane, soil can vary hugely from one garden to the next, even within my plot I have oak woodland (slightly more neutral) but most is very alkaline clay. Around the house there was tonnes of builder’s sand and what looks like some bought-in soil used to level up along with the prerequisite dump of building waste, all affecting soil quality and ph. Mine is a very old house, but a great deal of terracing was done during the restoration. If a new build, sometimes the original soil is lost during site works and more topsoil was bought in, which could be any ph.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    As many of you know my brother is a farmer growing vegetables for the big supermarkets etc. The soil in his fields is tested quite often and at several locations in each field. The results help him and his agronomists to decide what will be grown where and which fertilisers need yo be applied. The fertility changes over time depending on crops grown and fertilisers and other treatments applied along with recent weather conditions. 

    In his opinion it’s not something that would be worthwhile or even practicable for amateur gardeners (and his wife is a very keen and proficient amateur gardener). 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    edited March 2021
    Thank you for your most recent comments. However, they were all made by advanced gardeners, with strong observation techniques. Apart from B3 who is an idiot. For beginners, I would strongly advise getting a professional analysis. It is not very expensive - mine cost only £ 11 and can help you avoid many expensive mistakes. Don't believe the smart asses who tell you can grow rhodendrons in alkaline soil if you add manganese.
    When you get the results go to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) site which will give you best advice as to which plants will be happiest in your soil. Don't work yourself to death trying to change what nature has given you. Good luck!
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited March 2021
    Camelias  and acers grow  rhododendrons , gentians and  heathers don't . Hydrangeas mucky pink. slightly acidic clay. That's all I need to know.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    I've had a soil test done, twice, by the RHS.. it cost £30 each time...  it was interesting to know that my soil is high in phosphorus but low in nitrogen and potassium... the ph level is very high and above what I expected... 

    You do have to be careful not to taint the soil sample with anything though....   it was all done by post, and they send you all the necessary packaging etc... 
    East Anglia, England
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Perhaps you might like to take back that comment about manganese. The article was in the RHS Garden magazine and was written by one of the foremost rhododendron experts in the country who unlike you knows what he is talking about.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Don't believe the smart asses who tell you can grow rhodendrons in alkaline soil if you add manganese.
    UK soil map for Westonbirt National Arboretum:
    Soilscape 9: Lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage
    and/or
    Soilscape 3: Shallow lime-rich soils over chalk or limestone

    Westonbirt Arboretum in Spring - Springtime at Westonbirt Arboretum - YouTube
    Rhododendrons and azaleas all over the place  :)
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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