Should I move my camellia out of chalky soil and into a pot?
Linda Fawcett, by email
Stefan says: You were growing a camellia in a pot but moved it and planted it in garden soil. However, you feel you’ve made a mistake as you’re on chalky soil and think you should move it back to a pot. This is correct and I’d also use an ericaceous compost. I’d also advise watering it from to time with a fertiliser such as Sequestrene.
The problem with acid-loving plants – or, to put it another way, lime-hating plants – is that in chalky (alkaline) conditions they’re unable to absorb iron from the soil and hence unable to manufacture chlorophyll, cannot make food, and starve themselves. Sequestrene and similar products contain sequestered iron, that is, iron in a form plants like camellias can absorb easily.