Garden News (UK)

Should I move my camellia out of chalky soil and into a pot?

Linda Fawcett, by email

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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.

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