Why are some plants to azaleas and rhododendrons wonderfully and others are not?
Why don’t azaleas and rhododendrons sit down with every plant?
Azaleas and rhododendrons are tremendously decorated flowering shrubs that have enchanted many so much that they planted them in their front gardens and gardens. Although they are very beautiful trees, their cultivation has one small but.
Specifically, these two plants require acid soil pH to grow, which is very unusual in our conditions. These are not the only plants that are acidophilic.
This group also includes blueberries and cranberries, heather and heath, ferns, hydrangeas, various conifers, pieris and other species.
Which plants do not fit them
And now let’s go to which plants are downright problematic in combination with azaleas and rhododendrons. We did not talk about pH soil by chance. Inappropriate neighbors are azaleas and rhododendrons mostly plants that require a slightly alkaline or strictly neutral pH.
Such plants include other popular stars of our gardens. These include lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage or peonies. As you may notice, these are often Mediterranean types of herbs. These plants often come from limestone areas, which is an alkaline environment.
Likewise, this group of plants also includes some bulbs, most vegetables, but also sunflowers or roses.
For example, lavender is not suitable for rhododendron. They come from a too different environment and therefore their demands are unsurpassed.
Why is pH soil so important
The pH question is not marginal. Each plant requires certain conditions according to the place of its origin. The right pH is important for plants because they are not able to metabolize the necessary nutrients without it, even though these nutrients are in the soil.
However, if the soil does not meet the pH condition, the plant is unable to use these nutrients.
This may be manifested by a downright deficit and then yellowing of the leaves and the wasting of the plant that does not want to bloom or grow.
If you decide to grow acidic plants, you should not only fit them in the right substrate, but also to support their growth with suitable fertilizers.
It is not in vain that specific fertilizers are specifically designed for growing rhododendrons or blueberries. You would also find a list of other acid -loving plants on the box, for which this fertilizer, improving the acidity of the soil, should also be used correctly.
Therefore, it is advisable to create flower beds in which plants have similar demands, not only for soil pH, but also for example for topping.
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