Rhododedrons and clay soil
Nick
JoeSpareBedroom
news:1160923303....@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Will rhododendrons and azaleas grow in clay soil?
>
Not happily, they won't. Have you ever walked through the kind of forest
where your feet sink 6" into the amazing leaf mold that lies on top of soil
that's moist & fluffy? That's their favorite environment. Both things
contribute to this - the leaf mold *and* the soil underneath, so just piling
leaves on top of clay soil won't do the trick, at least not in the short
term. If you want to grow these things, you'll need to improve the clay
soil, which can take 2-3 years if you really work at it, or forever if you
make a half-hearted effort.
Stephen Henning
"Nick" <nst...@rabbit.com.au> wrote:
> Will rhododendrons and azaleas grow in clay soil?
No, because clay soil does not drain. Rhododendrons and azaleas need
three things, acidic soil, drainage and drainage. The normal remedy is
to use a raised bed. Rhododendrons and azaleas have shallow roots, so
the raised bed only needs to be 6 to 12 inches above grade. Create it by
creating a mound or berm, or a raised planting bed using a retaining
curb such as logs, timbers or rocks. It is best if the base is a
material with good drainage like gravel. Then at least 6 of 8 inches of
good acidic, well-drained soil above that. If you use a lot of peatmoss
or compost remember, the peatmoss and compost will decompose over time
to 1Ž2 the original depth, so make the bed proportionately deeper.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to rhod...@earthlink.net
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
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Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6
JoeSpareBedroom
news:pighash-419AB5...@news.isp.giganews.com...
> In article <1160923303....@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
> "Nick" <nst...@rabbit.com.au> wrote:
>
>> Will rhododendrons and azaleas grow in clay soil?
>
> No, because clay soil does not drain. Rhododendrons and azaleas need
> three things, acidic soil, drainage and drainage. The normal remedy is
> to use a raised bed. Rhododendrons and azaleas have shallow roots, so
> the raised bed only needs to be 6 to 12 inches above grade. Create it by
> creating a mound or berm, or a raised planting bed using a retaining
> curb such as logs, timbers or rocks. It is best if the base is a
> material with good drainage like gravel. Then at least 6 of 8 inches of
> good acidic, well-drained soil above that. If you use a lot of peatmoss
> or compost remember, the peatmoss and compost will decompose over time
Some thought always needs to go into designing raised beds to keep the soil
from washing away in hard rains.
Farm1
I have rhodo that does. But depends on how much clay you are talking
about. Nothing will grow in pure clay but, yes in clayey soil.
bru...@eudoramail.com
> Will rhododendrons and azaleas grow in clay soil?
In my childhood home (Perth hills) we grew masses of Camelias
and Azalias in heavy clay soil. They thrived. Don't think we did
Rhododendrons.
Sir Topham Hatt
drainage).
Stephen Henning
The clay is not a problem, but the poor drainage that it creates is a
big problem. Very few plants will grow in pockets in clay soil that
doesn't drain. They drown. Pond plants will do OK though. Most farm
ponds are built with a clay lining. That is how good pure clay is at
preventing water from penetrating. If you soil doesn't retain water
like that, then it is not a pure clay soil.
Farm1
> > "Nick" <nst...@rabbit.com.au> wrote in message
> > > Will rhododendrons and azaleas grow in clay soil?
> >
> > I have rhodo that does. But depends on how much clay you are
talking
> > about. Nothing will grow in pure clay but, yes in clayey soil.
>
> The clay is not a problem, but the poor drainage that it creates is
a
> big problem. Very few plants will grow in pockets in clay soil that
> doesn't drain. They drown. Pond plants will do OK though. Most
farm
> ponds are built with a clay lining. That is how good pure clay is
at
> preventing water from penetrating. If you soil doesn't retain water
> like that, then it is not a pure clay soil.
Sigh! Why is it that people don't seem to bother what was written but
rather reply to what they fancy might have been written?
Not all soil that is a clay based soil will be pure clay and even if
it is pure clay then the role of a gardener is to amend that pure clay
so that it is no longer pure clay.
And in addition, one needs moisture to actually have a plant drown
even in pure clay and that is a very rare commodity these days in half
of the groups to which this question was origianally posted.
Stephen Henning
> "Stephen Henning" <pig...@aol.com> wrote in message
> > "Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote:
> > > I have rhodo that does. But depends on how much clay you are talking
> > > about. Nothing will grow in pure clay but, yes in clayey soil.
> >
> > The clay is not a problem, but the poor drainage that it creates is
> > a big problem. Very few plants will grow in pockets in clay soil that
> > doesn't drain. They drown. Pond plants will do OK though. Most
> > ponds are built with a clay lining. That is how good pure clay is
> > preventing water from penetrating. If your soil doesn't retain water
> > like that, then it is not a pure clay soil and that is why your rhodo
> > is doing well.
>
> One needs moisture to actually have a plant drown
> even in pure clay and that is a very rare commodity these days in half
> of the groups to which this question was origianally posted.
Then I doubt they are growing rhododendrons since rhododendrons need
moist well-drained soil. I never found a rhododendron growing in a
desert or prairie.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to rhod...@earthlink.net
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
Farm1
Australia has had 5 years of continuous drought with about 98% of the
country drought declared, but even then I am growing a rhodo in clayey
soil. Hoses and even watering cans work quite well to supply water.