First post and question

[Enthusiast]

First off, I did not know there was a gardening group so I posted this question on the Lounge.

Years ago the owners of our house(built in 1926)dumped their coal ashes under and around the front porch. Can you imagine? Not realizing this we planted a Rhododendron right were the ashes are most concentrated. Our Rhododendron has grown but has very meager blooms or sometimes none at all. This prompted me to study up on Rhododendrons. They require an acid soil. We have since added peat moss and oak leaf mulch to lower the PH but the plant remains sickly. Does anyone know of an online source of information, like a message board I can consult? TIA

[BelgianMadCow]

1. well if it isn't too big yet, consider digging it up and giving it specific soil

I have a bag of that, it has the required pH. It's labeled "for acid loving plants", but not any brand you might know.

However, the coal ash and the minerals contained in it (likely a lot of kalium, that's why wood ash is good for potatoes) may migrate to that soil and undo the effect. You could line a fairly large plant hole with plastic to counter that...

Maybe also check on the pH elsewhere in you garden (garden centers often do it for free) and replant it.

Should you dig it up, do so in early spring or late autumn.

This is just advice of a novice with acidic ground (which sucks for about all the rest) and very bloomy rhododendrons.

[Enthusiast]

2. Thanks, MadCow.

Unfortunately it has become too large to move. All over town the rhododendrons are full of blooms, except for ours. :cry: It has five or six poorly developed blooms.