Ericaceous plants needs to live in the correct soil for their vitamin needs- while lime-rich, high pH (alkaline) soil tends to bind the iron and other nutrients essential for healthy growth. Plants that need nutrients which are inaccessible in high pH soil are known as acid-loving (or lime-hating). If planted in normal, limey or alkaline soil,Ericaceous plants produce weak, yellow leaves and generally perform poorly.
Learn more about soil pH
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Ensuring your Ericaceous plants perform well can be a challenge in the wrong soil. While long-term changes to neutralise alkalinity are possible, most gardening experts recommend planting your Ericaceous plants in an isolated pocket of acidic soil, using high quality topsoil and compost designed especially for this role. With the right specialist soil & compost, even the most demanding Ericaceous plants can thrive.
There are several ways to test your soil pH- for the most reliable results we recommend using a specialist kit.
We only stock Ericaceous Compost from reliable, tried & tested suppliers- and all our stock has been thoroughly tested on our own farm! We won’t sell a blend until it’s impressed us- and we’re satisfied its production surpasses high ethical standards.
Ericaceous compost gets amazing results because it allows the release of those vitamins, such as iron, needed most by acid-loving plants. These essential vitamins can be bound up in the structure of normal soil, depriving the roots of your plants and resulting in stunted, unhealthy growth that can leave you exasperated.