Vinegar for acidification of soil..?

Has anyone used this for acidification if so, what ratio of vinegar to water to people generally use for a) Individual pots, and b) entire border areas?

I have a side border which a Cammellia and a Crinodendron, which are really struggling to grow, as they need much more acid in the soil...

 

Hiya.

This might be more practical...

http://mistralni.co.uk/products/aluminium-sulphate-17pct-kibbled

 

Me too needing more of acidic soil for the pieris i bought but im going to try coffee grounds and see how it goes

 

The leaves On some of my Azaleas started to go yellow a few summers ago. It was after i had used the hosepipe in the garden and my water is hard and alkaline.

Used white vinegar. 1 table spoon per water can. 7 liters. Every 2 weeks or so, more often probably wouldnt have harmed.
Worked very well.

Aluminium sulphate would also work.

 

Have heard of using a teaspoon of vinegar to a pint of water when watering pot plants to counteract the limey water we have down here.

Not sure it would work long term on garden plants.
Better to try sulphur, as a top dressing each winter.
Even then it leaches out if you stop.

Julie, tea is as good, if not better than coffee, I think.

 

is it not worth diluting some of this stuff to provide a quicker way of getting the soil acidic. The Vinegar seems a good solution for the pot.. however it probably wouldn't viable for an entire bed. Coffee grounds/tea appeals to me though and it's readily available.. but can this be diluted and applied, or must it be sprinkled?

 

O nice one,im just going off google posts and i can get the coffee grounds for free from costa but tea i drink

 

Jools, is your pieris in a pot? Sulphate of iron sprayed on the leaves now and again in autumn should keep it happy. I used to use flowers of sulphur to acidify the soil but not sure if it's available now.

 

For a pot plant (i..e cost proportionate to plant size and amount needed is "reasonable" ) I think I would use Sequestered Iron (Murphys make one) as this makes the iron more readily available to the plant to counteract an alkaline pH.

For a bed / border I would use Aluminium sulphate.

Not heard of using Vinegar before, is it a bit dramatic? I think I have heard of it being used as a weedkiller? If so must be a fine line between Kill or Cure !!

Raising the bed will help - to prevent alkaline ground water seeping in ...

But personal I avoid planting lime-hating plants in my garden, too much cost and heartbreak in the long term. People tell me they successfully work around their Alkaline soil, but I don't know of any personally who have an Acid bed that I would say Wow! when I saw it.

Plant a tropical bed with some Ensete Bananas, Tetrapanax papyrifer 'rex' and stooled Paulownia tomentosa or Catalpa for big leaves to get a Wow factor instead

 

I'm of the same opinion as Kristen.

Acidic soil loving plants are just too much hard work where I am. (Limestone boulder till.)

 

We have acid soil.. but just not at this point, pots obviously mp compost is fairly neutral.. the side border was created using compost, but despite conifer needles faling on it, it has a reading of 7.2pH

 

As with all things fast acting, they dont last long.
Diluted substances provide a quick fix, I find, if a particular plant is looking sick, sulphur takes longer to work, but lasts a bit longer, and if you apply it every year it does tend to build up. I dont think its very soluble, so takes longer to work.

But as has been said, nothing works without you actually applying the substance regularly.

Something like tea or coffee grounds are easy enough to get hold of, cost nothing and are not that difficult to apply.
So as with all gardening, you try to grow plants which you personally like.
And altering the environment or soil to accomidate those plants is surely what gardening is all about.

 

They was but ive planted them with tea bags today in a dry area,watered them in with pond water i shall see how they go

 

i occasionally make tea with the old spent teabags in the watering can & give all the plants a good soaking with it (including the potted plants) it can apparently make the soil acidic if given too often (i don't give it often for this reason) i feed it cos it contain's nitrogen which is good for leaf growth and it really seems to give them a boost