Azaleas in neutral soil?

I had a wander around Wilkos earlier. They've got all the plants in now. One was an azalea. It had the planting and aftercare instructions on the label, including that it should be planted in part shade, but no mention of acid soil. I thought they needed acid soil, and the fact that that point is not mentioned only surprises me because all other requirements were clearly stated.

So can they do ok in neutral soil?

 

I had a couple of Azaleas a few years ago , and planted them in my neutral soil. They struggled for a couple of years and faded away , even feeding with ericaceous feed did not help. Maybe try in a container with ericaceous compost ?

 

I've got a couple of camellias and a small rhododendron that have been living in a slightly raised bed for the best part of 20yrs.
My soil is neutral and definitely not acid, often come across the odd piece of chalk in it.

When I planted way back, I put in loads of peat and mixed in sulphur chips, since then I've applied sequestered iron occasionally but not more than once a year.

Last autumn I threw a good few of my rotting apples under the plants, as I found out that they collect the windfalls in the orchards before winter, to stop the ground around the trees turning acid

 

Ericaceous feed will not turn neutral soil acid IMO.

 

00000000000000000000000000001348What you need to acidify your soil is Flowers of Sulphur. Only available in Chemists I believe.

 

And some garden centres, I used chempack sulphur chips, they are supposed to break down slower but last longer.
I think sometimes the more organic way to go might be the best though, bark or compost without lime as a mulch each year.

 

No Pete, Flowers of Sulphur is only available from chemists. Sulphur chips, yellow sulphur, green sulphur are not suitable for acidifying soil.

 

So why were Chempak selling chips for that specific purpose.
http://www.dewaldens.com/chempak-sulphur-750g?gclid=CK6My8iw1NICFfgV0wodDZYLPA#.WMcJC2_yi00

 

Sulphur reacts with water to create sulphuric acid.

 

I know I know I know.
Read back, like you told me to.

 

You asked why sulphur chips were being sold for the purpose of turning the soil acid. I suggested an answer for you based on sound yet elementary science.

 

Flowers of Sulphur will PERMANENTLY change the PH.

 

I'm skeptical about that. Whatever form the sulphur takes, to affect the ph it has to become sulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid is liquid. It happens when sulphur reacts with water. And sulphuric acid is sulphuric acid regardless of how it was made.

To permanently change the ph, it would have to permanently remain in the soil. That isn't going to happen because it would require that the molecules present in the soil never move. I suppose that could theoretically happen if there was no weather and no atmosphere to react with, like on the moon perhaps, but here on earth rain and earthworms and people with spades and birds looking for dinner and lots of other things move the molecules about, and anything liquid will just eventually drain away.

Depending on the soil type, the effects could be short term or very long term. It depends on many factors. Clay is harder to change because the small particles make a much larger surface area, meaning more water molecules fit in it, and therefore more volume needed to change it. But once changed, it lasts longer for similar reasons, the larger surface area means greater surface tension, making it harder to drain, meaning the acid sticks for longer.

That's the science in a nutshell. There's a lot more to it than that. Entire libraries worth, but that's the basics.

 

But I was replying to Dai, who states that sulphur chips dont work.
Do try to keep up Clue

Yep, until it washes away and then you need to apply more, I've been told from a very good source that nothing is permanent, not even the universe or this blokes back door.