edrichard
Seedling
Hello all,
I just had someone mix soil for me for an azalea I repotted last week but he only used a little peat moss, and worm casings (that I provided), and mixed it with potting soil. He did not use any of the steer manure I had purchased, saying that it would burn the roots.
I tested the soil afterwards with a very old 3 in 1 soil tester and the reading was nowhere close to the acidic range. I bought a new 3 way tester and I'm waiting for some soil acidifier to come from Amazon. In the meanwhile, I want to use diluted vinegar to bring the soil ph down to 4.5 - 5.5 range.
Questions:
- After watering with the diluted vinegar, do I immediately measure for ph of the soil or wait for a period?
- Can I add azalea fertilizer to the soil immediately after the vinegar, or should I wait?
- If so, how long should I wait to mix in the fertilizer?
- If the soil ph goes to the acidic range, how long should I wait before using the acidifier?
- When using the diluted vinegar, should I water my azaleas first, and then come behind that with the diluted vinegar, or just water each pot with the diluted vinegar first?
Thanks in advance for any input. I am going to mix my own soil moving forward...I have peat moss (from Nuccio Nursery in Los Angeles), the worm casings, and the steer manure, but there are so many different mixtures online, I'm at the point to just pick one and go with it...
I just had someone mix soil for me for an azalea I repotted last week but he only used a little peat moss, and worm casings (that I provided), and mixed it with potting soil. He did not use any of the steer manure I had purchased, saying that it would burn the roots.
I tested the soil afterwards with a very old 3 in 1 soil tester and the reading was nowhere close to the acidic range. I bought a new 3 way tester and I'm waiting for some soil acidifier to come from Amazon. In the meanwhile, I want to use diluted vinegar to bring the soil ph down to 4.5 - 5.5 range.
Questions:
- After watering with the diluted vinegar, do I immediately measure for ph of the soil or wait for a period?
- Can I add azalea fertilizer to the soil immediately after the vinegar, or should I wait?
- If so, how long should I wait to mix in the fertilizer?
- If the soil ph goes to the acidic range, how long should I wait before using the acidifier?
- When using the diluted vinegar, should I water my azaleas first, and then come behind that with the diluted vinegar, or just water each pot with the diluted vinegar first?
Thanks in advance for any input. I am going to mix my own soil moving forward...I have peat moss (from Nuccio Nursery in Los Angeles), the worm casings, and the steer manure, but there are so many different mixtures online, I'm at the point to just pick one and go with it...