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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,182
Threads: 82,417
Posts: 853,695
Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, Rudie | |  | | 
06-05-2010, 05:26 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 155
| | | Soil type - testing?
Hi All
A plant I have fallen in love with says best in lime free soil. Anyone in gloucester know what the soil type is? Or how to test without spending £10 (almost as much as the plant!) on a kit?
ta xxx |
06-05-2010, 06:04 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: North Norfolk
Posts: 1,549
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Hi.
Try giving a local specialist nursery a call. They may be able to tell you your soil type and also give you any soil advice you need. Always found them more helpfull than general garden centres.
Cheers David.  |
06-05-2010, 06:12 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire
Posts: 5,238
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
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06-05-2010, 06:19 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 155
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
I already spoke to my local garden centre who pointed me in the direction of the testing kits.
Jez - I dont understand it   |
06-05-2010, 06:38 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Watford, Hertfordshire.
Posts: 4,869
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by citychick  A plant I have fallen in love with says best in lime free soil. Anyone in gloucester know what the soil type is? Or how to test without spending £10 (almost as much as the plant!) on a kit? | Try and get some litmus paper - something like item number 200348777971 on the popular auction site. It'll cost you less than £2 and last for ages.
Having got your paper, put the soil in a small bottle and shake up with water. Use a paper to test the Ph of the water. 7 is neutral, anything under is acid ('lime free') and anything over is alkaline.
Jim |
06-05-2010, 06:40 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire
Posts: 5,238
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Oolite is a calcareous grain found in limestone, so you could stand a chance of finding lime in your soil. If you had no joy with the nursery, ask a landscaper in your area who may know? I'm sure you can pick soil testing kits under £10.
Edit: I see Jim has come up with a good solution!
If we knew what the plant was, would be a better help.
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Last edited by Jez; 06-05-2010 at 06:45 PM.
|
06-05-2010, 06:49 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 155
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Jez your going to tell me off as its totally not native... but I just saw it at the garden centre and really fancied it KiwiGold® International |
06-05-2010, 07:02 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Watford, Hertfordshire.
Posts: 4,869
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by citychick Jez your going to tell me off as its totally not native... but I just saw it at the garden centre and really fancied it KiwiGold® International | Looks nice. I guess 'lime free' is optimal, but not essential. We've got lots of magnolias growing well (and currently in flower) around here and the soil is quite alkaline - but maybe 'yours' isn't typical.
Jim |
06-05-2010, 07:20 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Near Scarborough
Posts: 2,079
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Try this website for the Cranfield University National Soil Resources Institute... detectiontest
It will give you the general over-view of the soils in your area, though not on a garden scale. (No good for my current garden as I'm just on the boundary between two soil types/geologies, and it seems to vary across the garden, made more variable by the builders shifting topsoil and subsoil around when the house was built, but acccurate for my previous one.)
Last edited by SheffieldLass; 06-05-2010 at 07:23 PM.
|
06-05-2010, 07:25 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire
Posts: 5,238
| | | Re: Soil type - testing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by citychick Jez your going to tell me off as its totally not native | Why would I do that, I have loads of non natives in my garden, magnolia too! 
I'd suggest digging in a load of compost, before planting!
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