Are there any fruit plants that dont do well in ericaceous compost

Ive been reading around and it seems that if you want to grow any type of fruiting plant its best to use ericaceous compost but this is harder to find on the high street than multipurpose compost or top soil. Are there any fruiting plants that do not like ericaceous compost or would do well in the general purpose compost

 

Apples, pears, plums, damsons, sloes, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, gooseberries, red currants, black currants, loganberries, blackberries and grapes.
These do not require ericaceous, will they thrive in general purpose not really, all are probably best planted in the ground, or if push comes to shove large containers with JI 3.
Blueberries need ericaceous compost raspberries may do better in it, but really need plenty of water to do well. Chilean guava needs acid conditions, not alkaline, but mine grows happily in a flower bed at about pH 6.5.
Strawberries have always grown well for me in the ground, in Lincolnshire, Essex and Devon.

 

Not sure what you have been reading but it sounds wrong to me.

There are more fruiting plants that thrive on neutral soil rather than acid.

 

so you are saying that Apples, pears, plums, damsons, sloes, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, gooseberries, red currants, black currants, loganberries, blackberries and grapes. do not require ericaceous but if you put them in compost which is not ericaceous compost then they wont do well ?

 

I believe what @NigelJ is saying is that normal compost is not nutritious enough - in general. Between erricaceous and neutral (multi-purpose usually has a pH of 6.5, which technically is slightly acidic but is roughly regarded as neutral), neutral is better. John innes no. 3 is similar to multi-purpose regarding pH, but is more nutritionally rich than multi-purpose compost.

 

I think things are getting complicated.
Acidity has nothing, in general to do with fertility.

But most fruit trees, if grown in containers, will do better in a soil based compost like john Innes rather than multipurpose compost.

Only a few specific fruiting plants require ericaceous compost.

 

Exactly. Just to clarify, what I meant by "better" was a better match in terms of pH, not fertility

 

Normal general purpose compost is fine for the first year, but these are all plants that are going to be in the container for at least three years. JI 3 has loam/soil in it which gives it more weight so containers don't blow over, the loam/soil is easier to wet if it dries out, it doesn't break down as quickly, the loam/soil can also be a source of microelements for the plant.
If you can't get or afford that much JI 3 then I'd mix multi purpose with ordinairy garden soil 50:50.

 

There probably won't be much difference in how they grow between multi purpose and ericaceous, you can always do the experiment.
Best would be in the ground or failing that JI 3.
Why do you want to grow all your fruit in ericaceous compost anyway.
Maybe have a read of the RHS Fruit by Harry Baker should be able to get it from a secondhand bookshop or somewhere like Abe Books.

 

hmm i dont have time to experiment. Its going in a pot so i need to decide which compost to put in it as i dont want to keep replacing the soil / compost every year. I think more academic research is needed as i cant find a definitive explanation of what JohnInnes 3 is , so how do i know that different brands have the same John innes 3 formula . With regards to loam again im not sure what this is but im reading that its very scarce so manufacturers are using alternatives to loam that are cheaper and more available

 

I think you are reading too much
Just say what plants you want to grow and people can tell you what the best compost would be.

 

I havent decided yet but i think it will either be gooseberry , oregon grape or jerusalem berry. Im leaning towards a gooseberry as there are suggestions that you shouldnt be eating fruit from the other two plants although i was wanting something evergreen and am not to keen on dealing with thorny plants

BTW Another thing that is implicit from the internet is that John Innes compost isnt really available or used to a great extent outside the UK and Ireland so its interesting that we put so much emphasis on it.

 

Oregon grape, Mahonia? Never heard of anyone growing that for its fruit.
I'd stick with gooseberry.

JI compost is a bit of a UK type thing, but it works, I guess all countries have their own types of potting compost.

 

My understanding is that for instance "John Innes 3" is basically a recipe for a nutrient - heavy loam based compost. Other countries might not use John Innes as widely (I don't know if that is the case, I am just going with what you are saying), but they will obviously have loam based compost. Loam is a type of fertile soil, consisting of sand, silt and clay.

Basically what the others are saying is that multi-purpose compost is not substantial enough long term for plants producing fruit.

EDIT: Reading your latest message again, you mention Jerusalem Berry as an option, which is (mildly) poisonous. So actually you are mostly interested in decorative berries & fruit, rather than something that is going to producing lots of edible fruit, which I think we all assumed would be the case. They would have lower requirements, though the same general principles apply.

 

I really wouldn't bother with Jerusalem Berry see Google Search . Also it's not frost hardy.
Oregon grape berries are edible, though not particularly delicious as they don't have a lot of sugar. They are incredibly high in Vitamin C, which makes them really sour. In my opinion, the best way to utilize the Oregon grape is in Jelly, which is incredibly delicious.
I'd stick with gooseberries.
By the way do you live outside the UK or Ireland? If not then don't fret about other countries not using JI mixes they'll have their own.
John Innes was a property developer, who left funds for a research instititute, now based near Norwich and this institute developed the recipe for the John Innes range of composts.
Why not grow a camellia or dwarf rhododendron in the pot, you could use your ericaceous compost, they are non thorny and evergreen.