Gaultheria Procumbens

is Gaultheria Procumbens easy to grow . Ie if i put it in some compost will it grow in the garden

 

It likes acid soil, I think. Best incorporate ericaceous compost and check how alkaline or acid your rainwater is locally.

 

Have you successfully grown it in acid soil in this country? i dont want to waste money on buying one if its a fussy plant

 

My soil in UK was neutral clay but the rainfall was alkaline, so didn't bother. Ditto for Rhodos, Azaleas and Pieris....

 

Explain, how do you get alkaline rainfall, I've heard of acid rain but not alkaline.

 

If you have acid soil it will grow like a weed. I have G. mucronata and shallon varieties which should both be avoided in open ground. Procumbens is a dwarf variety and is much easier to control.

 

The idea would be to put down a layer of ericaceious compost and soil and to plant the plants in that. I cant guarantee acid soil and this seems easier than measuring acidity of soil

 

Oh ignore my ramblings....I was thinking of hard water areas but that probably only relates to groundwater.....I've only ever lived in areas with hard water.

 

I grow it here, but it can be a bit hit and miss over time. My soil may not be quite acidic enough for it - neutral to acidic clay, and absolutely fine for most of the other 'so-called' acid lovers- rhodos etc.

 

any thoughts on his idea ???

 

Yeah go with it.
If you never plant one you will never know.
I get by with camelias and just the one rhodo by using iron once a year if they need it.
Tea leaves and coffee grounds as a mulch would help if things take a down turn.

 

It is easy to measure soil acidity with a simple kit from any garden centre. It is even easier to look at which plants grow in your neighbours gardens, if there are rhododendrons and camellias it is likely that your soils are acid. There are also soil maps which will give you a reasonable idea.

 

Trying to acidify the soil by adding ericaceous compost (or sulphur, pine bark etc) won't work for more than a very short time because it'll get mixed with the natural soil by worms and rainfall. Best to choose plants that will suit the level of acidity (or alkalinity) that you have. If you don't know and don't want to buy a test kit, have a look around the neighbourhood and see if there are rhododendrons, azaleas etc growing. Or have a look at BGS Geology Viewer or Soilscapes viewer.

 

Hi everyone I have migrated over from the defunct Gardeners World forum so hello to all. I was interested to see this thread - I planted the procumbens variety, three 9cm pot size, to start to cover the corner of a bed in the front garden. It is meant to be vigorous but while one is still alive, it has grown not a jot since I planted it, and the other two are looking scant to say the least. Can I expect a massive growth spurt this summer? I've noted about the ericacious soil needs which I admit I hadnt picked up on. Will address that in due course. Thanks.

 

I had similar experience with GP.
The soil here is slightly acidic and my borders have good soil.
Like you I planted 3 x 9cm plants - they barely grew at all and within a year they had all disappeared.
My conclusion is that my soil is not acidic enough for them and realistically it's not possible to acidify garden soil pH effectively so I won't try them again.
But I note that the RHS site says they're suitable for neutral and acidic soil.
Maybe they just didn't like Essex..