Very alkaline soil.

Hi
First of all I would like to say hello to all. My problem is we moved last year to a lovely new home but unfortunately the soil in our garden is very alkaline due to being built on colliery waste. I paid to have privet hedge planted last spring (approx 25 metres in length) at first it looked as if it was doing ok except for a bit of yellowing on the leaves but by mid July some died and the leaves fell off the rest. We bought a soil testing kit and the alkaline registered as 8. At this present moment they are starting to grow leaves again but I fear they are very weak. As this is for privacy screening I would like to do my best to ensure a healthy hedge. I know very little about ferilizers and was hoping somebody could give me some advice on what to do. Thank you.

 

You could apply ferrous sulphate on a regular basis but i'd be thinking about digging out where you want the hedge and digging in some imported topsoil.

Wood ash would help lower it too

 

@Calibra101 The first thing that comes to my mind is did you use the texting kit correctly? To get an accurate measurement, I would dig about 6" or so down (ie where the roots are) and measure there. Also, take several measures at random places in the garden. A value of 8 seems high, more of a surface measurement.

As @JWK said, perhaps it is a watering problem, or possibly the lack of soil nutrients.

If it really is high, then my preference would be to use peat or other organic material to lower it. You'll need lots though, and its not something that would happen overnight.

One more thing. Take note of what other plants, including weeds, are growing in the area close to your home. They will give the best indicator of the type of soil.

 

Could be that it the hedge was on the dry side. Did you give it additional water while it was getting established?

I am also thinking that perhaps there are other chemicals from the waste in the soil.
Might be worth having the soil tested in a lab

A good mulching of manure could help.

 

Thank you for your replies. Living here in the Welsh valleys we get quite a lot of rainfall throught the year but I was very dilligent about watering and weeding the hedge.

Yes I did dig down to do the test and I hit what looked like clay and also colliery shale which was very compact. I do wonder is it because the landscape gardener only rotovated the soil a few inches and not dig to depth and fill with top soil before planting that the roots cannot grow properly (he was aware that underneath is compacted coal waste) or I may be talking nonsense.

Thats an idea I will follow is to lab test the soil.

There are various trees in my garden like cypress ,oak, ash. silver birch but they are in a different part of the garden to where the hedge is planted. Although I did plant some Thuja close to the hedge site and they havent grown and started to go a bit brown in places.

I will also try to get hold of well aged manure from somewhere if I can.

Thanks.

 

Olives will do well in an alkaline soil

 

The speed with which they've died off makes me think more of some disease than a soil problem. Unless they have simply dried out but that sounds unlikely.

 

Thanks very much for replies

Disease could be a factor. According to my local garden centre we live in a rust prone area. Where I used to live (only abot half a mile away) the roses in my garden suffered dreadfully from it but I don't know if it affects privet or what the effects would be.

I will post a photo soon when the leaves have grown if the same problem occurs this year.

I have 2 olive trees in pots although I've only had a few olives off them in 4 yrs lol do you think I should plant them out ?