Circles in the Turf
More snow flurries today, not settling but gathering like sawdust at the sides of the roads, in the crevices of concrete and amongst tufts of long grass. In an attempt to keep warm, my day has been fuelled by carbs; porridge and toast and double rounds of sandwiches accompanied by vast amounts of tea guzzling. Feeling more like a hardy sheep than human.
I found an exquisitely beautiful new route to my clients, driving across moorland with expansive views and a precious glimpse of some fluffy Exmoor ponies in their winter coats.
My day has involved lifting turf from around the feet of Rhododendrons which have been almost suffocated. Their stunted growth is evidence that they’ve been struggling for a while, likely also as a result of not having been planted quite deeply enough. A common enough mistake, the tell-tale sign of which is evidence of the original potted compost still sat above soil level.
Cutting the turf with a half-moon, also known as an edging iron, grass was hoofed out to create turf free circles around the Rhodos, about 75cm – 1m across. Lifting the turf away with a good inch or so of roots and soil makes room for mulch; this all goes to the compost heap so no soil or biomass is wasted.
The ground wasn’t quite frozen solid.
Ideally, I would wait until spring once the soil has warmed up before applying a feed, but I must get the job finished today and it makes no sense to mulch first.
A small handful of sulphate of Iron (half a handful for most folks; 35g to be precise) is sprinkled around the base of each plant – no need to go mad. This will bring the soil pH down, increasing the acidity, which Rhodos appreciate being in the Ericaceous family, like blueberries and Pieris too. For these types of plants, more acid conditions increase the availability of certain nutrients in the soil. The box stated it that it was also a feed but I was too busy keeping warm to stop and pay much attention to the nutrient info.
At this temperature, plants won’t be doing much of anything, let alone up taking nutrients for active growth, but I’m hopeful that the sulphate of iron won’t leach out of the soil before warmer weather arrives which might only be a matter of weeks away now; the optimist in me is hopeful, then the Rhododendrons will reap the rewards just in time for blooming.
Once tickled in with a fork, the next thing was to apply a decent mulch of well-rotted manure thanks to the two miniature ponies that this land is home to, and the jobs a gooden!
This is the perfect winter warmer for an essentially dry day but saved for the coldest of winter weather and would be hugely beneficial carried out around your fruit trees in the garden, field or orchard. But unless they are a blueberry most fruit trees will appreciate a handful of blood, fish and bone, potash or wood ash (the later two boost fruiting and flowering) as opposed to sulphur of Iron.
One final word of caution, be certain not to cover the stems or trunk of the plant or tree as this won’t do them any good at all! In time and all too quickly the weeds and grass will reappear but a good dose of muck will have slowed them down and importantly organic mulch helps preserve soil moisture and nutrients benefiting cultivated plants. Grass is such a competitive species that it will always have a tendency to dominate, robbing its neighbours of nutrients and moisture.
