Hi Sammy. I see you posted your query again in the
plants and
flowers forum.
Did you look at the website i suggested in my previous post? Click on the link and see if you can tell exactly which photograph depicts similar yellowing in your leaves. Believe it or not there are different ways a
plant can "go yellow" and different reasons for the symptoms. The photos may help.
Regarding an acidizing fertiliser, there's a couple of things you should know.
The term "acid" or conversely "alkaline" are used to describe the Ph of soil. Ph is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. 1 being acid and 14 being alkaline and 7 being neutral. If the Ph is out of balance then
plants have difficulty in absorbing required nutrients through their root systems. Even though those nutrients may be in the soil, the conditions may not be ideal for the root system to work properly.
Most
plants (and this is very general) like a slightly acid soil. ie a Ph of just under 7 say about 6 to 6 1/2. Gardenias are an exeption, as are azaleas. They like a Ph of less than 6, in other words, more acid soil.
A Ph test kit is very cheap, say around $10 and takes a lot of the guesswork out of gardening. They last for many years. Can you buy or borrow one? They're very simple and safe to use.
Check the Ph. If it requires souring (making more acid) then one way is to mulch your
plants with pine needles. These are acidic by nature. I imagine coffee grounds are similar in this respect. However, we're not sure if it is the Ph which is the problem or not until you check the soil. So while corrective suggestions may work, they may do more harm if they're not the right suggestion.
Sorry if this sounds all too hard or is more information than you wanted.
Can any other gardeners suggest the acidity or makeup of soils in Southern california? Is it limestone base under sand for example?
