Hardy Tropicals UK

Is anyone trying these new varieties? heavily scented and been developed in Germany to grow in normal soil due to there rootstock development...be interesting to see how they grow here.

Karl, I don't know anything about them but if you mean normal soil in the sense of none acid soils what a boon for people with neutral soils. You should defiantly get some as it is probably closest you will get to a Rhodo with a name similar to yours!!!!!!

Ha ha..never noticed the name jas!, yes normal if there is such a thing, could be a revelation if they do what it says on tin.

Inkarho rootstocks can in theory have any Rhododendron variety grafted onto them. After quite a lot of excitement when they were introduced several trials suggested they only extended the pH range slightly. An RHS study [why have the RHS not got this on their web site?] showed no benefit at pH 8.

An old Telegraph article suggests they work up to a pH of 7.5, but note that information came from nurserymen selling them!

I think most growers now recognise they make growing Rhododendrons possible where they couldn't quite be grown before, maybe pH7 with care on soil amelioration.

Chad

That Chad, he's a mine of information.

So it looks like more fake news. It's getting as dodgy as the Oval Office on here. Now I know how Donald feels.

I suppose time will tell, i have all the literature here from the growers. I will report back if i get it flowering and continued healthy plants.

What is your soil pH now Karl?

Chad, that's something i'll need to test properly in near future, not naturally acidic that's for sure. some of the issues here go further than soil p.h though, I have high water retention on bottom 3rd of garden.. hence raised beds and heavy clay on other parts.