You all know how I like to use soil sulphur to lower the soil pH for plants like Azaleas, Rhodendrons, Hydrangeas, Clethra and Blueberries....and in yesterdays Milwaukee Sunday Paper there was an article called "Sulphur, so Good". If you are having trouble with these acid loving plants (plants that need lower soil pH) Sulphur can help. Soil sulphur is quick and easy to apply, widely available at garden centers, fairly inexpensive, and safer for your plants than using aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate, or sulfuric acid. You can easily check the results by watching your plant's leaf color. The funniest thing about this article is that it says to apply the sulphur NOW, in the winter. Winter, that is right. For existing plants (plants that are already in the ground) spread about 6 ounces of soil sulphur in a wide ring around each plant you are needing to treat. Scratch the sulphur into the surface of the soil or mulch. Your best bet is when PLANTING a new plant that needs to have a lower soil pH, is to dig a hole much larger than necessary, incorporate the soil sulphur, plus add pre-moistened sphagnum peat moss, plus some fertilizer and your newly planted acid loving plant is good to go. I always get so worried when I hear about people "liming" their soil...by adding lime, the soil pH does just the opposite the sulphur does...and if they go out and lime their soil, the soil pH goes up very high. I usually can tell just by looking at an acid loving plant like a clethra or Rhodendron if the soil pH is ok or not. The foliage has to have the correct color, and new growth that the plant adds each year should be strong and healthy looking too. If not, then I get out the sulphur. If you really want to know where you are with the pH or fertility, it's a great idea to have a soil test so you know exactly what you are lacking.

Tim Flood