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Re: [SG] kalmia

We have been discussing Kalmia and coincidentally I was reading that in
general, the soil in the USA gets progressively more alkaline the farther
west you go.  What is happy in New Jersey may not be happy in Illinois,
even though the zone number is still 5 or whatever. I suspect Kalmia is
one of those plants that really like acid soil. Most are not that fussy,
but a few really are--or so I hear.

Is it copper sulphate that you toss around azaleas to make the soil more
acid? I'm sure you could use that around Kalmia to improve your chances of
success.

This reminds me that I have rarely read a garden book that didn't talk
about getting one's soil tested. Despite all the propaganda, I have never
done it and don't know anyone who has. I really have no idea whether our
soil here is more on the acid side or more on the alkaline side, but
suspect it is sort of in the middle. Does anyone think a soil test is a
good idea?

Bobbi Diehl
Bloomington, IN
zone 5/6
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