Re: Barberry (Berberis)
> Well, Gail, I don't know about the sunflower hulls, but wonder why
> you've been putting lime on this shrub? Think you need to stop doing
> that. I have quite a few barberries, all growing away happily in my
> normally acid clay. Find them quite undemanding and even tolerant of
> more shade than I know they really want...they do seed about some. I
> whack some of them back when they get larger than I want...they take
> pruning quite well.
I would move the bird feeder too... Sunflowers are allelopathic, and
as such, the hulls will leach chemicals into the soil that prevent the
growth of neighboring plants. Read
http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/Gardeningfeb24.html
starting at the end of paragraph 8:
"Recent reports, however, suggest that even your bird feeder, or the
seeds used in the feeder, can have an impact on garden quality next
spring. The greatest threat comes from a toxin that leaches from the
hulls of sunflower seed. These seeds are very important food sources
in most, if not all bird feed mixes.
This property of one plant being toxic to another called
allelopathy. Sunflower plants and seeds have been studied for their
harmful affect on various garden and field crops. Little is known
about the specific compounds that leach from the discarded seed hulls."
> These are very adaptable and tough shrubs who can take most anything
> except wet feet...does your soil drain well?
I agree -- there shouldn't be any problems with acid or lime soil, as
these plants aren't too picky about pH. I'm assuming that you're just
growing B. thunbergii or B. x mentorensis? Some of the less common
species (like B. candidula) do prefer acid soil.
In short, moving the bird feeder and no longer adding lime would probably
be a good thing.
Chris
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE WOODYPLANTS
