Hi helpful gardeners-- What does "chalky soil" mean? Does it literally mean to add chalk to the soil? I have garden poppy bulb I am trying. The soil that comes in the bag with it.... is that "chalky"? Thanks
chalky soil usually means a very alkaline soil, a thin layer of top soil over a lime stone bed rock, chalky soil is free draining and only moderately fertile.......if the soil came with the plant its probably the right soil. after saying all that, often bulbs in packets just have a little peat in the bag...what exactly does the instructions say..if it says grow in chalky soil, then you will have to know the PH of your soil.
The easiest way to check on the PH of your soil is to go to the local pharmacy and buy some litmus paper. Grab a handful of your soil and mix it into a slurrey with water and dip the litmus into it and watch it change colour. Ten you can add lime or peat as needed. Its a lot cheaper than the test kits sold at the garden centres and more accurate. By the by Oscar, the climate in Abbotsford and Vancouver Island is about the same as you in Surrey UK ( the same as Surrey B.C, Ca. who would have thought?)
