Recognise lime-induced chlorosis

25th April 2022

When acid-loving plants like this rhododendron grow in neutral or chalky soil, they are stressed because they are unable to take up all the nutrients they require - the lime in the soil prevents this. The result is that their leaves don't produce as much chlorophyll, and this leads to a two-tone effect where the body of the leaf yellows (chlorosis) but the veins remain properly green. There are remedies, but the main one is to grow plants that cannot tolerate chalk in the acid soil that suits them.