SOIL DEFICIENCY?

LYNNE 6

I am a new gardner . I have dug well rotted manure into my beds and I feed as instructed with miracle grow.  My soil is neutral ph. Plants I grow in containers do fine but when planted in the garden my flowering shrubs get few flowers  , if any . Leaves on my hydrangeas go yellow  , even white on my choisya sundance . A long established viburnum has lots of thick dry  all over orangey  yellow leaves which fall off as if it is autumn . I have researched diseases but it  does not look like rust or anything I have seen.  I am careful to use the right sort of compost for different types of plant in my pots and keep my acid lovers permanently in the pots.   Could  I have a soil deficiency? Any ideas and how can I find out?

Lupin 1

Lynne I'm no expert but I wonder if your soil is too rich with all manure and liquid feeds.  I only manure in my veg patch and scatter any excess around plants. I don't do this each year, but do add my own compost. Can't see why flowers / shrubs need such intense feeding.

I'm sure someone else will reply to you.

Fairygirl

I'm inclined to agree that you may be killing them with kindness- too much of the wrong feed, but there could be another reason as well. Can you do some pix and put them on here Lynne? It will help get the right answers for you. Like KEF,  I don't overfeed either - I prepare the ground before plants go in with compost - and extra grit if it's heavy - and only really feed with blood, fish and bone in the spring. I water them in and mulch. If it's a rough bit of ground I'll take more care with the preparation before I plant anything by adding extra goodness and getting the soil to a reasonable texture, but once they're in I grow them fairly 'hard' - don't cosset them much.