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We've been in our house for a year now. Last summer, just after we moved in, I planted two clematises, only one of which survived. I may have unwittingly killed the other, but that's not what this is about. A few weeks ago I decided that I needed far more clematises to complete the look I wanted in the large back yard, and so I now have eight, two of which are planted at the base of large trees, and one is planted between two trees and slightly behind, on a fence. They're all growing really well.
Last night, the former owner's daughter dropped by and talk turned to the gardens and she mentioned that her mother could never grow tomatoes because of the acid soil created by the two enormous black walnut trees in the back yard. We'd actually tried last year, and although tomatoes did appear, they disappeared just before they ripened, and we assumed that local varmints had made off with them. Where we'd planted them, though, was a good 50 feet from the nearest black walnut tree. Sheila says that her understanding is that you cannot plant tomatoes, or any plant that depends on neutral soil within 50 feet of a black walnut tree. Of course, I have four clematises within the 50 foot boundary of the closest black walnut: 1 at the base of one of them, 2 within 10 feet of it, and one about 30 feet away.
Since I neutralized the soil with dolomitic lime when I planted all of these clematises, it appears that this may be the only way I'll be able to keep these plants alive. Does anyone have any info on this? Specifically, how often should I treat the plants with the lime, and how much should I use each time I treat; just a handful?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks very much.
Christine
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