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Courgettes are a favorite garden vegetable to grow because they are easy to grow and not particularly fussy about their growing environment. Does the wide tolerance of courgettes mean that you can grow them in ericaceous compost?
Ericaceous compost is not required for growing courgettes, but they can benefit from it if the environment is alkaline. Courgettes can tolerate a pH range of 6.0 to 7.5 but grow better in slightly acidic soil. Ericaceous compost can amend the soil to the ideal acidity for courgettes.
Courgettes are relatively easy to grow due to their tolerance for a range of soil types and acidity levels. Ericaceous compost can benefit the courgette plant and improve crop yield in certain environmental conditions.
Do Courgettes Like Ericaceous Compost?
Courgettes go by a variety of names. You may know them as zucchinis, marrows, or baby marrows. All these names refer to the same vegetable plant, but courgettes make them sound more exotic!
Courgettes specifically refer to the immature vegetable, or baby marrow, which is excellent for pickling, included in soups and stews, made into noodles, used as pizza toppings, or sliced and added to a salad.
Courgettes may not be fussy about their growing environment, but providing them with the right conditions will produce healthier plants that can fight off pests and diseases and produce an abundant harvest.
One of the key aspects to understand is the soil pH requirements for these plants, which is where ericaceous compost can add value to the equation.
Do Courgettes Like Ericaceous Compost?
Whether courgettes like ericaceous compost or not will be determined by their preferred growing medium pH.
Courgettes do not need ericaceous compost to grow well since they have a wide pH tolerance range. They can grow successfully in soils with pH ranges between 6.0 and 7.5. They have even been known to grow and produce fruit in soil with a pH of 8.0!
While this tolerance range is impressive for a vegetable plant, courgettes perform best when the soil is slightly acidic. In my experience, the soil pH that produces the best results is between 6.5 and 7.0.
Courgettes grown in this pH range seem less susceptible to disease and grow healthier and stronger, producing a better crop yield.
If your garden soil is strongly alkaline, in the region of pH 7.5 to 8.0, adding ericaceous compost to the growing medium for your courgettes can be beneficial and increase your expected yield from the plants.
If your soil is already below a pH of 7.0, adding ericaceous compost can be detrimental to the plant’s growth. Ericaceous compost can lower the soil pH to levels below 6.0, which is the lower limit of the pH tolerance range for courgettes.
If the soil becomes too acidic, it can inhibit the plant’s uptake of certain micronutrients, affecting the plant’s health, growth, and fruit production.
To summarize, ericaceous compost can be beneficial for your courgettes if your natural soil pH is alkaline, but ericaceous compost can hinder your plant’s health if it lowers the soil pH to below 6.0.
Can You Start Courgette Seeds In Ericaceous Compost?
Some gardeners have seen an increase in courgette seed germination when they are germinated in ericaceous compost.
This outcome is likely due to the acidity of the ericaceous compost limiting the possibility of microbes harmful to the seeds by damaging the seed or preventing germination.
The organic material in the ericaceous compost also provides the ideal water retention and drainage balance to prevent the seeds from becoming waterlogged and rotting in the soil.
I have not tried germinating courgette seeds in ericaceous compost, but if you are having difficulty with this aspect, it is worth giving it a try to see if you get better results.
What Soil Types Are Good For Growing Courgettes?
The fruit produced by the courgette plant is relatively large, which requires a lot of energy from the plant to produce well-developed fruit.
Courgettes need nutrient-rich, fertile soil to produce quality fruit and keep the plant healthy. A soil rich in organic matter that drains well, but retains enough moisture to remain moist, is the ideal combination for growing courgettes.
Ericaceous compost can contribute to creating a better, healthier growing environment for the courgettes due to the organic component of the compost and the high level of nutrients.
The biggest concern about using ericaceous compost with courgettes is lowering the pH value too much, limiting the plant’s ability to take up the nutrients it needs to thrive and produce fruit.
How To Know If Ericaceous Compost Will Help Your Courgettes
In most cases, ericaceous compost is not necessary for growing courgettes, and the plants will grow just fine and produce a good harvest.
The scenario where ericaceous compost will benefit your courgette-growing is when you have very alkaline soil.
Courgettes are typically easy to grow, so testing the soil pH is a good place to start if you struggle to get this plant to flourish in your garden.
Every serious gardener should possess a soil pH tester to troubleshoot issues and eliminate or confirm whether soil pH is a problem or not.
If you live in a location with a lot of calcium deposits in the rock or soil, you likely have hard water. Hard water is rich in minerals, especially calcium and lime, and can have a pH of 8.5.
Regions with hard water are likely to have alkaline soils, especially if you use this water to irrigate your plants. In these areas, ericaceous compost can significantly help acidify the soil and help your courgettes flourish.
The best way to apply the ericaceous compost is to add it as compost to your plant beds and use it as a mulch on the soil surface.
The effect of the ericaceous compost will lessen over time as the compost breaks down and the pH normalizes in the surrounding soil. You may need to replenish the compost every two or three months, depending on the alkalinity of your local soil and water supply.
Conclusion
Providing the best possible growing environment for your plants is the goal to strive for to get the best results. Ericaceous compost can help you give your courgettes an ideal environment to grow well and produce an abundant crop.
Test your soil pH if you are having trouble growing courgettes, as this can be a cause that can be remedied with ericaceous compost.
References
- https://gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/grow-zucchini/#:~:text=Their%20preferred%20pH%20is%20a,a%20full%20sun%20location%2C%20too.
- https://gilmour.com/jasmine-care#:~:text=Soils%20that%20jasmine%20thrive%20in,moderately%20fertile%20sandy%20loamy%20soil.
- https://homeguides.sfgate.com/zucchinis-like-acidic-soil-42209.html