# Rhododendron planting **URL:** \ **Category:** Q & A\ **Created:** [May 2, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92 "2020-05-02T20:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gardeningConnie](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/gardeningconnie/32/83_2.png) [@gardeningConnie](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/gardeningConnie)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/1 "2020-05-02T20:49:43Z")
Wondering what to add to the planting hole when planting Rhododendrons in the ground. I have somewhat sandy soil. ---
**Author:** ![lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/lorna.doucette/32/32_2.png) [@lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/lorna.doucette)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/2 "2020-05-03T15:25:23Z")
Lots of organic matter (isn’t that the standard answer ☺) which should also help with your sandy soil. There was just a Facebook post see here: [https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story\_fbid=2562718683989019&id=1944491625811731&anchor\_composer=false](https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2562718683989019&id=1944491625811731&anchor_composer=false) Do you have fir or hemlock bark? Soil should be acidic so if you’ve got peat or pine needles that’s also good. Hopefully some others will chime in here with some good advice! ---
**Author:** ![jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/jono/32/98_2.png) [@jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/jono)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/3 "2020-05-04T18:15:50Z")
If you have time, a batch of bokashi pre-compost would probably be great! It’s acidic (at first at least) and I suppose it should feed the plant for a while as it continues to break down. > **[Bokashi Composting: A Step By Step Instructional Guide](https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/)** > > Bokashi is a composting method of fermentation that you can easily do at home by sealing organic waste in an airtight container. Learn exactly how in this guide I’ve been returning all of our kitchen scraps to the garden this way, even meat. I often put a few scoops under new plantings (with some soil as a barrier). ---
**Author:** ![lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/lorna.doucette/32/32_2.png) [@lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/lorna.doucette)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/4 "2020-05-04T20:41:13Z")
I have bokashi going here too and never thought to use the pew compost for acid loving plants…great idea. I normally just throw it into the compost. Curious to know what you do with the leachate? And also do you make your own bokashi bran? I’ve been buying mine from Bokashi Living but think I could save a bundle if I made my own. ---
**Author:** ![jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/jono/32/98_2.png) [@jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/jono)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/5 "2020-05-04T20:56:42Z")
I’ve been doing it for less than a year so still on the bran that came with my kit. I think I will buy bran at least once more, partly because I’m time poor and partly because I’m not confident I would get it right 😃 That said, I haven’t looked at the cost of replacement bran yet 🤔 I just dump the leachate down the sink. I’m liking bokashi but I’m skeptical about some of the claims. Here are [some thoughts from a very skeptical person](https://www.gardenmyths.com/bokashi-composting-myths/). For me, I like bokashi because: - It doesn’t stink (as opposed to filling a yard bin with kitchen waste, especially in the summer) - It doesn’t take up a lot of space - I don’t have to worry about rodents - I love the idea that all of our kitchen waste goes in to the garden ---
**Author:** ![lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/lorna.doucette/32/32_2.png) [@lorna.doucette](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/lorna.doucette)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/6 "2020-05-06T01:02:58Z")
Yes…agree with all your points. Love that we are able to compost meat scraps and dairy with no fear of pests. Another benefit for us is the lack of waste we produce–we don’t have curbside recycling available in our area so decided to skip paying for garbage pickup. By bokashi-ing all our food waste we’ve reduced our garbage to about 1 bag every three months (that we can take to the dump ourselves). ---
**Author:** ![jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/user_avatar/forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/jono/32/98_2.png) [@jono](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/u/jono)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://forum.comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca/t/rhododendron-planting/92/7 "2020-05-06T03:05:10Z")
> [@lorna.doucette](#): > > we’ve reduced our garbage to about 1 bag every three months That’s amazing! Great work.