Fertiliser for acid loving plants

Hey there, I have a Purity Japanese Lilly of the Valley and it has yellowing leaves. Unfortunately I only noticed the leaves were yellowing, then turning brown and falling off very late in the piece. It's in a pot at my home. I'm planning to actually remove it from it's pot this weekend, and re-pot it based on your advice to not include fertiliser near the roots, give it humus-rich soil (I just potted it into potting mix) and also ensure that there's no bugs eating the roots. Unfortunately, the plant food I purchased from Kings Plant Barn for "acid-loving" plants such as Azaleas and Camellias, hasn't obviously been good enough, because I had plenty of that around the plant and I do see that the NPK ratio is very different to yours, and the sulphur levels are not specified. I'd like to buy your fertiliser but just checking first - is there anything else you'd recommend I do/buy to remedy this plants' situation? I'm thinking it's nutrient deficiency because I have been diligent with watering over the summer and it has been in a shady area at home so the summer sun hasn't burnt it at all. I also keep a bag of pine bark in the garage and all my potted plants (even indoor ones) get this placed around on top of the soil (this has been a game-changer!) There are still plenty of green leaves on the plant, but the stems probably from halfway back to the trunk are bare. The plant is small as I purchased it from M10 when it was in full flower. I'd really like to not lose it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my email and help out a newbie but keen container gardener. Abi Baldwin

Hi Abi, I am thinking that you are using the wrong type of fertiliser... potted plants should only be given fertiliser tablets or indoor plant fertiliser. If you check out our expert advice section and read the fertiliser article... "how to fertilise a plant", you'll see what I am talking about. I would suggest repotting the plant to get rid of the quick release fertiliser then use controlled release fertiliser. You might have the flush the freshly potted plant with water 2-3 times to wash out the old fert.