Blueberries

[Douglas Gossard]

Just moved my blueberries, I put 3 plants into a large barrel (1/2) and used good potting soil, I put in about 1 .5 cups of sulfur to aid the acid (PH) They were in the ground for about 3 years and only did well the first year. A friend said they kind of liked to be rootbound and she gets tons of berries. The PH is hard to keep acid in our neck of the world. O really don't want to use miracid on them but I might have to. Any ideas I missed?

 

[steve bossie]

epsom salt and peat moss will lower ph also. blueberries grow well in peat based soil! put a 1 cup ring of 10-10-10 fertilizer around each plant about 6in. from the plant. mulch them . water well.

 

[Midwestnoob]

I just purchased an Elliott blueberry plant cause I love blueberries. I'm going to follow this thread case of like any advice to help them produce more fruit.

 

[steve bossie]

acidic soil between 4.5-5.5 ph. if you amend your soil with peat and put a cup of sulfur in a 6in. ring around your blueberry you should be close. but its always a good idea to test your soil before applying anything as you could make it too acidic and kill your plant. my neutral soil is a ph of 7 so i need to add the peat and sulfur to lower the ph. mulch well with pine needles . add a ring of 10-10-10 fertilizer a few months later.

 

[Fernsdaddy]

I've never had my soil tested, my blue berries give me lots of berries every year, all I do is put epsom salt around them every spring and top dress them with composted cow manure, them seem to like it.

 

[steve bossie]

most soils you can do it that way and get away with it. but really acidic soil amended like that would kill the blueberry plant. your soil must be neutral to slightly acidic like mine. i used to use epsom salts too but switched to sulfur as you don't need to apply it as often. once a season does it.

 

[Beth_B]

I've never grown blueberries but wouldnt raking in or mulching with pine needles have the same effect? Assuming one has access to them, seems to me it would be a free and "natural" amendment.

 

[steve bossie]

pine needles works good put might not get the ph down low enough alone. applied as a mulch they are good. don't rake in unless
they're composted first as they will take the nitrogen out of the soil. the same for any mulch.