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Posted: Nov/13/2007 7:57 PM PST
I've been reading about preparing the soil for planting blueberry bushes. The general recommendation seems to be to use 1/2 peat and 1/2 topsoil/potting soil. The suggested ph is 4.5. Is the peat itself acidic? Would I need anything else to make the soil more acidic if I were to use 1/2 peat and 1/2 topsoil? I haven't gotten around to actually testing the soil just yet. I think it tends towards the acid side, though, as rhododendrons do very well around here. |
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Posted: Nov/14/2007 7:45 AM PST
Hi Caroline, I have been wanting to grow some here in Michigan too. I know that its a cash crop here in a lot of Places...not sure if mine is one of them. I have been doing a lot of Googling and there is a lot of discussion, and disagreement out there. Here is one of the more interesting discussions I have come across: ...blueberries are not so picky about soil pH as most would like to think. Blueberries thrive here in slightly acidic soil (6.3-6.5) without any further amending to decrease pH. Most New England soils should be similarly acidic in nature, if not more so, and are generally sufficiently acidic to grow blueberries without concern (certain varieties are native to parts of New England). Depending on what your soil's natural pH may be, anything more than compost may be unnecessary. Certainly the sulfur referred to above can reduce pH to some degree; cottonseed meal is also a natural soil acidifier. And while they are great OM, pine needles, shavings or oak leaves are NOT fertilizers. If you need to fertilize your blueberries, any organic (or synthetic if you prefer) fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants will work. These are typically labeled ACR - azalea, camellia or rhododendron fertilizers. I have read that peat will help raise the acidity. I found it very interesting that Pine Needles do not. Apparently they don't contribute significantly to raising the acidity...they but grow in soil that is acidic to begin with. Makes sense when looked at it that way, I guess. Don't know if any of this helps... -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ |
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Posted: Nov/15/2007 3:58 PM PST
Hi Caroline, If you have any questions about the pH of your soil you should do a quick soil test. You should be able to pick them up at your local nursery/garden store. If you already have acid loving plants doing well in your soil, then you probably don't need to worry about it. When you fertilize, I recommend HollyTone by Espoma. It's formulated especially for acid loving plants like azaleas, rhodies, etc. Regards, Robert |
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Posted: Nov/15/2007 5:26 PM PST
Thank you, both. Good info. 
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