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Fruit & Orchards

Plant 'mulches' under blueberries?

13 years ago

I have LOTS of blueberry plants (two sides of the potager) on the outer beds. They do very well, with no added anything (lots of aged horse manure...this used to be their corral) but I also have a lot of weeds! Big surprise, I know :)

So, I want to use a 'plant mulch' under the blueberries, to keep the weeds down. Strawberries worked well last year, but any other ideas? I'm also thinking of adding alyssum, until the strawberries can fill in.

Note- I do not plant the fruit, solely for our consumption. I don't mind if the birds get some too, but I wanted an edible, safe border (that the nieces and nephews could enjoy when they visit) that is good for the birds, us and won't bother the horses, either.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. (Also, for whatever reasons, haven't had to add any acid to the soil and I don't plan to...as the blueberries are doing great and have lots of fruit.)

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Comments (6)

glenn_10 zone 4b/5a NewBrunswick,Can.
13 years ago
Not sure if this is any help but I am trying to do the same thing and I am growing Steven's low bush cranberry under my blueberries. It is a fast spreading ground cover vine and like blueberries are and acid loving plant so if you need to amend the soil to change PH it will be just as happy as the blueberries!
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tempskya
13 years ago
I've also thought about growing strawberry plants (for the fruit) under my blueberries. I've been worried they wouldn't do well since they (strawberries) like a soil that's a bit less acidic. Would love to hear about your results.
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Knowing your soil acidity would go a long way in helping you decide what to do. Blueberries prefer a pH in the 4.5-5.5 range. If you are above that range elemental sulfur is most often used to increase acidity. A prill form is mush easier to work with and won't blow away as you apply it. You'll hear lots of advise on fertilizer. Applying it (and sulfur) before the mulch will get it that much closer to the plant root zone and that is more important for phosphorus which tends to move very slowly through the soil. Larger growers would most offten use ammonium sulfate for blueberries and depending on the size of your bushes a quarter cup to half cup per plant is usually adequate after the second year. If you use a garden center product like Hollytone (4-6-4) you could (and should) use 5 times those levels safely. For mulch type I prefer to visit a local sawmill and use their older rotted sawdust. Ask if they may have black walnut sawdust and avoid it. Any other wood sawdust is suitable as are any of the composted mulches at garden centers.The more important point is to get 4-8 inches over the ground extending a foot beyond the outermost branch tips. The mulch should be reapplied every year to keep roots from being water stressed. The mulch layer also deters grubs which feed on grass roots as well as your blueberry plant roots. Don't wait until the soil is dried out to apply mulch. Now or very early spring are better times to get it on before the other soils are fit to plow.
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I've got some blueberries I started in large containers this year. I have not yet mulched them, but I'm already noticing that the top of the mix dries out fast. I'm actually going to move them where they get more sun, so.... I've read sawdust is great, but I don't have access to that. I have "medium western bark" leftover from making the blueberry container mix - would this be OK as a mulch? As you can imagine, they're medium sized bark chips. Elsewhere in the yard, I tend to use hardwood fines as mulch. Would this be suitable for raspberries when I get around to planting them?
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When I did landscaping in Central California I had 10 acres with lots of fruit trees and other ornamental trees. We generated almost a full pickup load daily during the spring and summer. We would spread it around the trees. When It got 12" deep it would mold. If we only spread it 3-6" it wouldn't. This was almost a desert climate of 30% humidity. Before I got enough customers to bring in that quantity of grass I had a problem keeping enough moisture to keep the trees healthy. Afterwards, not so much. Granted that was about 2 years later. This was in a rural area with the trees far enough from my house so the visual effect was not like in a suburban area. Now I'm in central Missouri and live in a small city. I use wood chips that I get yearly from tree trimmers who keep the power lines safe. What you have available makes a difference in what you use. ,
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I've often used it and as long as it isn't soggy it will be fine. Not all stable waste is equal and sometimes it can be heavy and wet which is not good for blueberries. Other times, if it has broken down in aerobic conditions particularly, it can be kind of foamy and light which is great. Blueberry roots need a lot of air and yet their soil must be constantly moist, at least while they are establishing. Mulch is very useful to accomplish both issues.
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lavender_lass
Original Author
13 years ago
Glenn- How big do the lowbush cranberry get to be? Where do you find them? I'm mostly growing Chippewa blueberries (which get 3' to 4' tall, but I do have some bigger ones in another area.

Tempskya- I grew strawberries under the Chippewa blueberries last year and they seemed very happy...just too many weeds in a new bed. This year, I'll add more strawberries and fill in with the alyssum.

If you want more fruit, just keep the strawberries thinned out a little more (for more light) and let the ones further under the blueberries grow together and keep down the weeds. I don't add acid to my soil and my PH is about 6.5 to 7.0...depending on where I test it.
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tempskya
13 years ago
Well, that's good to hear. I've ordered some strawberry plants from Nourse that should arrive in early March. I know I've ordered more than will fit into the area that I had planned for my strawberry patch. I'm going to put the extras under the blueberries and just see what they do. Can't hurt to try.
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glenn_10 zone 4b/5a NewBrunswick,Can.
13 years ago
I did a quick search and found a good site with lots of info, as to where to get them I don't know, around here they are in all the garden centers in the spring as they are a popular landscape ground cover.Not sure how to post a link on here but this is the site address.
http://www.cranberrycreations.com/growing.html
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edward_kemper_va_gov
12 years ago
Is cedar mulch bad for under my blueberries?
and why does only 1 of my five bushes have fruit? This is the second season since i planted them.
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