Would this simple mix work for blueberry plants in a container?

16 years ago

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to know if a 50/50 of peat moss and miracle grow organic potting soil would work well.

I am new to gardening in general,so the easier the better for me right now.

Also I am growing Powder blue and tifblue,are these good varieties?I know they are good for my area just wondering as far as taste and such.

Both of them are rated as mid season I know this will mean that I wont be able to harvest through out the season but will there be any other bad effects?

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Comments (11)

franktank232
16 years ago
I use 100% peat moss. Fertilize with acid loving plant stuff. Seems to work great. Make sure you wet the moss down very good...I only use rainwater. Mine are still dormant (in containers), but hope to have them break soon.
kev843
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanx Frank,

Do you or anyone else have any more info on these varieties
or other potting mixes?
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i found this post. thought it might be helpful. "The good news for blueberry lovers is that, with extra effort, there is a proven way to grow delicious blueberries in your Colorado garden. The keys to success are 1) plant the blueberry bushes in a medium that is primarily (or entirely) composed of sphagnum peat moss. This readily available material has a pH of approximately 5.5, so it is perfect for blueberries. Two further keys to success are: 2) make sure that the root zone always stays moist (even during warm, dry spells in winter), and 3) protect the bushes from drying winds during the winter. This can be done by wrapping the bushes with burlap or old sheets while they are dormant. Any planting method that incorporates these three key elements should lead to success, so feel free to be creative. For those who want an established recipe for success, follow the instructions below. Keep in mind that you will need to have at least two blueberry plants of different varieties (for cross-pollination purposes) in order for the plants to set good crops. For each plant: - Dig a hole that is 20" deep, 30"long and 20" wide. - Get a plastic-wrapped bale of sphagnum peat moss (3 cubic feet). - Punch about a dozen holes in the bottom of the plastic wrap. - Drop the bale, holes down, into your pre-dug hole. You can grow more plants in a row by dropping multiple bales in a trench. Different plants are necessary for cross-pollination as noted above. - Cut an 8"x 8" "X" in the plastic on top of the bale and fold back flaps. - Plant a bare-root blueberry plant directly into the peat moss (Do this in early-mid April). - Re-close the "X" using tape, leaving about a 3" hole in the middle to accommodate the trunk of the bush. - (optional) Install drip irrigation line by cutting a small hole at either end of the bale and feeding the line through the holes, resulting in an irrigation line that runs on top of the peat but under the plastic. - Fertilize in early May and early July with a balanced fertilizer for acid-loving plants (i.e. Miracle Grow for Acid Loving Plants). - Water and provide winter protection as discussed in keys to success above. - Provide protection from "critters" as animals love blueberries too. - Enjoy blueberries year after year!" * Joel Reich is CSU Extension horticulturist at the Boulder County Extension office in Longmont, CO where he trials blueberries and other small fruits. So it looks like you just dump the whole bail of peat moss in the hole, and plant the bushes into to bail! Amazing.
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If you can use Holly Tone, and cut down on the Miracid using only 1/4 dose a week. Stop using it August 1st. Weak growth is kinda common for blueberries. They need as much sun as possible. I would not blame the soil. My guess is too much fertilizer, and/or not enough light. If you can fine spray the peat with water, it will absorb better. I myself have never really had much of a problem, as a good soaking after planting seemed to be enough. I use it dry myself. I like to add Diatomaceous earth. I make my own soil.At this point I'm leaning towards more pine bark than peat. But basically use a 4-2-1 mix at this point. 4 parts pine 2 parts peat and 1 part DE, particle size like perlite, not the food grade. I use Optisorb. It's an oil absorbent that is 100% DE. In this photo of my pots you can clearly see the DE. I have been adjusting this mix all year, and feel this is best at this point. Sometimes I add one part Fafard mix also. I add a lot of other stuff too, I add azomite, rock phosphate, worm castings, organic fertilizer, dry molasses, mycorrhizal fungal spores , and alfalfa. I also at some point water with Biota Max to add beneficial bacteria. This blueberry plant is 2 years old
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sautesmom Sacramento
16 years ago
You definitely should read the blueberry page on Dave Wilson's site:

http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/promotion/blueberries.html
kiwinut
16 years ago
I would not recommend using any commercial potting mix, unless it is specifically for acid loving plants, as they will very likely have added lime to help neutralize the peat. I have used just pure peat mixed with coarse sand, topped with pine bark nuggets, and the plants loved it. 100% peat probably holds too much water, at least in areas that receive frequent rainfall.
kev843
Original Author
16 years ago
Well I couldnt wait any longer and went to the store before some of the other posts were made:(
I looked around at all the different potting soils and still went with the MG organic potting soil.
I have a ph soil tester and from past expirence know that the MG organic has a ph on the low side.
I did mix in a good amount of peat with it.
I have tested the soil now and its about 4.9ph.
So that should be ok right?
I also added some perlite but Im worried not enough:(
The only thing Im worried about is that it seemed to take too long to drain after watering!
I tried to work some more into the first coulpe of inches.

Does it sound like they will be happy in there new home???
kev843
Original Author
16 years ago
Well IM pretty sure I have a problem no as the water was still draining small amounts about 2 1/2 hours later.
I sucks being a newb lol.
Sould I see if it can survive or pull it up and start a new mix with more perlite.
Its already starting to form little green berries and I really dont want to loose my new friend:)
gonebananas_gw
16 years ago
I use maybe half-and-half peat (the typical baled Sphangum type, usually incorrectly called peat moss) and finer ground pine bark. The latter can be as coarse as "mininuggets" or as fine as "soil conditioner." To make it even less soggy the peat can be reduced to one-third (it is really just filling the spaces between the pine-bark pieces) or some perlite can be added. Some cottonseed meal fertilizer and a small amount of vermiculite can be added if handy, but is not necessary.
luvgardening2
16 years ago
I used the recipe on the Dave Wilson Website. The plants are looking VERY healthy. In the past, I used peat moss and potting soil and the plants did not do well. Well actually, they died.

Nancy
kev843
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Nancy

Let me ask you this...What leaf mold or forest humas based potting soil did you use?

Did you find the coarse peet moss?

Did you use pine for your pathway bark?
Was it 1/4 in?
Did you mix it in or just leave the bark on top?

Sorry to go on and on,Its just that I already planted 1 of my blueberries in potting soil and peat and its NOT HAPPY!!!
Trying to make sure I get the next one right:-)

Thanx
luvgardening2
16 years ago
Hi, No worries. I am happy to answer your questions. I used this recipe. http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/promotion/bluecontainer.html
I received a copy of it at a lecture w/ Tom Spellman. I took the piece of paper to my local nursery (not Lowe's or Home Depot) and I was given the items. I am doing some of it from memory because I ended up using up the whole bag and threw it away. For the Pathway bark, I used Greenhouse Mini Mulch Orchid Bark. It did not say 1/4" but I would say so. It just says forest bark, I doubt it is Pine.

I used Acid Loving - Azalea Mix. This is what it said on the bag. It may have been Greenhouse which is Kellogg's.

The Garden Sulfur was by Espoma. They did not have this at my local nursery so I got it at Home Depot.

On the paper that I got from Dave Wilson it did not mention the course Peat Moss. I used whatever I had on hand which was Premier Professional Peat Moss which is finer than most.

I used a bucket for everything except the sulfur and filled it and then dumped it onto a tarp. I mixed everything really good, used my hands and then a shovel. Then I put it into the container and then I put the bareroot blueberry in. It was a little over a month ago and it is doing beautifully.

I hope I answered your questions, if not, please ask again.

Nancy
kev843
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes it did thanx,

I have been looking everywhere but havent found anything like azalea soil mix,which is real funny considering where I live the nickname is flowertown and every yard you look in has Azaleas lol.

Would this simple mix work for blueberry plants in a container?

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Would this simple mix work for blueberry plants in a container?

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