Hi naikii, The mix that you just made looks wonderful! I have been following this thread with great interest as well. Most of my trees ( tropicals) and C&S are in the Gritty Mix or the 5-1-1 and are all doing great! This mix has really helped with all of my tropicals trees growing to their maximum potential and I am always amazed at the amount of beautiful blooms that I have now that I have changed their mix from a "bagged" mix to this more aerated mix that has shown me the difference in the root system which in turn delivers me the maximum bloom production during the summer with my Plumeria and Adeniums. I have learned that this mix makes my roots happy and not have any issues with the perched water so they are not rotting as in the past using other soil. The key to a happy and healthy plant starts at the roots... I am always looking for another alternative for the Fir Bark that I use. could you tell me the name brand of the last pic of your Pine Bark that you are using? Looking back up thread, I couldn't tell what the brand was. It looks great to me and if I can find it here in my area that would be helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post all of your information... Great thread! Take care, Laura

I've grown blueberries in containers for the past few years. That is necessary here because the soil has a pH over 8, the soil is clay, and there are lots of gophers, so pots are really the only alternative. I have 40 southern highbush plants (about 10 varieties) that require little if any winter chill. No frost here. I had great enthusiasum when I first got my plants, and every day I'm still excited when I deal with them, especially when picking the fruits. I plan to get a few more plants next year as well. My plants are doing extremely well, and I havent killed any yet. Most are in 10 gallon plastic containers, with some in 15. I prefer the larger shorter containers, but the cost of pots is great, and the 10 gallon containers were a gift from a friend. And 40 plants take a lot of mix. The mix I use is merely some home-composed ground wood chips from junipers and a mulberry tree, and all their leaves. These were several years old, and had lots of leaves and fine stuff in them. And I screened it all through half inch mesh so it's both fine and drains well. It's basically a course compost, and it was free. I think almost any commercial mix would do however. From my experience what is more important is the pH of the water. I acidify mine. You can use vinegar as someone above mentioned, but you can also use other acids as well. I myself use dilute (new, uncontaminated) sulfuric acid as do many local commerical nurseries. I buy it in automotive supply stores as battery acid. (be very careful with respect to safety, always add acid to water, and dont use such a chemical unless you know what you are doing, etc). I am thinking of investigating using citric acid if I can find a reasonable place to buy it. I use litmus paper I got on ebay to make sure the pH of my solution is right. I aim for about 5. Once you have your formula down, you dont have to check often. I mix my watering solution in standard plastic garbage cans that hold 32 gallons. I have 3 so I dont have to walk so much to irrigate all my plants which are grown in 3 different areas. I also add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of soluble fertilizer to every new garbage can full of acidified water. Most often I use inexpensive ammonium sulfate, and sometimes for trace minerals I'll add generic miracle grow, and on occasion toss in some epsom salts for magnesium (which my berries seem to need). I'll also add chelated iron solution when they look like they need it. I have no specific schedule for this however, and just trust my eyes and experience. I was warned that fertilizing so often and encouraging fast growth would not be the best path to follow. I have had no problems at all because of it - just large vigorous healthy plants and lots of fruit. But then I have experience and a good eye for how a plant is doing, and make adjustments as I go. I use the acidified water about every 3rd time I water, and use tap water the other times simply because it takes less time. In the summer I have to water every day to keep the plants healthy. This year I'm going to shield my pots from the sun so maybe I wont have to water so much, and the roots wont be subject to such swings in temperature from the daily sun - that cant be good. I'm planning on sinking them about 6 inches into the soil, and then mounding cheapo mulch up against the upper part of the pots. I still want them high so they are easier to pick. My plants are doing very well, the leaves are large, green, and lush. The plants have grown quickly, and the only real problem (besides taking a lot of time for care) is keeping the birds away from the yummy fruits. Read as much as you can, then relax and go for it. They will bring great pleasure into your life.

JAG, can you elaborate on the idea that pH is not as important for blueberries in pots as in the ground? Al, do you concur? Yes - I do. Mineral soils in general hold nutrients much more tightly than the highly organic soils we grow in. If you'll consider: Even the gritty mix I often use is still highly organic at 2/3 inert ingredients: 1/3 (33%) bark as compared to the sandy soils the BBs are usually grown in with an extremely low organic component (usually Fertilizers affect media solution pH and make it easier/more difficult for certain types of plants to extract nutrients from soil solutions. Often, the plants themselves add ions to the solutions to actually change solution pH and make it easier for the plant to take up ions. The fertilizers we would want to use for blueberries will have an acidifying effect due to the ammonium nitrogen content. Fertilizers that form acids will be high in ammonium, ammonia, and urea. During nitrification, ammonium is converted to nitrate in the media, and in the process H is released which lowers pH. Plants also secrete H into the media whenever they absorb ammonium. Fertilizers containing nitrate in the form of calcium/potassium/magnesium/sodium nitrate all tend to cause an alkaline reaction and raise container solution pH. Although the most important factor in where media solution pH will fall is the alkalinity of the irrigation (which includes the fertilizers added) solution, it's not the only factor. We need to not only consider the fertilizer, but also the pH of the medium components, the liming materials used in the medium, and the pH/alkalinity of the irrigation water before adding fertilizers. Finally, the gritty mix should be fine for BBs if you use gypsum as a Ca source. You'll need to water fairly frequently if you use it, though. Turface and granite are both mildly acidic, and the bark will be around pH 4.5-5.0. Al

Topsoil is a poor choice as an ingredient for container soils. Maintaining a steady pH, or adjusting to a target pH is often a problem for greenhouse/nursery operations, and extremely difficult for hobby growers. I would advise you to skip the frustration and not even try to hit/maintain a target, choosing instead to learn how to help insure that media pH is estimated to be under 6.0 and use an acidifying fertilizer . Coir generally has a much higher pH than peat, so is probably not the best choice in a soil used for blueberries. You won't need to worry about bringing the plants indoors or offering any special cold protection in zone 9, either. Do a search of this forum using the words blueberries soil pH and you'll find enough good information to keep you occupied well into the night. Al