Blueberries produce more fruit if there are several varieties living in close proximity, but I suspect that a single shrub will produce some fruit. Our blueberry shrubs are pollinated by bumblebees, so if you have these around, encourage them to live in your yard. Blueberry shrubs will produce some fruit in full-sun, half-day, but for maximum fruit, they need full-sun, all day. When grown in shady conditions, they will produce only a handful of berries each season. They require ericaceous soil, which is generally high in decomposed organic matter, such as compost, and has a pH between 4.5 and 6. If you water your blueberry shrub with tap water that contains calcium, the soil pH will rise, and eventually the shrub will suffer. If you can obtain rainwater, that is the best thing for blueberries. The roots must be kept damp during the summer drought. Mulching helps. The tomato cage is not necessary, after a few years of growth, you can prune to shape the bush if you like. However, a tomato cage could be used to shade the plant from excessive sunlight during the first few months, if you think that would help it to get established.

thanks!

the bush gets dappled morning sun, then gets hit with full sun from about noon until sundown (right now, that is about 9pm). I had been watering with regular hose water, but have had enough rain over the last 2 weeks to negate the need for extra watering. I have been pouring coffee over the bush about every other day and just worked a LARGE bag of grounds into the mulch and dirt last night (thank you Starbucks in my office building!). I plan on trying to do that at least once a week. I think I'm going to add a few splashes of white vinegar into my sprayer once it starts getting into the hottest part of the summer as well and see if I can get my hands on some pine needles.

Also, the bush is heavily mulched right now. Since the garden area was grass until we tilled it a few months ago, the whole patch is covered with landscape fabric with large cutouts for the plants. Mulch went over the cloth for each plant.

Since money is tight (isn't it always?!), I'm trying to really garden on the cheap this year. Plus, this is my first outdoor attempt, so I don't want to spend money on expensive fertilizers.

thanks again!!

I have never used coffee or coffee grounds in our garden, so I can't comment on how well this works. I don't know if you have hard water, so I can't know if white vinegar is necessary or not. I add 6 fluid ounces of 5% white vinegar to every 4 gallons of tap water before watering our blueberries. That amount of vinegar is specific to our water, here in Madison. The vinegar breaks down in the soil, so I have agricultural sulfur (granulated, not powder) in the soil, which should keep the pH down over time. If the leaves of your blueberry shrub begin to turn light green and then yellow, that is a sign of rising pH, and you will have to do something, or risk losing the shrub. I think that your location has enough sunlight for the shrub to be successful.

yup, the new growth is coming in lighter green and we do have relatively hard water! I didn't know if I should be have been concerned or not.

Time to get out there with the vinegar!

The blueray bush is in front, on the right, next to the grayish planter. This was just after planting about 2 weeks ago. There is new growth now on the top.
{{gwi:110767}}

Sarah: The new growth is always lighter green than the mature leaves. The leaves turn darker over several wks before reaching their mature color. So the fact that the new growth is lighter than the old doesn't necessarily mean you have a problem. While your picture is too distant to tell for sure, I think your shrub looks fine. Eric definitely knows what he's talking about, but I think he would admit that the value of vinegar is somewhat debatable even if you have a pH problem. If you don't have a problem, then you don't need anything.

Just my take. No disrespect meant to anyone.

The Fruitnut

The problem with vinegar is its effect is very short lived, I've done tests and found PH returns back to normal in about 1 week depending on soil temp, in very warm weather it can take just 4 to 5 days, when growing BB I think a good investment would be a Rapidtest PH meter around $20~$25 dollars these are not 100% accurate but very close. a bag of Iron sulfate is worth getting as it will help lower ph and give your plant Iron, other than that you have gotten good advice from Eric and Fruitnut.

Hi! I'm brand new to this forum...and gardening for that matter. So I'm really looking forward to learning from everyone here. :-)

I bought blueberry bushes about two weeks ago (Northcountry and Hardiblue). They already had blueberries on them (unripe). I repotted them into containers of peat moss, sand and potting mix as per the greenhouse where I bought them. They also thought that if I fertilize with a 30-10-10 (evergreen) fertilizer it should bring the pH down low enough. I did give them a diluted dose when I transplanted them but was nervous about fertilizing while transplanting.

Does testing the water that runs out the bottom when I water them give me a correct pH reading of the soil? If so they are well above where they should be (6.5-7). They are also starting to yellow but I'm not sure if that's transplant shock or the high pH.

I was thinking of using vinegar to bring down the pH and am wondering why doing that would be debatable?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Crystal

no disrespect taken Fruitnut! I know I'm a newbie and am sucking in all this info. I'll try to take a closer pic of the shrub so you can get an idea of its health.

I did water last night with a white vinegar solution, but will wait and see. I guess I should invest in a good pH monitor if I'm going to garden seriously in the future. Any recommendations for a good value pH meter? Less than $20, preferably.

One other vinegar question - I was hesitant to use the sprayer last night because I knew rain was coming. In the future, if I'm SURE it is going to rain, could I pour undiluted (5% plain ole white kitchen) vinegar directly into the mulch or would that be too much?

thanks!

Sarah

Please don't use vinegar without massive dilution as it can kill plants. Some organic gardeners use it undiluted as an herbicide. It's all about the dosage.

Anyway, on the topic of vinegar.

What vinegar is primarily used for is not to change the pH of the soil, but the pH of the irrigation water. Most water sources have water that is neutral to alkaline. Acidic water would be corrosive to the delivery system. If the soil is in the proper pH range the pH of the irrigation water isn't terribly important UNLESS alkalinity is high.

Alkalinity is not to be confused with alkaline water. Saying water is alkaline simply means it's pH is 7.1 or higher. Alkalinity is a measure of it's ability to neutralize acids. The higher the alkalinity, the more acid it can neutralize before it is also neutralized in the chemical reaction.

So, lets say we add some elemental sulfur to our soil and over time we have a pH of 5.0. Perfect. Then we irrigate with our tap water which is high in alkalinity. Each time we do this we are neutralizing the acid formed by the sulfur a little bit more. This will cause the pH of the soil to rise over time.

We can eliminate this by adding a small amount of vinegar to the water. What happens is the bicarbonates and carbonates that are raising the alkalinity will work to neutralize the acetic acid in the vinegar. They will themselves become neutralized in the process. We can then use that water to irrigate with and have no fears about the pH of our soil going up over time.

For a long term alteration of soil pH the best choice out there is elemental sulfur, but it isn't at all instant. It can take weeks before any change takes place and months or more before it has changed pH as much as it is going to.

Use the vinegar to simply maintain the work the sulfur has done.

There is one other way to make use of vinegar and that is when the pH of the soil is too high and we are working on lowering it, but already have our plants in the ground. Instead of using vinegar to simply neutralize the alkalinity, use a tad more to make the water acidic. As the acidic solution passes through the soil it will help dissolve minerals in the soil in the proper ratio for blueberries. The effect doesn't last long as the bicarbonates/carbonates in the soil will neutralize the acids, but until they do, minerals(nutrients) are being dissolved into the water and the end result is that our berries are temporarily able to get proper nutrition.

Of course this brings up the question of 'how much vinegar'. There is no easy answer to that question without water testing. Having the means to test the pH of the water before and after various amounts of vinegar have been added is very helpful. As a starting point, my own water is pH 7.5 and high in alkalinity due to coming from a limestone well. If I just want to neutralize the alkalinity I would add approx 1 ounce of vinegar to 4 gallons of water (I use 5 gallon buckets). 2 ounces will have it around pH 4.5.

For those of you who have stuck with me through this longish post I have a 'gift' for y'all. A link that discusses all this in more detail ;)

I put pine needles and pine clippings under my mulch for my bushes. I get tons of berries. Also there is a blueberry food mix that you can add to the soil in the early spring and late fall. It helps to keep the soil at the PH they like. I forget the name. I will post it here if I remember when I go home tonight.

My plants are doing well in a PH that reads over 7. I don't understand why it is so high but I give up at this point. I did all of the soil amendments and sulfur supplements. I guess I need a rain barrel.

Wow! Thanks guys for some really fantastic information! Very informative and helpful.

Justaguy2, thanks for the additional link. NCSU has some terrific information there.

So is it better to use green pine needles, or brown ones from the ground, for mulch to help bring down the pH?

And one last question, can/should I fertilize my blueberries with 30-10-10 while they have unripe berries on them?

Thanks again everyone for all the help!

Crystal

Crystal, Just make sure that the nitrogen you provide is not in NITRATE form as it can KILL your plants; make sure it is in sulfate form! it is also a good idea to fertilize at 1/2 to 1/3 the recommended rate. JMHT, Just my humble thoughts.

Regarding blueberries and soil pH, the condition of the plant, specifically the leaves, can be, and should be used as the most reliable indication of soil pH. If the leaves are deep green, and they look generally healthy, then the soil must be OK with regard to pH. It is possible for the blueberry roots, and the associated soil microbes, to create a favorable environment for blueberry growth, even though the pH reading a few inches away is higher than optimum. If an acidic solution is used to lower soil pH, it must be diluted correctly or the shrub will be killed for certain. Using our water, supplied by the city, here in Madison, Wisconsin, it takes 6 fluid ounces of 5% white vinegar added to 4 gallons of tap water, to lower the pH to around 6. I have never put straight vinegar down on any of our shrubs, however, I did spill about a tablespoon of 5% white vinegar on the lawn recently, and it did kill the grass! Vinegar will break down in the soil, likely due to soil microbes, and the pH will rise, eventually. That's why its important to have agricultural sulfur, granulated sulfur, in the soil. This material will slowly dissolve and be transformed into sulfuric acid, but the process takes about a year. It is possible to use liquid sulfuric acid, added to tap water, to lower the pH of the water. However, sulfuric acid is not readily available retail. It is relatively dangerous to store in the house, where it might end up in the hands of curious children. Sulfuric acid that is intended for use in storage batteries could contain traces of lead. This would be fine, for the intended use, but lead should never be added to the soil, because it is toxic. If you are going to use sulfuric acid to lower soil pH, you should know where it originated, and you should have an analysis for trace contaminants, including lead. Iron contamination would not be a problem. The pH of the irrigation water will have to be measured, either with a calibrated pH meter, or by means of titration.
It is generally easier and safer to work with 5% white vinegar, available at any grocery store, for about $1.50 per gallon. That's why I use it on our blueberries. Agricultural sulfur is harder to find, but they sell it to farmers in 50 lb bags. It is used for growing alfalfa, here in Wisconsin. It is not terribly expensive, I recently paid 79 cents a pound, at a rural farmers co-op.

Thanks!!!! I really appreciate all the great voices of experience. :-)

Crystal

thanks for all the info everyone! I got some Miracid this weekend and will be applying once all the rain clears out over the next few days. I'm hoping between the Miracid and regular coffee/grounds applications, I should be set!

what a great welcome to this forum!!

Something you might also try--especially if you notice your leaves reddening is an infusion of iron. I use soil sulfur and Miracid as well, but the iron seems to work the fastest. Copperas is the name.

A mix of peat moss, coffee grounds, compost or a bag of top soilwould be a great planting media for blueberries.

You should try to keep the PH at 4.5.
Iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate, sulfur, and Holly-Tone can be added to drop the PH but they often take a while to get going. Vinegar added to water or miracid can be used sparingly to help drop the PH faster to avoid shock. Not a permanent solution to PH though.

Planting a second Varity would increase yield and extend your enjoyment if it bears at a different time.

luvsdieter
"Since money is tight (isn't it always?!), I'm trying to really garden on the cheap this year. Plus, this is my first outdoor attempt, so I don't want to spend money on expensive fertilizers."

You could drop an asprin in the watering can every three weeks for a cheaper added boost to plants.

A tea made from compost, or manure is a free replacement to store bought fertilizer.

Mulching your plants with grass clippings keeps the weeds down and adds nutrients as it decomposes.

Throw some of those coffee grounds around your roses, they love it.

Thanks for all the tips Mr. Ed! I'm definitely going to add another blueberry shrub to the mix, but am going to wait until later in the year so I don't transplant at the height of summer. I've already got a spot picked out :)

Could you tell me more about the aspirin treatment? Like, plain uncoated aspirin, not ibuprofen or anything? What is is it about aspirin that works as a fertilizer?

I wish I had roses. Nothing something I'm brave enough to try quite yet.... ;)