If they were mine, I would probably stop supplying any large doses of N around mid Sep & switch to less frequent doses of 0-10-10 through Oct. Something like a regular dose of 30-10-10 around Sep 1, 0-10-10 on Sep 15, a half dose of 30-10-10 on Oct 1; then, another dose of 0-10-10 on Oct 15 and again on Nov 1 as the last dose if the weather is still warm & the plant is growing. Last year & the year before, I was still picking cherry tomatoes on Nov 1. Go figure. If you're using Pro-TeKt, there are other strategies you could use, too. Al

Ok...Now that the app rate for fertilizer is over I re-fertilized to bring all the plants up to speed together..I have a question on a few varieties that I'm growing that are just not doing well..I'd like to know if anyone else knows if these bb varieties are more difficult to grow..Keep in mind I grow 13 varieties.. 1st is Patroit...Aweful..Didn't perform that well in pots before planting and really has suffered in the ground. Leaves are constantly a red tinge and just lagging along..Had several die. 2cd is Collins...Although not suffering as much as Patriot, it's a close second..Not as many red leaves but the smaller ones are really struggling.. 3rd is Bonus..This one was one that I got from another vender last fall and was small in 1 gallon pots along with several others...It was nice and bushy though, and healthy green and now the whole row is turning reddish and suffering.. Keep in mind that all are treated the same way except for the fertilizer test but ironically these that are suffering received avearge, not low rates... If you read this post you know that the whole field was treated the same, so that's not an issue or they would all be suffering..Rows of other varieties on both sides are thriving with tons of new growth and good green foliage.. The only thing I'm thinking is that the month of June was near or above 100 degrees almost every day, and no rain, although we irrigate...All have 4+ inches of sawdust..All applied the same way and the same type of sawdust..So if the sawdust was an issue depleting N from the plants, they would all have the same symptoms I would think. The heat is the only factor I can see playing a role here..If someone sees something I'm not please speak up.. Soil test on every row provided a consistent 4.8-5.4 average. I'm thinking that there just must be some varieties that will not tolerate a Ky. summer..Should I just accept this and replant with one of the other 10 varieties that are thriving... I chose the varieties I grow for hardiness and different berry qualities, as well as ripening times so I could stagger ripening times to have berries most of the summer... This is how I planted to ripen across the field... Duke - 2 rows Hannah's Choice - 1 row Patriot - 2 rows Collins - 1 row Blueray - 2 rows Draper - 1 row Bluejay - 2 rows Bluecrop - 3 rows Bonus - 1 row Chandler - 1 row Jersey - 2 rows Aurora - 2 rows Anyone got any ideas??? Harvestman, Fruitnut???

Yay! Sorry took me so long to respond... lost my internet connection for a bit, and was too busy outside to mess with that. But, I got all your great advice, and have been a busy little bee since then... They are starting to 'bud out' now... so it can't be all that bad. I Took some pictures for you guys, and set up a blueberry album in photobucket, in case you want to see these blueberry babies... they are such cute little guys. I've promised myself that if I can keep them alive through next winter... I can buy myself a third variety next spring. (Keeping fingers crossed) So, after hearing what you guys had to say... I've moved all six blueberry plants; and buried their pots in the ground today. Glad to hear they will tolerate staying in pots for now, but I'm still hoping this is just temporary. Will stop using the garden Sulfur... but it's already been a couple months since I started putting it in those new beds. I really didn't think it would take that long, but I'm such a darn newbie in this area... what the hek do I know. Also... will stop adding vinegar to their drinking water. Incidentally, they started budding out the day after I did those 'emergency' vinegar baths. Coincidence? (My tap water is super alkaline...around 7.6, or so. I'm sure they don't like it) One more question if you don't mind... My "Jack's classic" fertilizers arrived today and I've got special blueberry food in the house. Since these guys are starting to bud out now... can I give them a tad of fertilizer for acid lovers?(17-6-6) That is, if I promise not to over do it. I'm so excited about having blueberries... thank's for all the replies, and especially for the great advice too. I'll be back... Leslie in CO Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my blueberry babies...

I think this is actually a proportion issue. You have a small volume pond and therefore would need a small amount of fertilizer. lisak has a point that you might need to be more careful than a larger pond manager but if you just pretended that your plants were house plants and responded as directed you would be fine. Yes, some fertilizer would disolve in the pond in low concentration (lower than algae would really appreciate) and then would slowly be picked back up by all the plants as needed. I thought your question was really about whether 'regular' fertilizer was OK to use; it is as long as you remain on the minimal side rather than casually and perhaps massively overloading with chemicals. For example, many here have used Jobes fertilizer stakes. They are just run of the mill fertilizer in a convenient 'stick it in' form.