Making acid soil for blueberries
TheTick
18 years ago
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tasymo
14 years agorlargaespada
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Planted Blueberry in Azalea Acid soil. Is this ok?
Comments (8)First of all, I'm not a BB expert but I've researched asked many questions on this forum and elsewhere. I have approx. 20 BB plants in containers. Take my advice at whatever it might be worth to you. If you are set on using Azalea soil, consider reading the Dave Wilson Blueberries article (search those 3 terms). They recommend the azalea mix, small to medium bark, and sphagnum peat moss in a 1:1:1 ratio for hot CA weather like yours & mine. I can't attest to the performance (yet) but that basic recipe is sound for holding water and giving a nice low starting pH needed for BB. They also suggest adding CHC (aka COIR in "cube" form) for added water retention. I have several containers in that mix (no chc tho), along with a completely different medium of micro bark and Turface (5:2 ratio). There are pro's/con's of every type mix, so I'll merely suggest that in the Azalea (and any peat based mix) you probably understand you'll need to fully replace the soil in time (years) as it will collapse and the plants will decline for no apparent reason -- some say they go many years in the 1:1:1 DW mix above and they are happy. You should be able to add 1 tbsp/gal of white vinegar to your water at every watering. Finding the "ideal" amount and frequency requires a lot more work to measure media pH which is difficult to do with accuracy anyway (whereas simple water pH strips are fairly good). Adding pH "reducer" products like sulfur are not consistently effective in containers since they require soil micro-organisms to work; when or if they are working is questionable. Adding the vinegar should be fine to reduce the rate at which your medium pH will rise (as it will naturally do over time). Terracota is excellent for container plants (if you can afford them). But *might* be inadvisable for BB for the reason Don stated above. They keep the roots cooler as you've learned, but in doing so allows the soil to dry out faster. If you are committed to watering everyday (or however often it needs it), the TC pots are the way to go even for BB. However, it's safer to use white (or stone colored) plastic containers and shade the container itself from afternoon sun. If you do choose TC you should probably consider adding the CHC as the DW article suggests, to help offset the faster drying (though I myself have had a terrible experience with COIR). Hope this helps....See Morehow do i make my soil to acid?
Comments (9)Are the plants in the ground or in pots? Mixing peat moss into the soil will lower the pH pretty quickly. Adding garden sulfur is easier, but it takes several months for the pH to drop. I'd use sulfur, and make sure the plants are mulched with some kind of organic mulch, like compost or wood chips. As long as there is a lot of organic matter on top, the pH is not so critical to their survival, although they may not produce well until the pH is lower. You can find bags of sulfur at a lot of garden centers. I also see it at Home Depot and Lowes in the garden section with the garden fertilizers. Directions on the bag will tell you how much to use. Alex...See MoreBlueberries: MicroLife vs Jack's Acid Special vs Dr Earths Acid Lovers
Comments (5)Thanks :) I just picked up another couple of bushes that were on clearance and looked pretty beat up. Hoping to save them as a first year owner--the blind leading the limping, LOL! So far, after dozens of hours of internet research, I have not found anywhere that actual soil is recommended in a potted blueberry. Rather, the overwhelming advice is small size pine or fir bark as anywhere from 50-60% mixed with peat at 20-30% and perlite or some other course aerator at 10-20%. Soil compacts in a pot. Sounds like one of your plants is happy enough, but maybe the other one is struggling? But who knows, the only real proof something works is to try it or read where someone else did. I found when I talked to local nurseries here in north Texas that none of them seemed to really know much detail about blueberries as their advice was often directly opposed to the guidelines of people who actually grow them commercially. I'm using the Dr Earth Acid Lovers in my soil mix and then following up with a weak 1/4 tsp of Jack's Classic Acid water soluble in two gallons of water every two weeks since I regularly drench the pots. So far, they seem to be loving it. When I run out of the Dr Earth, I think I will get a bag of microlife to try, though since it has some really great stuff in it and one of the forum members here had used it very successfully. I'm also curious about myco-edge ericoid mycorrhizal blend sold by santiam organics. I saw some research done using the species in that product on blueberries and it seemed to help them when organic ferts are used and as long as the medium wasn't allowed to dry out too much. my...See MoreDid I luck out here with acidic soil for blueberries?
Comments (1)Contrary to popular belief, soil pH is not dependent on what is growing in that area - the oaks and pines do not make the soil acidic but rather the underlying mineral content of the soil and the amount of rainfall you receive. The pines and oaks only grow there because the existing pH is to their liking. Blueberries will grow well in soils that have a pH of 6.0 or lower. Many sites will insist on a pH of 5.5 or less but we support a very large commercial blueberry industry in my area in only mildly acidic soils. The sandy soil could cause issues. Blueberries like a soil that is consistently moist and with plenty of organic matter - a very sandy soil provides little of either so you may need to amend to improve those conditions. As to varieties, there are many excellent cultivars of southern highbush and rabbit-eye, both of which thrive in southern climates. Local nursery outlets should carry a good selection....See Moreyukkuri_kame
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