You will need to find out the pH of your native soil, and the pH of your tap water, in order to get these blueberries on the road to recovery. Blueberries can tolerate pH up around 6.5 if the soil contains enough vegetable fiber to support fungal activity. They do better with pH between 4.5 and 5.5, however. If you are irrigating these shrubs with tap water, and you have hard water with pH over 7, you can add either white vinegar or sulfuric acid to your tap water, and lower the pH of the water to 5. This must be done with caution, it is easy enough to kill a blueberry shrub with too much acid. If your native soil has a pH over 7, it will gradually raise the pH of your blueberry patch. I use agricultural sulfur to lower soil pH, because it is slow acting and therefore easier to control than other methods. Bromocresol green indicator, yellow at 3.8, and blue at 5.4, is the least expensive way to gauge soil and water pH that I know of. A two dollar bottle of dye indicator might allow 50 or 100 soil tests to be completed.

Clay soils have particles that can slide together and form a tight seal so moisture, nutrients, and air have a hard time moving through that soil. Earthworms can help keep your soil loose, along with the rest of the Soil Food Web, provided they have enough food, organic matter, to live and work in your soil. Earthworms will not make a clay soil less clay like. Taking care of the soil is a good start with growing strong and healthy plants. Sufficient levels of organic matter, 6 to 8 percent, will help do that. So in addition to a good, reliable soil test that helps you understand your soils pH and nutrient levels these simple soil test might be of some help. 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

clairdo, thank you thank you. So that's what that darn stuff is I've been constantly pulling out of a newly dug area that I'm putting off planting until fall, can't remember having a problem with it before. It grows fast in dry soil. You saved me having to post a photo of the stuff and get an id. Those petunias, stephy, are gorgeous, as are the pansies. I really like the pink and white petunia.

Thanks Ladies! I guess that is why it was on sale! half price. I had planned on only doing decorative soaps at first, looks like I'll stick to that plan until this stuff is gone! Thanks for the urls Tararara! and Heather for your endorsement of WSSP. Looks like I will order from there after this awful stuff is gone. I should have checked here first, but unfortunately I just had to go right out and get supplies!