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Fruit & Orchards

Blueberries in raised beds

6 years ago

I have decided to redo the soil in my raised beds because I think it's staying too moist. I had one plant that will probably die but the other three I have are looking really good and I have checked the ph and it's a little high at 5.5 but I have added sulfur as well as munched with pine bark. The soil right now has a lot of peat along with good topsoil I got in bulk at a garden store. I have been watering them with mostly rain water because my water is alkaline but if I do water them with my tap water I add some vinegar. If I don't water them for a couple days the soil is still very moist, I think a little too moist, I'm considering adding fine pine bark for the ph and drainage. I'm also considering adding some plain sand to the soil. I'm going to wait until the winter to do it but I just wanted some feedback or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

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Comments (8)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
6 years ago
My experience with bb is if it's not broken don't fix it. Your setup doesn't sound broken. Why couldn't you just water less? And if you've added sulfur 5.5 sounds great. Most of the plants are growing well. What's not to like?

I'd caution about adding too much sulfur. Excessively low pH is just as bad as too high.

If you really have a drainage issue the best bet would be raising the height of your bed. If the plants aren't too big you might be able to do that in winter by peeling back the top 6-12 inches of roots with the plants included. Then push new material under the plants. Even 6 inches higher would improve drainage significantly.
matts0930
Original Author
6 years ago
That's a good idea. I wouldn't say they've are soaking wet but if I don't water them for a few days I put my meter in the ground and it goes all the way to the wet side but that might be what blueberries like, I'm not sure.
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Your raised bed idea will work, and in Texas you might want to add drip irrigation. Blueberries need a lot of water. Mulching will also help you out. Some low chill hour/ southern Blueberries http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/Nursery/VarietyChart/SouthernHighbush.htm
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I would dig the soil under the top mulch to loosen it, and add some compost to the top several inches, some bone meal or soft-rock phosphate if you have dogs that will check out the bone meal for two months. Better than peat moss is coir--the coconut husks. Peat moss kills a lot of plants from getting a bit dry; coir/dirt won't dehydrate roots so quickly. My neighbor and I grow blueberries. He told me to mulch them each Spring with about 4" pine needles to keep the soil really acidic--add some water when the soil is drying and he does not fertilize otherwise. Once I bought azalea fertilizer and that has helped my young plants. Maybe they won't even need that in another year. Blueberries don't have regular-type roots; they cannot have the soil around their roots cultivated. I pull weeds gently when the ground has plenty of rain water in it.
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Not wrong to have them in a raised bed, or in compost but you may have to amend the soil to acidify it. Blueberries need a PH of 4 to 5. Here in Nova Scotia, Canada, low bush blueberries grow wild in such abundance that they are exported throughout the world. Our soil is acidic but even when we grow blueberries in our gardens at home and amend the soil with compost, we have to increase the acidity since compost will render the soil neutral. We do this by adding aluminum sulfate in early spring. Another thing you might look at is the drainage quality of your soil. Blueberries prefer extremely good drainage so you may have to add sand to your mix. They have shallow roots too so don't cover them up too much. Of course, sun is essential - lots of it. There is also the possibility that your blueberries were establishing themselves root-wise and did not expend energy above ground this season so no correction may be needed. (I suspect the PH and drainage may be issues though...)
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ask again next year. I just planted 3 in a raised bed in the backyard in feb. I built a 12" raised bed filled it with a mixture of potting mix manure compost and sp.moss. I got potted 2 year old bushes and planted them so far they look good. As I said ck with me next year. mike
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
6 years ago
Those meters for me usually read too high. I won't trust them. Dig a hole near the plants as deep as you can. See if water stands in the hole. If the water table is deeper than 18 inches I think you are OK. If higher than that for a day after a big rain that's OK.
matts0930
Original Author
6 years ago
Perfect, thanks a lot. I read your other post on blueberries and was very suprised how fast your plants grew. I have been using espoma soil acidifier. Is there a benefit to using ammonium sulfate? Or just stick with what I'm using?
Dan Liptak
6 years ago
Hey Fruitnut,

I am also following your instructions on:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1462273/one-and-7-yr-blueberry-growth-with-pictures#20086533

Anything change over the years or same technique still?
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
6 years ago
Since that 2011 post I've become more cautious on sulfuric acid, sulfur, and ammonium sulfate. If you can get the pH right quit the strong stuff. Rainwater is the key. Use a lot of that and less sulfuric acid and sulfur. Ammonium sulfate is good if not mixed too strongly. When the pH gets down to the 5 range urea or organic fertilizer is a better bet.
matts0930
Original Author
6 years ago
Sorry to keep bothering you fruitnut but do you trust those ph meters? I have one that keeps reading a ph of 6.5 or 6 but I know it's most likely lower because I have had blueberries in the raised beds for a couple months and they still have dark green leaves and look healthy
Dan Liptak
6 years ago
Good info... thanks!

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