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Blueberry bushes

pstoll's picture

Blueberry bushes (post #12711)

pstoll on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 18:12
in

What type of soil is preferred (sandy, rich, clay, etc) and what is the recommended food and feeding time for zone 5?

-A +A
the country gardener's picture

(post #12711, reply #1 of 2)

by the country gardener in reply to pstoll [original] on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 21:18

What blueberries like most is cool, moist, well-drained acid soil (pH 4.5-5.5). If your native soil is either sandy or clay ammend liberally with organic matter. Mulch around the crown after planting to suppress weeds and keep the roots cool. Avoid cultivating around the base of plants, as blueberries are shallow rooted. Most people tend to overfertilize which can lead to rampant growth and/or overproduction. Plants in well-ammended soil shouldn't need ferilizing; if they do, use low doses of acid plant food. Rhododendron/Azalea food is ideal, as blueberries are closely related to them. 

Marty


"The plants have been good to us."  Lester Hawkins

Marty

"The plants have been good to us."  Lester Hawkins

dank's picture

(post #12711, reply #2 of 2)

by dank in reply to pstoll [original] on Thu, 03/13/2008 - 17:21

Don't worry too much about soil conditions other than the acidity, and maybe avoid growing them in a puddle.  They may prefer it cool and moist, but for me they do pretty well in hot, dry, sandy soil, and they generally do well in this area (Alabama) even in clay.  The one thing the area has that is consistent is acidic soil.