Can anybody tell me what soil I need to plant my new blue berry bushes!! There only small at the moment.
Says I need ericaceous soil what and where can get this
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Dannymillie82
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rainbowgardener
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Ericaceous trees and shrubs are those that belong to the plant family Ericaceae, heaths and heathers. They all need acidic soil to grow. So ericaceous soil is just a fancy term for acidic soil. You don't have to "get" it, you just have to acidify the soil you have.
Blueberries need soil that is quite acid -- between pH 4 to 5.5. To start with you need to know what the pH (acidity) of your soil is. You can get pH meters or test strips. Are your blueberry bushes going in the ground or in containers? If your natural soil is pH 7 or above (neutral to alkaline), you will be better off growing them in large containers. Anything you do to acidify the soil planting them in the ground will be constantly neutralized by contact with the surrounding soil.
Blueberries want rich, organic soil as well as acidic.
Welcome to the Forum! When you tell us what your soil pH is, we will tell you what to do from there!
Blueberries need soil that is quite acid -- between pH 4 to 5.5. To start with you need to know what the pH (acidity) of your soil is. You can get pH meters or test strips. Are your blueberry bushes going in the ground or in containers? If your natural soil is pH 7 or above (neutral to alkaline), you will be better off growing them in large containers. Anything you do to acidify the soil planting them in the ground will be constantly neutralized by contact with the surrounding soil.
Blueberries want rich, organic soil as well as acidic.
Welcome to the Forum! When you tell us what your soil pH is, we will tell you what to do from there!
When I started my blueberry bushes, I used "Tree Soil" and added appropriate fertilizers and vitamins into the soil. I'm not sure what "Tree Soil" is and how different it is from any other soil, but it worked for me.
I agree with the previous response; blueberry trees like slightly acidic soil. Luckily for me, the "Tree Soil" I got was already acidic enough
I agree with the previous response; blueberry trees like slightly acidic soil. Luckily for me, the "Tree Soil" I got was already acidic enough
Peat moss has a pH of around 4 and if you add sulfur to the soil along with the peat moss it should get it down fairly quickly. Peat moss will hold pH down faster and longer than sulfur, about 2 years. Do not add wood ashes, aerobic composts, chicken manures all of these things are alkaline. Technically peat moss is compost and full of organic matter. Fertilize with an acidic fertilizer like Miracle grow for acid loving plants or citrus food.
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Dannymillie82
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Make sure you add some drainage material in that soil mix. If it is in pots you can use perlite or vermiculite about 1/3 of the total volume. In the ground, you can use coarse sand or I use cinders (it is easy to find here). You also want about 1/3 of the mix in the soil to be cinders or sand so it drains well.
Peat moss works, but not for long I have realized, my blueberry patch is back to 7,6 after 3 years (havnt checked the soil until now) and theres no sign of any peatmoss in the clay rich soil I have any longer, I will need to dig them up and redo the process, luckily they shouldnt have to big root systems for doing this yet. I was adviced to add pine bark mulch into the soil in the process as well, I don't know for sure the effects of this tho but it was a well experienced gardener who gave me the tip first hand. I have also found an organic liquid fertilizer made from corn and algae that makes my 8.6ph water acidic, so maybe you can try to find such a product over there. So if your soil is Alkaline plan this well is my suggestion.
And drainage is good as imafan26 suggested naturally they have quite well draining soilmedium.
Mine for sure does not have it right now. I have two plants of different varieties that is not doing to well tho, but I think they are out of their zone they have suffered mostly from freeze damage in the tops but very slowly increasing in size still, so choose the right varieties for your area. Just because a local nursery has them doesnt have to equal that they grow well in your area.
Growing different varieties toghether is said to increase the yields, I don't know for sure tho.
(And no btw I have yet watered my blueberry plants so its not the water that made the ph come back, infact I'm a bit stumbled upon how this happened since the soil was slightly acidic to begin with and rainwater is said to be slightly acidic.)
And drainage is good as imafan26 suggested naturally they have quite well draining soilmedium.
Mine for sure does not have it right now. I have two plants of different varieties that is not doing to well tho, but I think they are out of their zone they have suffered mostly from freeze damage in the tops but very slowly increasing in size still, so choose the right varieties for your area. Just because a local nursery has them doesnt have to equal that they grow well in your area.
Growing different varieties toghether is said to increase the yields, I don't know for sure tho.
(And no btw I have yet watered my blueberry plants so its not the water that made the ph come back, infact I'm a bit stumbled upon how this happened since the soil was slightly acidic to begin with and rainwater is said to be slightly acidic.)
I replanted 3 blueberries into a large wine barrel (1/2) put in good potting mix, peat moss and 3 cups sulfer. They were sick for 2 years and I almost tossed em. Wow what a difference, they are going nuts.They love the acid. Rain or watering will over time turn the soil back toward a neutral PH. Buy a PH meter. They also like to be slightly rootbound and have shallow roots. Good growing.