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oldbusy1

blueberry advice

oldbusy1
10 years ago

Well I've decided to create a lot more work for myself. I plan on planting blueberries.

I would appreciate any advice. I'm going to get my soil tested. I know yrs ago it needed lots of lime . Which it didn't receive. So I assume it is still alkaline.

Comments (4)

  • helenh
    10 years ago

    Blueberries like acid soil. Did you mean your soil needed lime and didn't get it so is still acid? I added peat moss to my soil. I have heard of people using oak sawdust to make soil acid. I have some blueberries along the side of the barn. When it rains they get much more water because of the water off the roof. They survive there. Others that I have planted have died because I didn't water them enough. My neighbor who grows them to sell has an irrigation system.

  • oldbusy1
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It's been so many yrs since it was tested, i was thinking the ph was too high. But that was tested for hay.
    Anyway i plan on getting it tested for blueberries. I know i will need to irrigate and mulch.
    just wondering if anyone had any tricks to share.

  • mulberryknob
    10 years ago

    Buy at least two varieties. We like early bearing ones; later ones can suffer too much from the heat and the fruit shrivels. After making sure the pH is right--5.5 is ideal--mulch heavily and water often, especially the first 3 summers. And don't make the mistake we did of surrounding our blueberry plants with weed matting before we layed down the mulch. The mulch will break down and make a seedbed, annual weeds and grass will grow in it and their roots will penetrate the matting, making it much harder to weed them out. And the blueberries will throw roots out on top of the matting because it's moist there, but then they are trapped and can't go down.

    If you live in central Ok on west, your soils are probably alkaline. Lime is added to soils to make them more alkaline and would be a very bad thing for blueberries. You even have to be careful not to water blueberries with limey water. I planted blueberries in soil of about pH five and killed them one very hot dry summer watering with VERY limey well water. So check your water as well, although if it is city water, it should be ok.

  • scottokla
    10 years ago

    I am 30 miles southeast of Tulsa and my native soil will not work here. I have tried a few combinations of "artificial" soils, mostly 100% peat moss covered with acidic types of mulch. I have also tried different ratios of native soil, pecan hulls, peat moss, and shredded pine bark.

    A lot of my recommendations would depend on your location, soil type, etc. You must kill out all vegetation before you get started, and I recommend planting in the fall if possible.