Blueberries and Acidity

Blueberry bushes love acidity! This is the time of year to put down the acidic additives that will make your harvest that much better.

Blueberries like the soil really, really, really acidic. They’re probably the most acidic-loving plant that we sell here at the nursery. They like it as low as 4.5 to 5.5, which is almost two full points below the neutral level, which is seven. It depends on how much you want to change the soil pH. I do like using the Holly-tone because it does have other nutrients to it. It has a lot of acidity that they like, but it also has some nitrogen and some other things that they’re going to benefit from. Garden sulfur is also a great option.

Another good tip I can recommend, if you have pine trees around or anything, pine needles are really acidic. That’s a good idea to use as mulch around the plants. That naturally adds acidity, so it helps keep the weeds down as well.

Growers have a hard time producing blueberries a lot of times because the well water has a lot of alkalinity to it, which means it’s a real sweet water. They’ve got to add extra acidifier to the soils to make those blueberries perform their absolute best. What the pH does is it controls whether the plant absorbs nutrients or doesn’t absorb nutrients. If you get the soil pH correct, it will absorb more nutrients, in turn being able to produce more fruit.

Sometimes the hardest part is trying to keep the bugs, not bugs, birds and deer away from them. You’ve got to net them before they start getting them, usually when the first fruits start emerging. Quarter-inch square netting is definitely better for keeping things out. Our Portage location does have blueberry bushes, so stop on in today and get what you need for your own blueberry harvest this year.

Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call one of our two locations: Portage (330-499-0101) or Everhard (330-492-1243).