Homestead mailing list

[Lisa Kae Van Meter Perry <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 2:29 PM, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:

> Mark, that makes sense to me--put something acid on top and rain or
> irrigation water will percolate it down into the root zone. Same with high
> nutrient compost.
>
> I totally agree that planting in pure peat starves plants of nutrients.
> When I dig up these dead bushes I will do so carefully; I want to see if
> contiguous soil or compost has migrated into the peat.
>
> We make our own compost of grass clippings, oak leaves macerated with the
> mower, chicken manure and of course a wide variety of household waste
> products, plus garden weeds, spoiled veggies, etc, plus flood detritus,
> mostly twigs, bark and leaves. Oh, and sawdust.
>

We planted the bushes in holes much larger than the root ball and filled
with about 2/3 peat and 1/3 compost. We were told all peat moss, but we
figured, too, that the roots needed something other than peat moss. We top
dress with peat moss and/or sawdust but it has not been every year on the
established bushes (more like every few years). On the new bushes we have
top dressed the last 2 years.

Our compost is similar to yours with the exception of saw dust. I have
occasionally added shredded cardboard (the thin kind from cereal & cracker
boxes, etc.). Somebody gave me an office paper shredder they didn't want
years ago. That thing has received more use for thin cardboard then it ever
did back when I had a business.

Time to drag my butt cheerfully back to the blueberries. Gene, I'll eat a
handful for you. ;)

Lisa

>
> Gene
>
>
> On Jun 19, 2012, at 7:26 AM, Mark Stutzman wrote:
>
> > Gene-
> >
> > I'm just starting out with some blueberries myself.  The guy who has a
> > garden show on the local NPR station recommends top-dressing them with a
> > few inches of peat moss in spring and fall, rather than planting in pure
> > peat.
> >
> > I'm lucky enough that one of the  local municipalities collects
> > residents' fall leaves, composts them, and makes the compost available
> > for free, so everything in my garden gets fertilized with that.  When I
> > planted the blueberries, I mixed half-and-half compost and our heavy
> > clay soil, with a little bit of peat mixed in, and then 2 inches of peat
> > on top.
> >
> > This is only the second year I've had these plants, but they all look
> > healthy, and one (the Tophat, which is a dwarf variety) is producing
> > berries already.  My theory is that planting in pure peat starves the
> > plants of nutrients, but top dressing will acidify the soil a little bit
> > with every rain/watering.
> >
> > -mark
> >
> > On 6/18/2012 8:50 PM, Gene GeRue wrote:
> >> On Jun 17, 2012, at 3:58 PM, Gloria M wrote:
> >>
> >>> I'm not Lisa, but I'm here (lurk infrequently to see if anyone posted
> >>> anything). I raise blueberries - have for several years and am getting
> >>> fruit now. I have mine planted where they get half day sun and they
> seem
> >>> pretty happy. I amended the soil with peat at planting and added
> acidifier
> >>> even though my soil is on the acid side. So far, so good. I'd be happy
> to
> >>> try to help you figure out what's wrong if you'd like.
> >>>
> >> Hi, Gloria M. How long have you been here? Sorry if I should remember
> you. Please remind, or tell us where you are and what you do in the
> homestead realm.
> >>
> >> What and how often do you feed your blueberries?
> >>
> >> Gene
> >>
> >>> On Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 2:52 PM, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Lisa Perry, you still here?
> >>>>
> >>>> With substantially-home-produced goodies, we just consumed a fine
> meal.
> >>>> For accoustical ambience I selected Scott's album, 8 Miles to
> Perryville.
> >>>> Which of course reminded me of you. Which reminded me of your
> substantial
> >>>> blueberry experience. I am very close to throwing up my hands and
> admitting
> >>>> apple and blueberry production failure, due partly to more items on
> my menu
> >>>> than time to enjoy them--the inevitable time challenges, the
> environmental
> >>>> conditions here in this part of the Ozarks, and the knowledge that we
> can
> >>>> buy good, organically grown fruit at somewhat reasonable prices.
> >>>>
> >>>> As I move through geezerhoodism, I am more and more skeptical of the
> >>>> proclamations of food producers. So, yeah, I ever more prefer to grow
> my
> >>>> own.
> >>>>
> >>>> We have thus far this year gorged on strawberries, cherries, and now
> >>>> boysenberries. The blue fruit did not make it. But before I give up on
> >>>> blueberries, I solicit you advice.
> >>>>
> >>>> Gene GeRue
> >>>> www.ruralize.com
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
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-- 
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough,
and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to
clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger
into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow. -* *Melody
Beattie*<http://www.quoteland.com/author/Melody-Beattie-Quotes/2993/>
*