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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Blueberry culture
  • Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 21:42:28 -0500


We have 10 Patriot high bush blueberry plants that we have grown for about
three or four years. This year we did expand by adding 50 more plants.
Although the plants are doing OK, and we did have a modest crop of berries
on the "old" plants, we do not feel that we have the best soil conditions
for blueberries and wonder how others handle this.

The soil is about the highest fertility soil on our farm and is a heavy clay
loam (Fayette) for the most part. The area with the blueberries does have
pretty good topsoil due to the location. The pH is just under 7 in this area
and has good trace minerals except low on B. We put some elemental sulfur
in the soil prior to planting the original plants and this time put on some
boxes of a pelleted S (little flat disks) but based on the recommendations
for a clay loam soil, we did not put on enough. The cost gets pretty crazy
as it is.

Do any of you folks have good soil that you are trying to acidify and what
do you do? How much do you put on, etc?

Also, has anyone tried to use pine needles or other coniferous material to
help drop the pH? Source of materials? How about coniferous bark.

Finally, I recall reading something a number of years ago about the fact
that blueberries actually can do very well in neutral pH soil if they are in
a high organic matter type soil with excellent nutrient availabilty. I have
never been able to find that information and wonder if it is factual. I have
talked with extension folks and they have no idea about such a neutral pH
being successful.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Dairy heifers and dairy beef graziers
Viroqua, WI

www.mistyridgefarm.com





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