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- From: "Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>
- To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives
- Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:30:39 -0700
Lee, This has been interesting and
informative! Thanks. Stephen Sadler, Ph.D. USDA 9, AHS heat zone 8, From:
nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of lee reich Lon, mycorrhizae are
wonderful plant-fungi symbiosises benefitting plants in many ways, but let's
not start ascribing benefits to them that don't exist. You might
"personally feel" that mycorrhizae allow your blueberries to tolerate
higher pH's but that remains to be proven scientifically. Could you cite any
studies that show mycorrhizae causing permanent pH changes. (I don't
recall any.) Also, while "regular
supplies of organic matter" might create nice conditions for mycorrhiza
(such as moister soil), contrary to what you wrote, mycorrhizae do not
feed on dead organic matter -- your leaves, for instance. It's totally possible
for this association to thrive in soils lacking any organic matter. When I was
researching mycorrhizae as part of my studies with Cornell, I grew innoculum on
the roots of leeks planted in pure montmorillonite clay chips. There are a number of
reasons your blueberries may not be suffering in your pH 6 ("at
least") soil. First of all, pH 6 is high for blueberries, but not super
high. Secondly, adding abundant organic matter to any soil ameliorates to some
degree the effects of pH. Thirdly, adding organic matter itself acidifies the
soil. The effect is temporary, but you evidently keep adding organic matter.
And finally, there's always the possibility of inaccurate pH measurement or
soil sampling. So I seriously doubt
whether mycorrhizae are responsible for your blueberries apparent tolerance to
high pH. Furthermore, it's doubtful whether your innoculating them had any
benefit. I also did some studies when I worked for the USDA on blueberries and
mycorrhizae. In my experiments, the mycorrhizal innoculum was so ubiquitous
that even uninnoculated plants became mycorrhizal. This may not be true
everywhere, but probably is so in In summary,
appreciate mycorrhizae, but don't waste money buying them; add plenty of
organic matter to your soil to keep your plants happy; if the soil is not in
the preferred pH 4-5 range for blueberries, add sulfur. Lee Reich, PhD Books by Lee Reich: Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden A Northeast Gardener's Year The Pruning Book Weedless Gardening
On Oct 14, 2005, at 8:01 PM, Lon J. Rombough wrote:
Vaccinium arboreum, aka "Farkleberry" (and
others) is the one that was used. I should add that I have highbush blueberries that have
never had any acidifying amendments and I KNOW the soil PH is at least 6 or so
here. I personally feel that the big
reason for that is that the plants are well colonized by mycorrhizal fungi
specific for blueberries. There are a
number of species that have been studied that can acidify soils quite
effectively, but a good regular supply of organic matter seems to be needed. I think that's why the use of leaves is so
beneficial - they feed the fungi and it keeps the soil at the right pH in the
immediate area. -Lon Rombough Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com Winner of the Garden Writers Association
"Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003. On Oct 14, 2005, at 2:09 PM, Richard Moyer wrote: Certain blueberry (Vaccinium) species are tolerant of
heavy soils and higher pH. Do not remember who, but some NAFEXers and/or
Southern Fruit Fellowhip folks are growing blueberries grafted onto these
native rootstocks, avoiding soil amendment issues. Anyone remember who's doing
this, where published before, and/or the native rootstock(s) used? _______________________________________________ nafex mailing list **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!** All other messages are discarded. No exceptions. ---- To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be
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-
[NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Richard Moyer, 10/14/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Lon J. Rombough, 10/14/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
lee reich, 10/17/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Doreen Howard, 10/17/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Thomas Olenio, 10/17/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Lee Reich, 10/18/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Lon J. Rombough, 10/17/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Stephen Sadler, 10/18/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Ken Heronheart, 10/18/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Doreen Howard, 10/17/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
lee reich, 10/17/2005
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, , 10/15/2005
-
Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Lon J. Rombough, 10/14/2005
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