Blueberry

[cogob]

Does anyone know what soil blueberry's prefer, the leaves on mine are yellowy although it has flowered.
I understand they like the soil moist, Are they like hydrangeas and need iron supplement???

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by cogob

Does anyone know what soil blueberry's prefer, the leaves on mine are yellowy although it has flowered.
I understand they like the soil moist, Are they like hydrangeas and need iron supplement???

Acid soil :-

Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Blueberry Care

[daBunnyWendy7]

Originally Posted by Bryn Mawr

Acid soil :-

Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Blueberry Care

I agree. Bluberry bushes like acidic soil.

[G-man]

Absolutely, they prefer high pH soil of 4.2 to 5.0 (4.6 to 4.8 is best) that retains moisture around the shallow roots, but also is well-drained... you won't want plants that don't like acidity near them, either. Water them at a rate of at least one inch per week. You might also want to apply some ammonium sulfate when the first blossoms appear and about a month later.

The yellowing of leaves could be due to either too much acidity which won't allow the blueberry plants to absorb enough iron (are the veins on the leaves still green while the rest of the leaf is turning yellow?), or there is a manganese toxicity due to soil acidity that is too low. To correct iron deficiency, apply iron chelate to the soil or even to the leaves, as well. If the soil pH needs lowered, use sulphur.

How old are your blueberry bushes? If they haven't produced a crop, yet I recommend you remove the blossoms the very first year and the second year you will have plants strong enough to handle the large crop that you will likely have. That is if the birds don't eat all of them! That was my problem the very first year I planted blueberries.

[Bill Sikes]

Originally Posted by cogob

Does anyone know what soil blueberry's prefer

Think of the UK habitat of the bilberry, which is extremely similar.

[ade901]

They like acid soil that is constantly damp and relatively low in nutrients. There is a really good note on how to grow blueberries here (well we use it and it works). If you soil is not right use an acid compost (the stuff you can get for heathers or azaleas works well.

The single most important thing is to make sure that the ground never dries out

Good luck
Ade

[qsducks]

Originally Posted by cogob

Does anyone know what soil blueberry's prefer, the leaves on mine are yellowy although it has flowered.
I understand they like the soil moist, Are they like hydrangeas and need iron supplement???

Blueberries prefer this piccy...I'm going to eat it.