Getting your blueberry soil pH right is key to growing healthier and more productive plants.
Choose the right growing location.
Do a soil test.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Soil tests are recommended no matter what plants you want to grow, but theyre particularly useful with blueberries.
Consider raised beds or container growing.
Plan ahead when lowering pH.
Elemental sulfur is commonly used to lower soil pH, and it isapproved for organic growing.
One way to use sulfur is to apply sulfur treatments in autumn and plant blueberry shrubs the following spring.
Elemental sulfur usually comes in powder form, which can be applied by hand or with a broadcast spreader.
The amount of sulfur you need depends on the soil throw in and its current soil pH level.
In general, to lower soil pH by 1.0, you need:
6.
Adjust soil pH slowly.
Elemental sulfur reduces soil pH levels, but sulfur products need to be reapplied from time to time.
When it rains or you water your garden, sulfur amendments wash away little by little.
Over several years, soil pH levels can become alkaline again.
Slow down this process bymixing compostor other organic matter into the soil when you add sulfur.
Use fertilizer for acid-loving plants.
Blueberries fruit more abundantly when theyre fertilized at least once a year.
These fertilizers naturally lower soil pH and contain nutrients that are difficult for blueberries to absorb in high-pH soils.
If you have neutral soil and want to grow blueberries, elemental sulfur is a better option.
