Blueberry Care

With the summer heat upon us, be sure to give your blueberry bushes a little TLC. I've been noticing my leaves are curling and yellowing, a tale-tale sign of problems.

Where once blueberry plants could not survive the valley heat, there are now varieties available for us to enjoy! I have six plants that produce lots of berries for my family every spring. However, once the heat is on, I need to abide by a few simple guidelines for my bushes to last:

Trick #1: Be sure your soil is acidic. 

Every so often it is a good idea to check the acidity of your soil. When my leaves were yellowing, I thought it was probably time to do a soil check. After a quick check, I discovered my soil was too basic- a big no-no for blueberries!


* I went to the local hardware store (Lowe's) in search of acidic soil.  Lowe's employees didn't know what I was talking about (surprise, surprise) so I headed to Orchard Supply Hardware and found just what I was looking for: Acid-Lover's Soil.

* I dumped a heaping pile in my blueberry bin and then slowly spread it out until it covered the entire surface area. I then carefully mixed the new soil into the old soil, being careful to avail areas around the base of the plant. Be sure, you don't cover up the base with soil.

Your finished soil should look nice and clean, like the picture shows.

Trick #2: Mulch, mulch, mulch!!  Do not let a blueberry bushes roots dry out!  

The only way for a blueberry plant to survive the Valley heat is by mulching (covering up) those precious roots! Every year I cut up my Christmas Tree into pieces that I save to add to my blueberries. Evergreen clippings naturally raise the acidity in your soil as well as insulate moisture by providing a nice covering for your plants. You can cut your clippings into smaller pieces, or just spread your clippings over your new soil. Don't mix it in. The clippings are meant to be a 'blanket' for your roots. Some people put down newspaper and then the clippings which also work great. The times I've used newspaper, however, I have noticed it locks in more moisture than I'd like. Be careful you don't keep the area so moist that moss, fungus or cockroaches start breading!!

Once your plants are fed and roots are covered, they're ready to hunker down and bear through our summer heat. Be sure to keep the soil moist and keep your eye on signs that the plant might need more water or food.

Good luck and Happy Gardening!
~ Connie