blueberry are one of those easy - to - produce garden plants whose fruit provides you with unbelievable sustenance – and tasty goody !
If you fertilize them correctly in the spring you may ask buckets of vitamin - compact berries in the summer , between June and August .
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In ourguide to spring up blueberrieswe cover refinement statement and how to care for your plants . In this clause , we zero in in on how and when to fertilize your blueberry bush bushes .
If that sounds great to you , record on ! Here ’s what we ’ll spread over up forwards :
What You’ll Learn
Nutritional Needs
When to fertilise
Types of Fertilizer
Soil Amendments
seize your favorite horticulture gloves , and let ’s go over the dear choice and the process involved .
It ’s very important prior to implant to essay the acidity of your territory . blueberry bush wish to have an acidic pH between 4.0 and 5.5 . Testing your planting site will also tell you if there are any nutritional deficiency that you may crop to amend .
You canbuy soil trial kit onlinelike this one - face pack rapid - run from Luster Leaf , available via Amazon .
Luster Leaf Soil Test Kit
It will test your soil for N , P , potassium , and pH. Read your garden soil in our guide .
In the wild , blueberries broadly develop in moist , swampy , acidulous surface area . So it do gumption that products that promote sour will keep your plant felicitous .
A formal fertilizer will have numbers on the product packing to indicate thenutritional makeup . These might say “ 10 - 10 - 10 ( NPK ) , ” for example . The 10 - 10 - 10 is in reference to the ratio of nitrogen ( N ) , phosphorus ( P ) , and potassium ( K ) within the mixture .
Nitrogen help plants grow large and rich . Phosphorus encourages root emergence , blooming and fruiting , while potassium elevate disease resistance and overall energy .
If the results of your soil test bring out that it ’s lacking nitrogen , you ’ll want to amend it with ammoniac nitrogen fertiliser – these include S - coated urea , magnesium chloride , and ammonium sulfate .
Ammoniacal nitrogen will bring down the pH of the soil , which is what blueberry like . Luckily , acidic mixes are available commercially and can be come up at most garden centers either in - depot or online .
If you need to add together nitrogen to your soil , you should annul any product that contains nitrates . Nitrates will negatively impact all types of blueberry bush , particularly young specimens that have yet to become institute .
Espoma Urea Plant Food is a high - nitrogen soil amendment made without nitrates that you canpurchase from Nature Hills Nursery .
Espoma Urea Plant Food
While such a in high spirits amount of nitrogen would normally touch yield production , urea nitrogen convert to ammonium in the soil and has an acidifying effect .
It will supply a proper amount of atomic number 7 for your blueberry bush while also avail the root engross critical nutrients they previously lacked access to . Only use urea prior to transplanting or on works that are over two old age one-time and well established .
Blueberries are very sensitive to salt , so you might need to scour the soil with water between fertilize to quash buildup near the theme scheme . This is specially crucial if you aregrowing your blueberry bush in container .
The effects of a fertilisation regime will vary found on the age of specimens , planting internet site , and whether the plant is ahighbush , lowbush , or rabbiteye variety . drain , territory type , and clime all play a part in how fertilization affects your plants .
At a lower limit , you should be fertilize once a year . In worldwide , blueberry bushes respond best if fed in one to two program . The second app is only need for fresh plants under two years sure-enough .
The first program in early spring , around early March or April , is the most authoritative to your summer harvest . The timing will depend on whichUSDA Hardiness Zoneyou’re in and the form you are growing .
Look for the present moment that new leaf and radical growing are just get to come in for the spring season and before buds form . fertilize at this clip gives your plant plenty of time to fully take in the food .
If your blueberry bush bush is less than two years old , you ’ll need to make another covering six to eight weeks later in late spring , around the end of May .
Mature specimen do n’t need this second app , so if you ’re growing an erstwhile plant , you may cut this tone .
There are a few main types of plant food we ’ll focus on . Generally , you ’ll want to choose products meant for works that are ericaceous , or acid - do it , likecranberries , azaleas , orcamellias .
Liquid
Blueberries absorb food through their shallow root system , so if you ’re watering through a drip ancestry , a liquid fertilizer incorporate into your irrigation system will work . This is bring up to as fertigation .
dripping lines are a very popular way to water plants that demand wet on either a consistent or time basis . Usually , when a drip wrinkle is installed , the birdfeeder roots will have the high tightness directly under the drip line .
blueberry are sensible to weewee - soluble fertilizers , so get the proportion correctly is crucial .
Excessive amounts of nutrients provided in this form may cause damage or death . When using water - soluble products , you will need to apply weekly in belittled amounts through the beginning of the growing time of year and terminate during crop time .
When applying through your drip mold line , do n’t move it unless it is place right next to the base of the scrub . Fertilizing too nigh to the base will not help the roots absorb the nutrients . ensure nothing splash up onto the leafage , as this can potentially burn the industrial plant and make harm .
If you lack a drip mold stock , you may still integrate liquid food into your watering programme at maximal once a week . Specific mix charge per unit will depend on the geezerhood of the flora , whether the type you are grow is a highbush or lowbush , along with some accompanying math .
Here is ahelpful chart , provided by the University of Georgia , for liquified fecundation rates .
Granular
Granular fertilizers are my personal preferred way to prey my plant , as they lento release nutrients over prison term and are super easy to apply . They also have a less powerful scent than organic mixes , which is something you may prefer .
A granular fertilizer , such as Fertilome 9 - 15 - 13 NPK azalea and camelia mixavailable from Nature Hills Nursery , can be enforce using a quarter - cup for each animal foot of height .
Fertilome Azalea , Camellia , and Rhododendron Food
Loosen the soil straight around the Dubyuh with a garden rake . Be easy , as the roots are shallow and can be damage if you rake too aggressively .
Never apply directly at the Qaeda of the works , as this will discourage the development of a goodish etymon system .
mildly work the granule into the dirt with your garden roue , then water deeply to make the nutrients uncommitted to your plant .
Natural
If using natural nutrients is more your style , there are a few dissimilar selection available .
you may retrieve lifelike nutrient mix that will play for your blueberry bush bushes , and I recommend this Down to Earth Acid Mix 4 - 3 - 6 ( NPK)from Arbico Organics .
Down to Earth Acid Mix
This mix can be used for all Elvis - have it away plants , like azalea , hydrangeas , raspberries , and camellia . Check the product promotion for specific app program rate .
To provide sour , some gardener recommend usingspent coffee groundsor sphagnumpeat mossto lessening the pH of the soil .
For nitrogen , well - rot animate being manure , blood meal , or insect castings can be used to encourage plant life growth .
Blood meal and animal manure have such eminent nitrogen levels that you ’ll ask tomix them with compostfirst to obviate burning the shallow root word of your plant .
Phosphorus and K advance blooming , fruiting , and disease electrical resistance . These food pass off of course inbone mealand powdered or fluid seaweed .
Soil is the foundation for sound ascendant growth , and therefore plant health . Here are some recommended amendment you might want to seek to better your harvest time .
Mycorrhizal Fungi
add good base - loving fungi help to promote beneficial health in your plant ’s root system of rules . Good soil wellness is vital for your plants to thrive , especially in the compositor’s case of blueberry , which have a very shallow root organization and can dry out if you ’re not careful .
Mycorrhizae live and work symbiotically to ameliorate your plant ’s overall wellness . good fungi can better your plant life ’s root scheme , increase nutrient and water absorption , and prevent disease .
There are many benefits to vaccinate your soil with beneficial bug . We we dig into it more in this guide .
Soil Acidifier
If your planting area is n’t by nature acidulent , you will demand to amend it with an acidifier .
If potential , look for an acidifier that will have a farsighted - term event on your soil . It ’s still recommended that you acidulate your soil annually , but if you select a product that breaks down tardily , you ’ll be in a better place the next class .
This constitutive S amendmentavailable from Arbico Organicswill both acidify your soil and repair the salt levels around your plant .
Tiger Organic Sulfur
It ’s a time - release amendment and comes in a 50 - pound bag .
To apply , take a warmer day in the other spring , as the temperature help bacterium decompose the sulfur . The ideal temperature range is between 70 and 80 ° atomic number 9 .
Boost those Berries!
When done right , feed your blueberry bush can almost guarantee a happy and healthy plant .
These plants prefer acidic ground , so you shoulduse fertilizers that low pH , while also quash any nitrogen mixing that let in nitrates .
In oecumenical , you ’ll want to fertilize your blueberries at least once a yr in the early fountain before folio growth really gets go . If your industrial plant is under two years honest-to-goodness , make another coating six to eight weeks later around the ending of May .
And formore information about growing blueberries , curb out these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . in the beginning published March 14th , 2022 . Last updated : May 12th , 2025 . Product picture via Arbico Organics , Luster Leaf , and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock .
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Sarah Patton
