On 19 Jun 2003 16:06:17 GMT, Rick McGreal
wrote:

~Tim Tyler wrote in :
~
~: But someone mentioned that blueberries like an acid soil....
~: Perhaps this could have made a difference?
~ Yes.
~
~Thought I remembered reading that....
~
~ Ericaceous compost in pots is a good solution.
~
~Thats what I may do next year....
~Or rather this year.....
~When the fruiting has finished and its near time to prune I will transfer
~it to a tub of some kind...
~At the moment its where I plan to extend my potato patch to....So it really
~needs to move...
~
~: Anyone know how do you tell if your soil is acidic?
~ PH meter - but the chances are high that it isn't terribly...
~
~Well....I think that since they are right next to where my potatoes are I
~think they won't be for very long!
~
~Do blueberries like to have lots of room for their roots to grow?....Should
~I get a large pot to put it in? (15-18" pot is what I am thinking of)
~
I garden on chalk, so no chance of growing them in the garden!
I have mine in a mix of ericaceous compost AND ericaceous John Innes
in 18" plastic pots you can get at B&Q for about 8 quid or so. I
repotted from 13" terracotta pots 18 months ago and though I didn't
see much difference last year when they were re-establishing, this
year they've taken off and I've got the biggest crop I've seen on the
main bush, with the new baby one (bluecrop) covered too.
(For some reason the pots are also full of self-set foxgloves! Guess
they prefer acidic conditions too)

I water with ericaceous feed frequently, and I admit to using this
plue tap water (very hard) instead of rainwater, as I figure the feed
will more than offset the hardness. Seems to work!

Highbush blueberries can, if grown in ideal conditions, reach 8-10'
tall, so having a bigger pot is best. The thing that gets me is that
they are supposed to throw up stools from the base like blackcurrants,
and you're supposed to cut out all old wood every now and again. Mine
have *never* thrown up any new basal shoots, so I will be attempting
to take cuttings soon from the worst condition old bush and then
chopping it back to ground level to rejuvenate it.

I did email a uk based blueberry supplier for help on this but got no
reply, typically.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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