# Blueberries



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Blueberries are a great food source as are most berries. They are the one plant that has given us the most problems growing. They like a soil that has a PH level of 4.5 to 5.5 or so. If it is not at that level the plants do not draw up the nutrients they need. Many areas have a natural PH level that is fine, but areas that have high amounts of lime present a challenge. While I have land with prefect levels it is farther away from living area than I wish.
The first fail was not going far enough in amending the soil the plants grow but no fruit attempt at correcting it took a few years and were less than expected. What I latter found out was just below ground was a lot of lime stone that was fighting all my efforts to correct the PH and I would lose that battle. Also another fail on my part was sun. The area was being shaded just enough to hold the plants back, and there was no way I would remove the plants causing the shade.
Last season I gave up prepared a new area, raised it and filled with soil better suit for them and added more peat . They greened out early this season and seem to be flowering already. This year I may have the Berries I have wanted so long.
Lesson to be learn get it right from the start. You can have the prefect climate and all else as it should be , but if the soil is not right the plants will not do well. If you are planning on Blueberries as one of you staple foods, do the home work get it right from the start and save your self a lot of work.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Smitty901 said:


> Blueberries are a great food source as are most berries. They are the one plant that has given us the most problems growing. They like a soil that has a PH level of 4.5 to 5.5 or so. If it is not at that level the plants do not draw up the nutrients they need. Many areas have a natural PH level that is fine, but areas that have high amounts of lime present a challenge. While I have land with prefect levels it is farther away from living area than I wish.
> The first fail was not going far enough in amending the soil the plants grow but no fruit attempt at correcting it took a few years and were less than expected. What I latter found out was just below ground was a lot of lime stone that was fighting all my efforts to correct the PH and I would lose that battle. Also another fail on my part was sun. The area was being shaded just enough to hold the plants back, and there was no way I would remove the plants causing the shade.
> Last season I gave up prepared a new area, raised it and filled with soil better suit for them and added more peat . They greened out early this season and seem to be flowering already. This year I may have the Berries I have wanted so long.
> Lesson to be learn get it right from the start. You can have the prefect climate and all else as it should be , but if the soil is not right the plants will not do well. If you are planning on Blueberries as one of you staple foods, do the home work get it right from the start and save your self a lot of work.


I have 6 different patches of the berries, over 50 plants and several cultivars. When I prepped the soil I used topsoil manure peat and sulfur. The peat and sulfur lower the pH. I use pine needle mulch which keeps weeds down and is acidic, and every so often rake in some more sulfur.

If your so soil is too alkaline you could line the bed with some heavy plastic or bury the base of some old garbage cans (with some holes to allow water out) to plant in. Blueberries also do well in containers if you have the soil mix right. I have 8 now that I started as shoots (small plants are cheaper) 2 years ago and they are producing now, next year they will go in the ground. If you got some 55-gal barrels and cut them in two they would be big enough to support a full grown bush, but you will need to monitor watering needs.

Good luck!


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

We have some that are wild. They only grow small so we let the animals have them. Good luck with your endeavors.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Black berries grow wild on our place and are everywhere. Mrs Slippy has planted a couple of blueberry bushes and I am anxious to see our results. If they don't take well, we have literally acres of black berry bushes to fall back on. 

Any pictures Smitty?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Slippy said:


> Black berries grow wild on our place and are everywhere. Mrs Slippy has planted a couple of blueberry bushes and I am anxious to see our results. If they don't take well, we have literally acres of black berry bushes to fall back on.
> 
> Any pictures Smitty?


The blackberry bushes grow wild like weeds at our place. Every 2 to 3 years we have to severely cut them back or we will be overwhelmed. The wife will pick and freeze a few large zip lock bags every May, I pick and eat while I'm outside doing other things, the animals get the rest.

Mrs RPD jut brought in some blueberries from the garden for a snack about an hour ago.

Growing your own food is a good thing.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Slippy said:


> Black berries grow wild on our place and are everywhere. Mrs Slippy has planted a couple of blueberry bushes and I am anxious to see our results. If they don't take well, we have literally acres of black berry bushes to fall back on.
> 
> Any pictures Smitty?


Slippy if you can test the soil pH.

If it is too high you can use Aluminum Sulfate as a quick fix but be careful as you can get too acidic. Better is Sulfur as it is slow release, bacteria in the soil slowly convert it to sulfuric acid. Then you check pH yearly. Or initially use aluminum sulfate, then maintain with sulfur.

Avoid some mulches like maple leaves as they are alkaline.

I let the blackberries grow wild in a portion of one of our fields. Rather than tend them I mow a portion with the brushhog to let them regenerate without pruning. I alternate which portions get mowed each year.

P.S. watch out for pests: deer will winter browse them, birds and chipmunks on the berries. The chipmunks have been worse than the birds here and they go under any netting. I cull the chipmunks with lead pellets when they go after the mullberries, before the blueberries are ripe. Also do not over mulch next to the stems on young plants, mice will girdle them during the winter.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The blackberry bushes grow wild like weeds at our place. Every 2 to 3 years we have to severely cut them back or we will be overwhelmed. The wife will pick and freeze a few large zip lock bags every May, I pick and eat while I'm outside doing other things, the animals get the rest.
> 
> Mrs RPD jut brought in some blueberries from the garden for a snack about an hour ago.
> 
> Growing your own food is a good thing.


RPD, you are at least two months ahead of us, we had two light frosts this week in some places. I am hoping it did not get any of my fruit blossoms.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Mrs Slippy's blueberry bushes.

View attachment 11120


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

The wife is the farmer here.
This year we built raised beds so she doesn't have to bend over so far and we spaced them thinking ahead to allow wheelchair space between them.
(Enjoy your youth, kids, it will be gone before you know it)
Right now we have ten 4X8 raised beds, and one section 40X50 still flat for corn and melons. 
Critters are the big problem, however between the rabbit guard wire over the field fencing (aka Hog Wire, Red Top, etc) and the fact we used 2X12 plus 2X6 for the bed sides hopefully that will slow the rabbits down. Then there's squirrels, and the elephant in the room - deer. This is the first garden we've had in years, hopefully the deer won't realize it's there.
And of course, everything must be built to keep the horses out. Thru trial and error I have learned what a 1200 pound animal can do to an improper fence when it leans over to get that nice stuff on the other side.

We filled the raised beds with stall leavings: a combination of horse manure, hay droppings and the sand we buy by the dump truck load to use refreshing the stalls. The County Ag office tested the soil and the wife has a handle on it all.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The wife is the farmer here.
> This year we built raised beds so she doesn't have to bend over so far and we spaced them thinking ahead to allow wheelchair space between them.
> (Enjoy your youth, kids, it will be gone before you know it)
> Right now we have ten 4X8 raised beds, and one section 40X50 still flat for corn and melons.
> ...


RPD,

Y'all got it goin on down at "Answered Prayers Ranch" !!!!.

I've never been much of a rabbit hunter. I had one as a pet when I was a child and the poor little guy died on my watch so I'm a bit warped when it comes to wabbits...but I'll teach a squirrel a damn lesson in a New York second. See below one of the little guys I cooked up last week matter of fact... yum yum...:smug:
View attachment 11123


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Rabbits are good to have here on the place. Gotta keep the red fox families (yes, plural) happy so they don't mess with the chickens.
Only lost 2 hens in the last almost ten years, one to a fox and the other to a ****. The **** got greedy and came back a second night. As The Godfather would say, the **** now sleeps with the fishes.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Rabbits are good to have here on the place. Gotta keep the red fox families (yes, plural) happy so they don't mess with the chickens.
> Only lost 2 hens in the last almost ten years, one to a fox and the other to a ****. The **** got greedy and came back a second night. As The Godfather would say, the **** now sleeps with the fishes.


I agree with the fox, and they do number on mice too. If I had chickens might be different. I also have a few bobcats local who although spar with the fox do a number on the bunnies and mice.

BTW, witnessed a new thing last summer. Two fox barking/harassing something, this went on for 1/2 hour, then a large bobcat emerged from the thicket. He was not scared nor concerned and the two fox followed him off barking all the way. I knew Bobby was a he by his size. We have some here that will beat up coyotes unless there are many.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The soil on the back side of the farm is prefect for berries. Just to far away. I just got lazy with that first planting . Did not look for the line stone or I would have avoided it.


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