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growing blueberries

S

Spicytigger

Hey guys, I just got in the Gurneys Premium Blueberry plants from their special free w/shipping cost. I live in SE Florida. The growing guide is just basic info and not specific to my area. I was wondering if anyone else here has tried growing blueberries in SEFL and if so how did they do. Also it says they should be in acidic soil (ph 4.5 - 5.5). Any recommendations on a PH tester that I can use at home? How would I go about making a soil that is that acidic with what is available to me here in SEFL and would they be ok in 5 - 6 gal pots.
 
Thanks again guys
Angie
 
 
I'm not in FL, but had good luck with adding sulfer to the soil.  Also to fertilize with Ammonium sulfate 21-0-0 to get the PH down.  5-6 gal pots would be too small in my opinion.  Need 10+ gallon to get them in the 4-5 foot tall range. Good luck!
 
Plant them in fine chipped pine bark.  Might check out True Blue Plants in Hudson, FL.  I think they have a website.
 
Thanks alot guys.. will be reading alot. Wish me luck.....new venture for me.
 
Angie
 
Looks like I can put them in a 6-7 gal pot with azalia potting mix and/or peat moss/potting soil. I have plenty of sun here in SFl now I just have to worry about the wind, didn't read anything about its wind tolerance. Thanks a bunch guys it really helped.
 
5-7 gallon pots are fine. you will need to pot up in a couple seasons though depending on how well it is growing
 
Neither HD, Lowes, or a local nursery had it. They had the Azalea food but not the potting mix. Guess I'm just gonna do 50% peat moss, 25% soil, and 25% compost formula that I found on the net and see if that works. I bought the Azalea food so I can hopefully keep the PH down that way. Yes it came with 2 plants but they were just marked Gurneys Premium Blueberries so I can't find specific instructions for that plant. :(
 
Thanks for the help guys and keep it coming if you have more, I always enjoy reading info from you all.
 
Angie
 
Spicytigger, I hope you don't mind me asking a question in your thread.  Feel free to tell me to get my own thread.
 
I have two Top Hat dwarf blueberry bushes that I planted in my landscape a month ago.  I mixed about 50% peat to the existing top soil and added Epsoma Holly Tone fertilizer in each planting hole.  One of my bushes is thriving, producing plenty of leaves.  But my other one has yet to produce a single leaf bud.  The stems are still green, so I don't suspect the bush is dead.  I'm about to submit a soil sample to my local cooperative extension for an analysis.  But while I wait for the results, does anybody have an idea on what could be the issue?  I'm leaning towards PH, but could it be something else?
 
I grew the Top hat varieties from Gurney's and a couple from the local Nursery.
 
If I remember right,there are Blueberry varieties that didn't need 2 plants.
 
Acid loving plants usually need an acid soil because they LOVE/NEED lots of iron.
 
I grew mine in pots (20 gal. , NOT #20).
The varieties I grew were bread for their ability to withstand heat.
 
My plants never did much between the birds eating 75% of the berries and the pots limiting their size.
Way too much work for a handfull of berries.
 
Whenever I saw the plants look nasty,I added vinegar and iron (Liquinox)to the water.
 
It did seem that the 5-1-1 mix worked better (didn't add the Dolomite Lime).
Soils with lots of organics breaking down in them tend to be more acid at first.
I think that is why the bark based stuff worked better.
I actually think I used more like 3 - 2 - 1 -1 (Bark-peat-perlite-pomice.Pomice for weight,when the nursery plant got bigger,it was top heavy.Pot meeded more weight or wind blew it over.)
 
I'd advise,if you just want to grow blueberries in pots,do it without really expecting to get the tons of berries gurney's or whoever says.
If you grow them in the ground,grow full sized varieties that get big in the ground.
They took at least 2 seasons to put out a basket or 2 of berries in pots.
 
A link
 
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg101443566175.html
 
I planted mine in 25 gal containers with straight pine bark fines (mulch) and alfalfa hay on top. I watered in some rock dust, and hit them weekly with fish emulsion and seaweed. When the alfalfa starts to disappear, I add more. Works good for me. I'm in coastal central Florida.
 
RandyYJ said:
Plant them in fine chipped pine bark.  Might check out True Blue Plants in Hudson, FL.  I think they have a website.
Click to expand...
blueberries are really big here in central florida. lots of u-pick farms. stearns is who i get all my medium from, they have a special blueberrie blend because of all the farmers here. 
 
Hey guys, anyone know whats up with my blueberries. I have them in 50% peat moss, 25% compost, 25% soil with pearlite for aeration. The HD bought PH meter is reading around 6 which I know is high for it. I read somewhere that I can add vinegar to water to bring the PH down. I would like to hear from you guys before I do something that might be to drastic. 
 
blueberry5-9-2_zps9e5133d6.jpg

 
 
 
 
blueberry5-9_zpsc536033e.jpg

 
 
 
blueberry5-9-3_zps10f24140.jpg

 
These pictures were taken on 5-9 and they are looking worse today. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Thanks again
Angie
 
 
Here in Florida, straight pine bark fines is the way to go. You can mix in compost and amendments, for an organic grow, or you can fertilize the conventional way.

That plant looks like a goner. Sorry. :(
 
Thanks Solid and Jojo. My water meter is reading very wet so not sure how much more water they need, I've been watering pretty much everyday. My husband thinks that we didn't harden them off well enough. I didn't even think about it. I've had them on the porch since I potted them so that might be a problem with them also. I think we might be seeing some new young leaves so hoping they will bounce back.
 
Thanks guys
Angie
 
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