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Preparing Your Soil and Getting Ready to Plant Blueberries

Gardening Guide: Blueberry Bonanza: Everything You Need to Know about Growing and Enjoying Blueberries

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Preparing Your Soil and Getting Ready to Plant Blueberries

By Norann Oleson

Young blueberry plants in pot

The first thing you should do is test your soil. You can do this yourself with a test kit, or take samples of your soil to your local garden center or county extension center and have them test it for you.

If the pH of your soil isn’t in the correct acidic range, you’ll have to amend it to get it to the right balance. If your soil is too “sweet,” too alkaline for example, then you’ll need to add powdered sulfur to bring down the pH. Talk with your garden center or extension center about the exact amount you’ll need for the area where you’ll plant your blueberries. Your amount will vary depending on the overall type of soil you have in your garden.

Once you’ve adjusted your soil, you’ll need to let it sit for anywhere between two months to six months to let that change absorb and really settle in. In general, you should do this no later than in the fall before a spring planting.

Preparing to Plant

Blueberry preparing to be planted

In the spring, order your plants from a certified nursery to ensure you’re getting healthy, disease-free plants. Nurseries usually sell 2-year-old plants. They’ll be a foot or two tall and will probably have one dominant cane.

As you dig your planting holes, be sure to include some organic matter. Your best choice is to mix a gallon of peat moss with the soil for each plant.

Space your plants 3 to 4 feet apart. If you have more than one cultivar (which you should for maximum yield), be sure to mix up your plants rather than relegating individual cultivars to their own rows or sections. You don’t have to arrange them in a regimental pattern if you’re just planting them for home use; lay them out for maximum impact.

After you’ve planted them, lay down a generous layer of leaf compost, sawdust, woodchips, or clean straw; this material will decay over time and add nutrients to the soil. Mulching your plants also helps them retain moisture and decreases the likelihood of weeds popping up. Add mulch each year, keeping a continuous layer several inches deep around your plants.

Once your plants are happily in the ground, remove any flower buds and give them a good drink of water. Blueberry plants like 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water a week during the growing season. So, if you don’t have rain in the forecast, make sure they don’t go thirsty.

Have you tested the pH level of the soil for your blueberries? Did you have to make any soil adjustments or amendments? Please tell us how you prepare the soil for your growing blueberries.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Types of Blueberries
  • Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium)
  • Northern Highbush Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)
  • Southern Highbush Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum “Darrow”)
  • Rabbiteye Blueberries (Vaccinium ashei)
  • Half-High Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium-corymbosum hybrid)
  • Where to Plant Blueberries in Your Home Garden
  • Preparing Your Soil and Getting Ready to Plant Blueberries
  • Pollinating Blueberry Plants
  • Blueberry Chill Hours
  • Growing Blueberries in Containers or Pots
  • Planning for Blueberries all Season Long
  • Fertilizing and Pruning Your Blueberry Plants
  • Harvesting Your Blueberries
  • Dealing with Blueberry Pests
  • Dealing with Blueberry Diseases
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Blueberries
  • Plant Profiles

  • Top Hat Blueberry
  • Sunshine Blue Blueberry
  • Powder Blue Blueberry
  • Pink Popcorn Blueberry
  • Pink Icing Blueberry
  • Legacy Blueberry
  • Brightwell Blueberry
  • Blueray Blueberry
  • Bluecrop Blueberry
  • Biloxi Blueberry
  • Recipes

  • Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
  • Wild Rice Salad with Blueberries and Corn
  • Blueberry Tofu Smoothie
  • Classic Blueberry Pie
  • Blueberry Chicken
  • Blueberry Coffee Cake
  • The Ultimate Berry Crumble
  • Blueberry Pie Fudge
  • Traditional Blueberry Slump
  • Blazing Fast Blueberry Muffins
  • Quick & Easy Blueberry Jam
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Blueberries
  • Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Blueberries
  • Resources about Blueberries
  • Blueberry Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • How to Prune Blueberry Bushes

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