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Not all summer residents know how to feed blueberries correctly, because this berry began to be grown in culture not so long ago. Meanwhile, the role of dressings in this case can hardly be overestimated. Without them, the shrub often refuses to bear fruit or produces too few berries. Fertilizers must be applied throughout the season - from spring to autumn. It is imperative to monitor such a parameter as soil acidity.
For full growth, blueberries require acidic soil with a pH of 3.5–5. Therefore, the soil requires special preparation before planting. If the site is located on loam or sandy loam or the soil has an alkaline reaction, the seedling will not grow well, and most likely there will be no berries.
The blueberry planting pit is filled with the mixture:
It is not enough just to plant blueberries in suitable soil. In the future, in addition to fertilization, measures will be required to maintain the desired level of soil acidity. If this is not done, the earth will begin to alkalize and the shrub will refuse to bear fruit.
Blueberry roots do not have suction hairs and are in symbiotic relationship with ericoid mycorrhiza. Thanks to symbiosis, the plant manages to fully absorb nutrients. A special fungus develops only in acidic soil. In an alkaline environment, mycorrhiza dies, and blueberries begin to experience a deficiency of trace elements necessary for growth.
However, it is not enough to focus only on maintaining the required soil acidity. Blueberries need elements such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, sulfur and some others, so it is better to stick to the developed fertilization scheme for this crop.
The shrub is fed in early spring, after flowering and fruiting. Each time feeding is carried out for a specific purpose:
The first year, seedlings are not fertilized if the planting was done according to all the rules. Additional nutrition for the blueberries will provide a mulch layer. The plant is mulched in the spring, immediately after planting. Material is replaced as needed.
From the second year, fertilization should be regular. The most important elements for blueberries are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The culture also needs calcium, magnesium, sulfur. Other micronutrients are required in small quantities, but must still go to the roots. Their absence will negatively affect the health of the shrub.
For good growth of garden blueberries, various fertilizers can be applied. These can be industrial complexes, organic matter, folk remedies.
It is forbidden to feed blueberries with compost, chicken droppings, manure - these types of organic matter alkalize the soil. Organic fertilizers are suitable for crops:
The listed materials can be used for mulching. Gradually decomposing, they saturate the soil with nutrients and at the same time maintain the desired level of acidity. Plus mulch is also that it retains moisture near the roots of the plant. The root system of blueberries is superficial, so the soil should not be allowed to dry out.
Various mineral mixtures help to saturate blueberries with necessary elements. You can feed the shrub:
Chemical fertilizers should be used with caution, not exceeding the dosage. Excessive amounts of chemicals can burn blueberry roots and accumulate in the fruit.
Fertilizer manufacturers produce special complexes for feeding berry crops. Such preparations are more expensive than mineral mixtures, but they contain the entire set of elements necessary for a shrub and are easy to use. You just have to follow the manufacturer's instructions for preparing the solution. This group includes:
Succinic acid remains a popular fertilizer for blueberries. The substance is available in the form of tablets, readily soluble in water. The resulting solution can be used for root and foliar feeding:
Unconventional fertilization has a beneficial effect on the composition of soil microflora, stimulates root growth, increases stress resistance of the shrub, promotes early rooting and adaptation of seedlings, and accelerates the development of the berry. You can feed the garden blueberries with succinic acid several times in the summer.
Since the pH level of the soil is of great importance for blueberries, you need to know how to properly increase the acidity, in what dosages to use acidifiers and how often. You can find out the acidity of the soil at any time using strips of litmus paper, you can buy them at a gardening store.
Alkaline soils need acidification, the pH of which exceeds 6 units. The procedure may also be necessary if blueberries grow in limestone soil. It is not recommended to sharply increase the acidity.
To begin with, you should fill the space under the shrub with bark or sawdust of coniferous trees, and after a while acidify the soil with natural substances or special preparations. It is necessary to water the berry with acidified water during the active growing season - from April to September.
Soil acidification can be done with vinegar. Acetic acid can initially be of any concentration, the main thing is to correctly calculate the proportions of this substance and water. Undiluted vinegar will certainly cause a root burn, the watering solution is prepared from 2 tbsp. l. 9 percent vinegar in 4.5 liters of water. This amount is enough for 1 sq. m of landing area.
Water the bush with vinegar carefully, trying not to get on the leaves. If the blueberry soon changed its appearance (it began to turn yellow or wither), it is necessary to measure the pH of the soil with test strips, it is possible that excessive acidification of the soil has occurred. You can get rid of excess acid by watering abundantly with plain water. It is permissible to use not only ordinary, but also apple cider vinegar, it is diluted in a ratio of 100 ml to 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is enough for watering 1 sq. m of soil.
Watering blueberries with vinegar on alkaline soils is carried out 1-2 times a week. However, in order not to acidify the soil, it is imperative to measure the PH value from time to time. As soon as the desired level of acid-base balance (3.5-5 pH) is reached, you can switch to irrigation of the bush with plain water.
Citric acid is another popular remedy used by summer residents to increase the acidity of the soil. In the case of blueberries, the pH must be kept under control, because if it reaches 5.5 units, the vital activity of mycorrhiza is threatened, the plant ceases to normally absorb nutrients. A citric acid acidifier is easy to make at home. As in the case of vinegar, water the strawberries with a citric acid solution 1-2 times a week, replacing watering with water.
Citric acid can be purchased at any supermarket. The substance is sold in different packaging - 50, 100, 200 g. It is better to buy several bags at once so that the lemon is always at hand. The solution is prepared from 6 liters of water and 2 tbsp. l. citric acid powder.
It is better to cook it in a plastic container, the metal container may oxidize. A regular plastic bucket for household needs will do. Let the composition stand for about an hour until the crystals are completely dissolved. Pour citric acid on blueberries from a watering can. It is impossible for the agent to get on the shoots and leaves, otherwise the branches will get burned and dry out.
To acidify heavy clayey soils, it is more efficient to use some minerals, in particular colloidal sulfur. This substance is used when it is necessary to significantly increase the acidity of the soil.
Since the chemical transformation of colloidal sulfur occurs gradually, the result will be noticeable only after 8-12 months. Experts advise to embed sulfur granules in the soil in late autumn, while digging the earth. Embedding depth - 10-15 cm. Consumption of colloidal sulfur - 100 g per 1 sq. m. A single application lowers the pH level by 2.5 units.
The use of electrolyte to increase the acidity of the soil is quite justified, because this substance is diluted sulfuric acid. The composition is on sale in stores for motorists.
You need to use an electrolyte that has not been used from a freshly opened package.
With this method of acidifying the soil, there is no need for weekly watering of blueberries with acidic water.
The electrolyte is used 2-3 times a season as needed, after having measured the pH level. Sulfuric acid is applied in early spring, during flowering and after fruiting.
The solution is prepared from 20-50 electrolyte per 10 liters of water. This amount is enough for 1–2 blueberry bushes. The exact concentration of the solution depends on the initial acidity level of the soil. The composition is carefully introduced into the root zone, trying not to get on the aerial part of the plant.
Blueberries cannot be called an unpretentious plant, because in culture they began to grow it relatively recently. The main concern of summer residents in this case is to ensure the optimal level of soil acidity and regularly apply fertilizers. Blueberries bear fruit for more than a dozen years, but this is possible only under optimal conditions and with full adherence to agricultural technology.
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