How to Make Blueberry Potting Soil

Growing blueberries takes some finesse.

Blueberries have very specific soil requirements. The best blueberry growing soil types tend to be acidic and sandy and high in organic composition. Organic matter in the soil helps to increases the water-holding capacity and aeration. Blueberries need this specific soil because they have shallow roots that are sensitive to soil compaction and poor drainage. Whether you are growing them in containers, or in raised planting beds, if you follow this step by step guide to creating blueberry potting soil you will soon be harvesting buckets of blueberries.

Things You'll Need

• Garden soil
• Chopped, composted leaves
• Coarse builder’s sand (unbleached and not sandbox)
• Compost

Instructions

How to Make Blueberry Potting Soil

1. Plan ahead. While making the blueberry potting soil will be simple, gathering all the ingredients will take some time and planning.

2. Compost leaves. This will take some time and you need to be careful when deciding which leave to compost. Oak and pine leaves have too much acidity for most plants but, for blueberries, a little acidity is a good thing.

3. Make compost. The compost the blueberry soil recipe calls for is different than the composted leaves. Compost improves soil fertility and encourages vigorous root development in plants. The organic matter that is found in compost provides food for microorganisms.

4. Gather materials for potting soil. You will need garden soil, chopped, and composted leaves, coarse builder’s sand (unbleached and not sandbox), and compost.

5. Mix composts and soil. Combine the two parts composted leaves and the one part regular compost with two parts garden soil.

6. Add sand. Add one part sand to every three parts of compost and soil mixture. Stir the mixture until it is thoroughly combined.

7. Plant and water the blueberries.

Tips & Warnings

• If planting in a container or planter, you can improve blueberry results by adding a two inch layer of mulch to retain moisture.