How to Prepare Soil for Blueberry Plants

Delicate foliage and moderate growth habits make blueberries good neighbors to other plants. Just two blueberry bushes (choose two different varieties) will provide handfuls and eventually cupfuls of delicious berries.
Successful cultivation begins with good soil preparation. Like rhododendrons and azaleas, blueberries are acid-soil lovers. They respond well to similar fertilizers and require well-drained soil.
Some high-bush varieties are actually small enough to be planted in large pots. Whichever type of high-bush blueberries you choose, your soil-prep work will be rewarded deliciously.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blueberry bushes
• Spade or shovel
• Peat moss
• Rotted leaf compost
• Acidic fertilizer
• Leaf, pine-needle or other mulch
• Source of water

1. Check the soil for drainage. If water pools or is very slowly absorbed, bushes will not do well.

2. Dig holes at least 18 inches deep and 18 inches wide. Break up soil with spade or shovel, especially large pieces of clay.

3. Add equal amounts of peat moss and rotted leaf compost to soil, mix well and replace in hole. Water the soil to check new absorption rate.

4. Make certain that soil is acidic enough for plants to flourish. Peat-moss helps, but so does the addition of acidic fertilizer. If rhododendron and azalea do well in your yard, soil is probably generally acid enough; mix in fertilizer according to package directions. If you use lime frequently on neighboring plants or your adjacent lawn, be prepared to fertilize by side-dressing every spring. If, on the other hand, you know your area's soil to be highly acidic, dig 2 cups of ammonium sulfate into each hole, to increase nitrogen and slightly lower acidity. This usually needs to be done only at planting.

5. Water regularly for several weeks to help plant roots get established. In cases of extreme summer heat, and definitely for winter, mulch blueberry roots with pine needles, oak leaves or commercial mulch. (Avoid cedar-based mulch, which does not do well on blueberries.) In spring, before blooms emerge, side-dress with fertilizer and water regularly until it is absorbed. Avoid heavy cultivation of soil close to blueberry bushes, to avoid root-damage.

Tips & Warnings

• Blueberries tolerate filtered shade well, if you do not have full sun at all times. They do best in low-activity areas because root systems do not go more than approximately a foot deep and some roots spread closer to the surface. Once planted, they do best if not they are not moved.