Plants with special needs
Basically, the cultivated blueberries offered in specialist shops for the garden are only very distantly related to their domestic counterparts in the moor forests. This is not only noticeable in the height of the bushes, but also in the fruits. These are larger and juicier in cultivated blueberries, but have white pulp and so do not turn fingers and tongues blue. What both plant families have in common, however, is that they need a more acidic and lime-free soil in their location in order to thrive.
also read
- The correct planting distance for blueberries in the garden
- Proper care for blueberries in the garden
- The perfect location for blueberries in the garden
Create the necessary conditions in the garden
In most gardens there is no peaty and acidic soil. Before planting the blueberries, the right soil must first be created. This is usually easier with a culture in a pot, in which only the planter has to be filled with rhododendron or azalea soil or peat. When growing in rows, cultivated blueberries can either be sunk into the ground together with the pots, or they can be planted in an exchanged substrate. When replacing the soil, however, it is important to ensure that blueberries are rooted more broadly than deeply.
Sour earth for sweet fruits
The commercially available peat should not be fertilized too much for growing blueberries, but should be mixed with a little sand. If, for ecological reasons, you do not want to use milled peat from the excavation of bogs, you have to make do with other aids for an acidic soil. In addition to a loose earth material with as little clay and lime as possible, you need the following materials:
- Compost made from pine needles
- Sawdust without artificial additives
- Humus from composted leaves and tree bark
With the incorporation of these substances you can acidify a normal garden soil a little. With a suitable set for soil samples from the trade, you can determine the exact pH value and take further measures if necessary.
Tips & Tricks
When planting cultivated blueberries on a rather chalky plot of land, a slightly raised wall should be created with the acidified soil for the plants. This means that lime from surrounding areas cannot get to the roots of the blueberries with the rainwater.
