The problem with the lime
Cultivated blueberries Like their wild relatives in the forest, they are very sensitive to calcareous soils and watering. Therefore, it shouldn't just be at plants of blueberries, care should be taken to ensure that the soil substrate is acidic and as lime-free as possible, but also when choosing the irrigation water. Many common garden fertilizers contain certain amounts of lime and are therefore suitable for fertilizing Cultivated blueberries badly suited.
also read
- Propagate cultivated blueberries in the garden yourself
- Harvest blueberries with cultivated blueberries in your own garden
- Plant cultivated blueberries correctly in your own garden
The right time to fertilize cultivated blueberries
Cultivated blueberries First and foremost, they require a lot of energy for two purposes: for the formation of new branches and for the fruiting in summer. Accordingly, a first should also be Fertilize take place in spring before the new branches and leaves have sprouted. The second fertilization in early summer then ensures sufficient energy supply for the formation of a rich harvest from the beginning
July. Fertilization in late autumn, on the other hand, would not be useful, as this would stimulate shoot growth late in the year and thus significantly reduce the winter hardiness of the plants.Choosing the right fertilizer for the blueberries
When using commercially available fertilizer for Blueberries in the garden Pay attention to the selection of a lime-free special variant especially for blueberries or rhododendrons. On the other hand, you should avoid giving manure and fresh compost, as these can contain a lot of lime and have an adverse effect on the pH value of the soil for the blueberries. But you can also use certain materials from your own garden in order to provide fertilization in a biological way and at the same time ensure an acidic soil environment. Ideally, you should use the ripe compost from:
- Fir and spruce needle litter
- Conifer bark
- sawdust not contaminated with chemical substances
Tips & Tricks
In order to avoid over-fertilizing the blueberry bushes, it is advisable to use nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate sparingly in private gardens. An administration of about 40 to 50 grams of ammonia sulfuric acid per bush in the spring stimulates the formation of new branches.
