Just 10 g of this and the blueberry will bear fruit better
Blueberries are a hit in Polish cuisine. It is not only very healthy (contains vitamins C, K, A, E, B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B9) and folic acid), but also extremely versatile in the kitchen. You can use it for cakes, porridges or eat it alone. Blueberries are also a popular choice. It is relatively easy to grow and grows practically throughout Poland.
In order to enjoy abundant harvests in summer, appropriate conditions for growth and fruiting must be ensured. Without it, even the best and most expensive fertilizers will not achieve anything. Blueberries grow best in well-sunny positions in moist, humus soil. A great treatment for blueberries is mulching, i.e. covering the soil with organic material. This limits the loss of water through the soil and prevents the growth of weeds. The substrate for blueberries should be suitably acidic with a pH of no more than 4.5. It is worth acidifying it with peat or compost beforehand. You can buy ready-made soil mixtures for blueberries in gardening stores.
When using fertilizers for blueberries, it is also worth choosing those with acidifying properties. Coffee grounds or banana peels will work great in this case. Another great fertilizer for blueberries is . It acidifies the soil and stimulates the absorption of nutrients from the soil. Additionally, it has bactericidal and fungicidal properties. To prepare citric acid-based fertilizer, you need to mix 10 grams of powder with 10 liters of water (preferably rainwater). Water the blueberry bushes with this mixture. Be careful to apply directly to the soil. Leaves and fruit wetted with it may be more susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. Use this fertilizer when blueberry leaves turn yellow and it does not want to bear fruit.
Blueberry fertilization schedule step by step
The key to a bountiful harvest is not only the right fertilizer, but also its use at the right time. It is best to divide blueberry fertilization into three stages during the season to provide it with nutrients exactly when it needs them. The first dose, rich in nitrogen (e.g. in the form of ammonium sulfate), should be given in early spring, immediately after the frosts have stopped, most often at the turn of March and April. This will help stimulate the bushes to grow vigorously. It is worth applying the next two doses of nitrogen at monthly intervals, ending fertilization with this element no later than mid-June. Applying nitrogen too late may prevent the shoots from getting woody before winter, exposing them to frost.
After fruiting ends, i.e. in autumn, the needs of blueberries change dramatically. During this period, the plant prepares for winter dormancy and forms flower buds for the next year. You should then completely abandon nitrogen fertilizers and instead use preparations rich in potassium and phosphorus. Potassium will strengthen the frost resistance of the bushes, and phosphorus will stimulate the development of the root system and result in abundant yields in the next season. Autumn fertilization is an investment that will pay off in the summer.
How to check and maintain the ideal soil pH for blueberries?
Even the best fertilizer will not help if the soil in which your blueberries grow has the wrong pH. These plants are acid-loving and do best in soil with a pH in the range of 3.8-4.8. In soil with a higher pH, their roots are unable to properly absorb nutrients, especially iron, which leads to chlorosis – the leaves become light green and then turn yellow. To avoid this problem, it is worth checking the acidity of the soil regularly. This can be done with a simple pH testing kit, available in gardening stores.
If it turns out that the soil pH is too high (above 4.8), it should be acidified. For this purpose, you can use special acidifying fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate, or “pH minus” preparations. Another effective and natural way is to regularly mulch the bushes with organic materials that naturally acidify the soil. Sawdust, needles, pine cones, coniferous wood chips and acidic garden peat are perfect for this purpose. A thick layer of mulch will additionally reduce water evaporation and weed growth.
Types of fertilizers for blueberries and methods of their application
There are many types of fertilizers available on the market that can be used in blueberry cultivation. They are the most convenient for amateurs multi-ingredient mineral fertilizers intended specifically for acid-loving plants. They have a balanced composition, rich in nitrogen in the ammonium form, as well as phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. Sometimes, however, shrubs may show symptoms of a deficiency of a specific element. Then they come to help single-component fertilizerse.g. ammonium sulfate to supplement nitrogen or potassium sulfate, which provides potassium without chlorides that are harmful to blueberries. It is worth remembering to avoid natural fertilizers, such as manure, which are usually alkaline and increase the soil pH.
Fertilizer can be applied in several ways. The most popular method is sprinkle fertilizationconsisting of scattering granules around the bush, gently mixing it with the top layer of soil and watering it abundantly. It is gaining more and more popularity fertigationi.e. watering plants with water with fertilizer dissolved in it. This makes nutrients immediately available to the roots. In emergency situations, when there are clear symptoms of deficiency on the leaves, it can be used foliar fertilization. It is a spraying of leaves with diluted fertilizer (e.g. urea), which acts as a rescue injection, instantly replenishing the deficiencies.
