Blueberries are not the most common cultivated plant in our country. Not every summer resident or gardener decides to grow it on a par with raspberries, strawberries and cherries. One problem is pickiness in the soil. On ordinary land, blueberries simply will not grow. She needs high humidity - only in this case she will successfully develop and bear fruit. It is not surprising that many summer residents who decided to experiment with this rare culture, the question arises of how to acidify the soil for blueberries. We will try to answer it as detailed as possible.
Why acidify the soil?
To begin with, blueberries traditionally grow on acidic soils, usually marshy. Most other plants die here. That is why, in order to survive, blueberries had to modify, adapt to unusual conditions.
If you dig out its root system, you can see that it is practically devoid of thin branches - in the swamp they will simply rot. But on the roots there is a white coating. This is not a disease, as it may seem to the uninitiated. This is a variety of mushrooms. Experts call this symbiosis mycorrhiza, combining the Greek words "myco + riza", that is, "mushroom + root." As a result of this neighborhood, the plant receives the necessary trace elements and moisture from the fungus, which it absorbs from the soil. If, due to inappropriate conditions, the fungus dies, then the blueberry will grow normally and cannot develop. And he needs an acidic environment to survive. Therefore, soil acidification for blueberries is the only way to get a crop.
The best indicator for blueberries
Most cultivated plants grown in orchards and gardens prefer slightly acidic or neutral soil. If specific figures are given, then the pH in the range of 5.5-7.5 units is considered the best indicator. Therefore, you need to think about soil acidification only if the indicator has increased above this parameter.
However, blueberries are very different in this requirement from most plants. It grows best if the soil has an acidity of about 3.5-4.5 units. With an increase in acidity to 5.5 (the minimum margin for many garden plants) and higher, blueberries begin to hurt and even die. Of course, there is no question of a rich harvest.
What plants need acidic land
However, not only blueberries need acid soil. Many other plant species can also grow and develop normally only on land with low pH. From berry crops, this can include lingonberries, blueberries and cranberries. Quite a lot of shrub plants also need acidic soil - ledum, rhododendron, heather, azaleas. Speaking of perennials, it is worth noting fern, dienter, gravilate and primrose.
If you plan to grow one of these plants in your area, it will not be out of place to remember the need for regular acidification of the land.
Signs of a lack of acidity
If blueberries are planted on a site where the pH exceeds the optimum, then the fungus living on its root system dies. This leads to the fact that the plant does not receive enough nitrogen. Well, this can be easily determined by any experienced summer resident - the symptoms are known to everyone. As a result, green leaves become brighter, turn yellow, and then die.
Not surprisingly, it is nitrogen that contributes to the growth of green mass: stems and leaves. And without it, the plant will not be able to grow new leaves, because of which the process of photosynthesis stops, and it dies. There is only one way to prevent this - in time to acidify the soil. We will talk about this a bit later.
Determination of acidity of the earth
However, experienced summer residents will try not to bring to a situation in which the plant will hurt and may even die. Therefore, before planting blueberries in their area, they will try to collect more information about the soil prevailing on it. Of course, it is advisable to have a special device for this, but it is quite expensive, which is why it is not suitable for private use.
Therefore, it is much easier to use a litmus test: a disposable, but reliable, simple and very cheap tool. It is very simple to apply.
It is necessary to dig a few holes with a depth of about 20-30 centimeters (as the roots of blueberries occur). From each you need to collect a little land: about a few tablespoons. It remains only to mix it, slightly moisten (if it is completely dry) and press a litmus test to the soil. Gradually, the color of the paper will change. It remains only to verify it with the indicator, which usually comes with litmus papers.
Yellow or light green colors correspond to indicators from 3 to 5 pH - an ideal parameter for blueberries. If the color is orange or red - this is a frankly alarming sign indicating that the ground is too acidic, you need to raise the pH.
If the color is from deep green to blue or even purple, then the pH is already too high - you need to reduce this indicator. Fortunately, there are a few simple and reliable ways to handle this.
Different methods of soil oxidation
In general, there are several ways to properly acidify the soil for blueberries. For this, you can use special plants, organic fertilizers, acids, as well as mineral elements.
Each of the methods has unique characteristics. Some act very quickly, but increase acidity for a relatively short period of time, which means that a repeated procedure will have to be done quite often. Other methods, on the contrary, give an effect only after a few months. But they turn out to be more stable and durable.
In addition, some methods are relatively harmless, you certainly will not cause permanent damage to the soil, although the efficiency is not too high. Thanks to other techniques, you can adjust the acidity, quickly changing it in the right direction. But in this case, you should be very careful - improper handling of reagents or a small mistake will inevitably lead to the fact that it will be possible to grow at least something on ruined soil very soon. Therefore, we will talk about different ways of acidifying the soil.
We use organics
One of the safest ways to increase the acidity of the soil for the subsequent cultivation of blueberries is to use organic fertilizers. Yes, the process drags on for several weeks or even months. But this acidification lasts a very long time: at least a season or even two. To cope with the task is quite simple. As a top dressing, you can use fresh horse or cow dung, moss-sphagnum, compost obtained from tree leaves, horse peat or rotted sawdust, needles.
It is best to use organic matter to acidify light soils mixed with sand. Usually they are distinguished by good aeration, water permeability. Here, the bacteria contained in the soil and organics will actively decompose, releasing the necessary trace elements, enriching the earth and changing its composition. An additional plus is the preservation of friability of the soil, increasing fertility. Most crops will grow well.
On heavy clay soils, this will give an even longer, but very weak effect: a lack of oxygen will lead to the fact that the process of decomposition of organics will go very slowly. Therefore, it can be used to increase acidity, but as an additional solution.
Correctly carry out acidification
Not always organic matter (compost and manure) is in sufficient quantity. Therefore, you need to use them correctly. It is not necessary to scatter them all over the site. It is much better to use organics purposefully, pouring it directly into the wells. This will achieve excellent results with low costs of valuable raw materials.
We use mineral compounds
To quickly increase the acidity of the soil, especially if the conversation is about areas with clay soil, you will have to use special mineral compounds. These include colloidal sulfur and iron sulfate.
How to acidify the soil for blueberries with colloidal sulfur? Pretty simple. One kilogram of the substance is scattered on a plot of about 10 square meters, after which the earth is dug to a depth of about half a bayonet of a shovel. With this ratio, the pH drops by about 2.5 units. If this is not enough, the dose can be increased. It is advisable to do this in the fall - the process needs about 8-12 months to start. In spring, acidity will rise to the minimum desired level, and by the end of summer, when berries are formed, the indicator will reach the optimal value.
Using iron sulfate is also quite simple. Moreover, it gives a faster effect, though not so long-term. By adding 500 grams of powder per 10 square meters of land and digging the site, you can achieve a decrease in pH per unit, and it will take only one month. But such an operation will have to be done at least once a year. Otherwise, the acidity of the medium will increase again. Although, of course, before oxidation, you need to use the indicator and find out the current indicator. It is very important to know how often acidify the soil for blueberries, so that it grows well, but at the same time does not die due to excess acid.
Acids will come to the rescue
Quite often, summer residents are interested in how to acidify the soil for blueberries with citric acid. And is this even possible? It turns out, yes, it is quite possible. Citric and other acids are used if you need to increase the acidity of the soil, and very quickly, in a matter of hours. True, they should be used very carefully so as not to spoil the land, otherwise not only blueberries, but also many other crops will not grow on it.
So, how to acidify the soil for blueberries with citric acid? It is best to use a crystalline substance. Two teaspoons are dissolved in a ten-liter bucket of water, after which the resulting liquid is watered on an area of about one square meter.
You can use electrolyte to acidify the soil for blueberries, most importantly unused, diluting 50 milliliters per ten liters of water. This is also enough to increase the acidity of one square meter of land.
Interested in how to acidify the soil for blueberries with vinegar? This option also applies. For work, you need to take ten liters of water and 100 milliliters of nine percent vinegar, not the essence. The resulting solution is also watered one square meter of land. However, experienced summer residents try not to apply this technique. The fact is that the effect is very short-term, it will not be enough even for the season. But the bacteria that live in the soil and contribute to the conversion of fertilizers into nutrients, the solution kills. Moreover, if you increase the acidity with vinegar every spring, then the microorganisms will not have time to recover, as a result, the yield will sharply decrease.
We use siderates
Finally, one of the slowest, but completely safe, reliable and long-term ways to increase the acidity of the soil is the use of special plants - green manure. The main thing is to select suitable crops (not all siderata acidify the soil).
It is best to use oats, rapeseed, white mustard and colza. After gaining green mass, but before seed formation, the plot must be plowed, planting the plants in the soil. Their decay will provide the earth with nutrients and increase acidity. Yes, it will take a whole year, but you will not do any harm to the soil, but you will achieve your goal.
Conclusion
That is all the basic information. Now you know why blueberries and some other plants need low pH land. And also found out how to acidify the soil for blueberries with electrolyte, siderates and other methods.