My blueberry bushes died after 4 years because of one dumb mistake

Planted three blueberry bushes in my backyard in Portland back in 2020. Nurtured them for four years. Water schedule was perfect. Pruning was on point. Last month I finally got a soil test done. Turns out the soil pH was way too high for blueberries. Like 6.5 when they need 4.5 to 5.5. All that time I could have fixed it with some sulfur. Has anyone else spent years caring for something just to find out you were fighting the wrong problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

val9745d ago

Figured out my own pH screwup after a year of wondering why my blueberries looked like they were on a hunger strike. Now I test soil before I even look at a plant. Makes me feel like a gardening detective who just solved the case of why everything hates me.

river_thompson5d ago

Yeah, I lost a whole raised bed of blueberries the same way. Took me three seasons of weak growth and no berries before I finally tested the soil. pH was at 6.8. I dumped elemental sulfur on them and it took almost a year to drop it down to 5.5. By then the roots were too damaged from the high pH locking up nutrients. They never bounced back. Now I test soil pH on anything I plant before I even put it in the ground. Saves a lot of heartache.