Growing Blueberries In Containers
by John Yazo
Blueberry plants relatively shallow root system, along with their long live spans make them a very well suited plant to be grown in containers. Air, temperature, soil condition, container size, and plant size are the critical factors for success.
When growing any plant in a container, roots systems need room to grow. When a container is to small, the plant becomes root bound and push against the edge of the container, and are not insulated from the cold as if they were planted in deeper soil in a traditional garden. Due to this reason, blueberry plant selection should be treated as if you are gardening in a hardness zone one lower than your actual zone is.
Soil conditions are usually the main reason that a blueberry plant doesn't survive. It is very important that the soil ph you use in your container planting for blueberries is between 4.5 and 5.0 for them to thrive. Monitoring and adjusting the ph level as needed is very critical.
Planting blueberries in containers is easy to do:
1, Container selection for your blueberry plant should be at least 20 - 24 inches, and have drainage hole in the bottom, or along the lower sides. Once you have a container chosen, place it in a preferably permanent location. Once you fill the container with soil, it will become heavy and hard to move later.
2, Fill the container half full with your potting soil mix. Choose a design mix that is suited for azaleas, rhododendrons, and other plants that require a high acidic soil. This soil mix should also have a high organic material content, like peat moss. If you plan on preparing your own soil mix, 3 parts potting soil, 1 part perlite, and 1/4 part pine bark is commonly recommended. Perlite will aid in the availability of the soils oxygen content, and the pine bark will aid in the addition of organic nutrients to the soil.
3, Once you purchase your blueberry plants, they will usually come growing in a container. Remove the plant from the original container and gently loosen the root system.
4, Next you will want to place the blueberry plant into your container that is half full of soil mix and set the plant so that the top of the root ball is about 4 inches below the rim of the container, adding or removing some soil mix may be necessary at this point. Once you set the plant in place fill the container with more soil mix until the soil is level with the top of the root system, and firmly pack down the soil to eliminate any air pockets.
5, Watering your blueberry plants to thoroughly moisten the soil is very important, not over watered. If the soil stays saturated with water, it can lead to root rot. Blueberry plants have a very specific watering requirement. They need a lot of water, but from a well draining soil that retains a constant moisture content and is not saturated. A healthy organic soil structure will provide this requirement.
6, Once thoroughly watered, mulch with about a 1 inch layer of an organic mulch. This will help retain the moisture in the container. Containers tend to dry easily, and monitoring the moisture content is very important.
7, At planting, early spring, and fall, each blueberry plant should receive a feeding of organic fertilizer, 12-4-8 with 2% magnesium, and monitor the soils ph level regularly to maintain a 4.5 - 5.0 range.
Even though the traditional blueberry bush grows to heights of 6 feet or more, there are specifically bred dwarf varieties that will thrive when planted in containers.
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