Blueberries (Misty, O'Neal, Jubilee, Ochlocknee, Brightwell, Sunshine & Northblue)

SOIL-
- 2/3 Peat Moss (Fafard brand from Lowes) (PH = 4)
- 1/3 equal combination of bagged compost & bagged cow manure (PH = 7)
- 1/2 tablespoon Garden Saver thoroughly mixed in (this absorbs water and releases it slowly over a 2 week period)

This gives PH of 5 and I was considering adding some vermiculite to this as well, or possibly pine bark (everything will be coming from Lowes) not sure which is better to add.

I have also been told to add some of the soil from our yard to this mix by the horticulturalist at the place where I am buying the berries, but so many recommend against that....I am lost. I do know to carefully fertilize after a few weeks so I'll use HappyFrog for acid loving plants.

Blackberries/Raspberries/Strawberries - (caroline raspberry, ouachita & apache blackberry, seascape strawberries)
These seem to have similar ph requirements, so I want to use the same mix for all 3 plant types if possible.

- 1/3 Peat Moss (Fafard brand from Lowes) (PH = 4)
- 1/3 bagged cow manure (PH = 7)
- 1/3 bagged compost (PH = 7)
- 1/2 tablespoon Garden Saver thoroughly mixed in
This should give a PH of around 6.0.

Again possibly some pine bark or vermiculite, which I would trade out for some of he cow manure (note it is not fresh, but bagged manure). Again I have been told to use soil from my own yard for as much as 1/3 of this mixture, but I am not sure if that is a good idea. My only guess as to why is that they want me to get some good microbe action going in the pots...

I would appreciate your help. I have ordered plants for my family, my brother's family, and three friends who all wanted to get involved in gardening with me when I told them what I was planning (no pressure right :-)

With the lowest soil pH requirement of all berries, blueberries grow in the same acidic conditions that please other native shrubs such as rhododendron and azaleas. When the pH goes too high, blueberries turn yellow because they’re unable to take up iron. Two or three foliar sprays with a kelp solution or iron-rich nettle tea, made a few days apart, will often bring plants back around, giving you time to heap on a fresh helping of an acidic mulch such as pine needles or pine bark. When growing blueberries in neutral soil, It is suggested thatThey like warm sun and well-drained soil, with a pH 5.6 to 6.2, but finding places for these well-armed plants often means growing them along a fence or letting them grow into a thicket to harvest from the outside.

There are lots of threads here that go into blueberry growing in some depth.

Al