If that won't work, is there anything else I can try? I read about using battery acid, but I'm not exactly sure how that would work or if it's necessary.

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

If I were dropping pH with sulfuric acid I'd do it with about 6-8 inches water depth applied along with the acid. It needs to be leached deep into the soil.

Blueberry plants do not need a perfectly lower Ph to survive. The best way to lower the Ph is to add sulfur to the soil. The ph may not drop right away, but the plants can benefit from the day the sulfur is added. To maintain the Ph, you need to continue adding the sulfur, probably 3-4 times a year.

Raised beds are good for soil and drainage. But it is costly. Most of the blueberry farms would use existing soil to build a long hill and put the plants at the top of the "hill". This is effectively a "raised bed" without the extra costs.

It is when the pH is 7 or above that it becomes extremely difficult.

I think I will start now with harvestman's peat and sulfur recommendations, since that seems most conservative. If the pH is still too high by spring, I might try adding the sulfuric acid. But to be honest, that sounds a little scary.

For my blues, I do not even measure PH level. I've been growing blues for 8 years.

I have an extra bag of holly tone that I can use. How long will that last if I till it in now?

I am told to use either Aluminum sulfate (3/4 lb) and Organic Sulfur (5lbs) and that they cost the same/lb. How do I decide other than the question of being organic?

I generally do not use a roro-tiller but to break up packed soil and to blend in compost, I guess I will for this one. Are these additives better tilled in or spread on top?

Last but not least, I hear that pine needles are good to lower pH. I also hear that pine needles are indifferent in lowering pH. What's up wit dat? Again, on top or tilled in?

Am I being too much of a chemist for this? (:

Do not use aluminum sulfur, it is not good for food. Use it on flowers.

You may want to try soil acidifier. I am not sure what chemical it contains.

Pine needles are not chemicals. So do not expect them to lower the Ph much.

"Before you add your garden soil, layer newspapers all over the bottom of the bed first. "

What is the benefit of placing newspaper under the soil?

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"I use bromocresol green, a dye indicator solution, to measure pH of soil and water."

How does this work? Does the dye indicate acidity?

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Do not use aluminum sulfur, it is not good for food. Use it on flowers.

How does Aluminum Sulfate affect food items?

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"You may want to try soil acidifier. I am not sure what chemical it contains. "

Is "soil acidifier" a product or a process?

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After I get it all set up and mixed, it is better to wait until spring or later to transfer the plants or can I place them now as the soil adjusts to the treatment?

I am thinking it may be good to purchase a pH test kit. Without having to take out a mortgage, which one is good for my 4'x24' raised bed of 4 plants? Several shops around will do the test for free but it is a special trip to get it done.

It's a good way to get rid of newspapers.

How does this work? Does the dye indicate acidity?
Yes, it changes colors to indicate PH. I have never used it. It probably works well.

How does Aluminum Sulfate affect food items?

Some worry about aluminum toxicity, yet I have never heard of a case, ever.

Is "soil acidifier" a product or a process?

It's a product, which is sulfur.

6.5 is average where I am and the peat and soil with sulfur is what I've been using for installations here for 25 years. I don't even wait and prepare the soil and plant on the same day and it has always worked.

NJ is blueberry state. There are many wild blueberry bushes at the edge of the deep woods. In a typical setting, a 1-2' deep "peat" or very decomposed material holds the water from the underground aquifer. On top of it, it is several inches of compost type plant materials (compost). This is why most of the roots reside. On top of the compost, it is another layer of leaves (or pine needles) as mulch.

The soil Ph is probably at 6. But the plants are very happy. I'm not sure blueberry plants have to have 4.5 Ph....

It clearly says "safer than Aluminum Sulfate". There may be some explaination, or just a marketing thing. But I'm not going to find out the hard way.

Sulfur does not cost more than the aluminum sulfate. So why risking it?? We even tossed out almost all the aluminum cookware....

Who says the peat is not added to change the pH? It is usually around a 4.5 and if you use half peat that is certainly the virtue of it. In the west folks sometimes use a wrapped bale of peat alone to grow blueberries. They just cut it open enough to plant the bush and water and fertilize as necessary.

I agree that blueberries tend to grow in highly organic soils, but acidic ones.

Naturally all the dead/composted plant materials make the media acidic. But the aged and fully decomposed peat does not contain much nutrients. They are leached out a long time ago.

If you do not add compost, then you may have to add more peat, like 2/3, not 50/50. You just do not want heavy soil. The roots do not like it.

We basically agree with most of the things. I care more about the organic matters, instead of the soil Ph. Blues are still adaptable plants. One spoonful of sulfur is all we need and it is going to last for a couple of months.

That's just not true, most compost is basic, Hman is absolutely correct. Avoid it except peat moss with blueberries. Peat is very acidic. Use cottonseed meal which is acidic, or Plant-tone to feed the plant, do not use compost!
I have seen bull manure in peat moss, that probably is neutral and ok to use.
The soil acidifier is 30% sulfur, it's cheaper, and more effective just to use sulfur itself. You can buy pure sulfur online, or at a good independent garden center. By me English Gardens sells 50 pound bags.
And redsun watch out too for aluminum cans! Aluminum foil! Many products are wrapped in aluminum, such as gum, chocolate. Be wary of all canned goods. Best just not leave your house! Oh wait that's made with aluminum too!

The two local blueberry farms I know of mix 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost, 1/3 soil, and some sulfur and let it sit for some time before planting the plants. I do not see anything wrong with it. None of them use peat moss alone since it is extremely hard to water it.

This is also what I did and I still do. I've got good results with my blueberry bushes....

Blueberry is such a rewarding plant. I'll grow more....

Self taught Chemistry lesson for making acidic water

Does the sphagnum peat moss in the link below look like the right stuff for blueberries?

Thanks.

I thought for a long time that my blueberries were thriving entirely in this nearly neutral medium and posted my belief on this forum and was met with actual hostility at my outrageous claim (the hostility didn't actually come from the claim, but that's another story).

I decided to check the pH further down and discovered it was about 5.5 and the blueberries have plenty of roots functioning well in both zones. The take away for me is that iron is entirely mobile in the plant (unlike Mn)- if it the blueberry plants have at least some access to free iron they may be able to function quite well.

You are correct that blueberries often thrive in a kind of spongy and airy forest compost that is created in areas where they grow- partially from their own rotting leaves. It is a kind of naturally occurring compost which around here tends to run in the low 6's, but I think the soil underneath where the blueberries thrive will be more acidic.

So I think a top dressing of compost could be helpful if you were trying to feed the plants organically and create a better water reservoir. But I would not want to use compost that was above about 6.5 because that's all I've experience with in this context.

Blueberry has shallow root system and the roots do not like heavy soil at all. Standing water will suffocate the roots and I've lost one or two plants since I planted them too low.

If you can, take away all the soil and dump a large bag of peat moss in the hole. Then you'll probably do not have to worry about Ph for a long time.

But this is not economical and a lot of people try to stay away from using too much peat moss due to environmental concerns too. So a lot of blueberry farms fill in with compost or even composted barks to replace the peat. Then use sulfur to adjust the ph.

Personally I do not buy peat moss. We have a large wooded area. When I need any organic matters, I'll take my bucket into the woods. At the base of the decayed trees, there is a layer of composted tree materials, some like peat and some like saw dust. I use that as my peat/compost blend. The wood decay is exactly the materials the blueberry plant needs. I just wish I could have more of such materials.

On top of the planting, I use a thick layer of very aged and partially composted wood chips, at least 2-3", 4-5" better. I do not test the ph since the color of the plants would tell me the ph. I'll put a scoop of sulfur on each plant, about twice a year.

The best materials to add to a blueberry bed: fully decayed tree leaves, pine needles, pine barks, tree cave shavings. All the materials should be fully decayed. Any not fully decayed materials should go to the top as a mulch and add to the soil.

All the above materials should be somehow acidic. Use sulfur to adjust the ph if necessary....

What are "tree cave shavings"?

Growing in pots requires frequent watering (you may need to collect rain water if your tap water is too alkaline). If you stress them even for a short period of drought they tend to runt out and take forever to grow. The correct potting mix for blueberries usually needs to be home made (pre-made mixes usually aren't acidic enough). You need to be more precise with fertilization as well.

Gardening is a bit complicated but if you just dive in you will learn to master the nuance gradually and without too much pain. Or you can buy your blueberries and plant a viburnum.

You might like to look at this video. I've been using this system for the past two summers and it sure makes life easier.

No way, I'm committed to edible landscaping!

I was wondering, could I add sand to the peat moss and soil to improve drainage? Sand used for children's sand boxes is quite cheap, and sand won't decompose like peat or compost, so it seems like a more economical way to avoid heavy soil than a 75% peat/25% soil mix.

If you make such a mix without building mounds you may create bath tubs that fill with water and drown roots.

You can also grow them in pots mixing 50/50- sand to peat and put them half way into existing soil- or make a mix with ground pine bark that is aged for the purpose (this is harder to find but more often used in blueberry production). If you set up a drip system or water them consistently, blueberries grow very well this way, if you put them in big enough pots. 5 gallon pots would support mature plants pretty well.

Is your soil clay? Do you know the texture of your soil? This is something that is not at all obvious and people often are confused about the texture of their soil. This is also where your county cooperative extension can provide better advice than you can get on-line- although there are simple tests using dishwater detergent to get a general reading on your soils composition.

Drainage is easier, because you can figure out how long it takes to drain after heavy rains or dig a hole and fill it with water several times. Not sure of the exact procedure but it is an easy search for details.

Try to mimic the natural blueberry growing environment if you can. Blueberry is easy to grow.... Do not make it too complicated...

You wouldn't know it by the number of threads here on dead or almost dead plants.

I hear that the earthworm is not native to the North American continent. I wonder if anyone can verify this....

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I just caught that picture of the bush-in-a-bail of peat moss. Looks far easier than building raised beds. This way, when they are producing fruit, I can move it closer to the house then put it away the rest of the year.....

How much drainage should it have? Large or small holes in the bottom? Some of my planters have holes 1" above the bottom in the sides of the pot. Being an inch or two from the bottom assures a collection of water at the bottom and excess is drained off. Any thoughts on that?

OK found the book!

The Columbian Exchange, as researchers call it, is the reason there are tomatoes in Italy, oranges in Florida, chocolates in Switzerland, and chili peppers in Thailand. More important, creatures the colonists knew nothing about hitched along for the ride. Earthworms, mosquitoes, and cockroaches; honeybees, dandelions, and African grasses; bacteria, fungi, and viruses; rats of every description��"all of them rushed like eager tourists into lands that had never seen their like before, changing lives and landscapes across the planet.