In the last 7 years, about how often did you have to add more sulfur to the plants?
Or how long did the pH stay around 4.2?

Eric,
I am an hour west of you and I grow Blueberries fine? Never really soil tested as the plants do OK and I get berries. My oldest plant is only three years old so I am not getting buckets full yet. I sprinkle a teaspoon of sulfur around the plants in the spring and monthly coffee grounds on them.
I know to keep them away from cement (lime leaches in to the soil) but I might do a PH check. I have one of those meters with a arrow, though i don't even know if it works correctly?

Typically I will add additional sulfur every two years, and the quantity added might be 1/4 lb per shrub. It takes about two years for granulated agricultural sulfur to be metabolized by soil bacteria. Soil pH might drop 1/2 unit, or 0.5, during the growing season, if there is sulfur available at the soil surface. I don't think soil pH changes much over the winter, as soil microbes are dormant during the cold weather. When the available sulfur is all used up, soil pH might rise 0.5 unit per year.

Berryman, based on my experience, a three year old blueberry shrub might yield one pint of fruit, if the pH is between 4 and 5, and if growing conditions are good, with regard to sunlight, moisture, and fertilizer. If the soil pH is between 5.5 and 6.5, the yield might be one cup of fruit. However, the leaves will be green, and the shrub will be healthy. Pale green leaves, or yellow tinted leaves is a sign of high pH, above 6.5.

Thanks for the info.

hmmm we have clay here in Milwaukee pretty alkaline i tried using pine needles, peat moss,and such to recondition the soil i guess it doesnt correct the ph fast enough

We have some clay in our soil here in Madison, as well. I mix it with compost made from shredded tree leaves when preparing a hole for planting a blueberry shrub. I use a lot of compost, maybe 60% compost and 40% dirt. Blueberry shrubs do well in soil that is heavily amended with vegetable fiber of some sort or other, but they still need the pH to be lowered to around 4.5, and that takes sulfur.

I'm located 35 miles south of Madison (Monroe). Would very much like to grow some blueberries. I prepared a plot about 900 sq ft and tilled in about 20 lbs of granulated sulphur. I planted the plants in a 18" hole with 50% peat moss and the rest with equal parts native soil and compost. Haven't tested soil for PH yet. My plot is on a hill with high winds and don't know if the BB will be able to withstand the winter. I planted Patriot,Northblue,and Chandler from Jung's in Madison. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Since blueberry shrubs need to be kept watered, we growers often end up putting down considerable well-water during the summer, typically August. If the water used is hard, that is, if it contains dissolved limestone, from an underground aquifer, then the soil pH will rise a bit every time the shrub is watered. It is for this reason that I test soil pH both in the spring and in the fall, every year. It will be easier to keep soil pH down if rainwater, or surface water from a pond or stream is used to irrigate blueberry shrubs. I have seen wild blueberries growing in very exposed locations, where they would see lots of sun and wind. However, wild blueberries typically get covered in drifting snow during the winter, and get some protection from the weather. We have Patriot and Northblue here in Madison, and these varieties generally do well over the winter, until the local rabbits get hungry for browse...

doublejack,

I suggest that you mulch/winterize your Chandler...mine died over winter and I think Chandler is a bit suspect on full hardiness.