Do you know that blueberries grow well in acidic soil? For this reason, the best fertilizer for blueberries should support acidic soil properties.
The market has all the brands of fertilizer for blueberry plants. To avoid confusion during your shopping, you need to know what to look for in the best fertilizer for blueberries. So how do you go about it? Let us explore the move together.
Blueberries and Fertilizer
Blueberries make muffins, pies, and other baked food tasty. They also keep your garden looking beautiful almost throughout the year.
During spring, blueberry plants have white flowers that are bell-shaped and delicate. The lush green foliage of these plants lasts during the summer and turns red during the fall. The late summer is when these plants provide the irresistible sweet-scented fruits.
You can grow blueberries in ornate containers and place them on balconies or patios. You can also have an outdoor garden for these plants.
If you spot reddish yellow color on the edges of your blueberry plants, it is a sign of magnesium deficiency. On the other hand, blueberries with yellow leaves with green veins signify iron deficiency. You can treat such conditions with fertilizers with the appropriate nutrients.
Did you know that blueberry roots grow to around 12 inches (30.48 centimeters)? For this reason, blueberries do not absorb water and soil nutrients similar to deep-rooted plants. Also, blueberries do not grow well on compacted soil. One of the improvements you can make to the soil is to add fertilizers to make it retain more water for your blueberry bushes.
What do You Fertilize Blueberries With?
Blueberries are low-maintenance plants that require fertilization a couple of times a year. Unfortunately, some fertilizers are unfit for blueberry plants. So, you need to know what makes up the ideal fertilizer for blueberry bushes.
To start with, the fertilizers for blueberries should lower the pH of the soil. These fertilizers should have a high acidic level. How do you know that fertilizer is acidic? It should contain sulfur-coated urea or ammonia sulfate.
Besides the sulfate ingredients, the best fertilizer for blueberry bushes should have high nitrogen levels. This ingredient strengthens the roots of your blueberry plants. However, refrain from buying fertilizers with nitrates, including calcium nitrate. These harmful ingredients cause damage to your plants.
When Should I Fertilize My Blueberry Bushes?
After planting your blueberry plants appropriately and adjusting the soil accordingly, do not fertilize them for at least four weeks. Having the right conditions for the soil eliminates the often need for fertilizers.
Fertilizing your blueberry plants once in the early spring is enough for healthy plants. However, blueberry plants with insufficient foliage, flowers, and fruits require an increased amount and frequency of fertilization.
Young and lacking blueberry plants require another dose of fertilizer to encourage them. You should add more fertilizer to them six to eight weeks after the first application and towards the end of spring.
Container plants and those growing in low acidic soils require fertilization during the growing season. However, never fertilize them more than every two months.
After harvesting your blueberries, the plants go back to an active growing season. So, they require an extra dose of fertilizer.
Avoid too much fertilization because it burns the roots of your blueberry plants. It is a consequence emanating from their original natural habitat, forests with Confer trees, which had acidic soil. So, blueberries require fewer soil nutrients than other fruit-bearing plants, bushes, and trees.
How to Fertilize Blueberry Plants
Do you know the process of fertilizing your blueberry plants? If you do not, follow the following simple process:
- First, remove any mulching from your blueberry plants.
- Loosen the soil around your blueberry plants gently using a rake. Apply caution during the process to avoid damaging the roots.
- Apply fertilizer at the base of the plants. However, the fertilizer should not touch the plant’s stem, foliage, and branches to prevent burning. In case of any unwanted contact with the said plant parts, brush off the fertilizer.
- Rake the area with fertilizer again gently and water it.
- Place the mulch back in place.
An Overview of the Best Fertilizer for Blueberries
- Espoma Holly-tone 4-3-4 Natural & Organic Evergreen & Azalea Plant Food (Best for acid-loving plants, providing a long-lasting plant food reserve, and maintaining evergreen shrubs during spring and fall)
- Down to Earth All Natural Acid Mix Fertilizer (Best for acid-loving plants for lush fruits and flowers, promotion of root growth, and improvement of resistance to cold winter temperatures) (Amazon choice award in Garden Fertilizers by Down To Earth All Natural Fertilizers)
- Dr. Earth 703P Organic 4 Azalea/Camellia/Rhododendron Acid Fertilizer in Poly Bag (Best for providing food to plants for several months, making the soil acidic, and supporting superior blossoms and buds) (Amazon choice award in Garden Fertilizers by Dr. Earth)
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac Organic Tomato & Vegetable Plant Food Fertilizer (Best for slow and quick release provision of plant food, strong roots, and healthy blossoms and fruits) (Amazon’s choice award in Garden Fertilizers by The Old Farmer’s Almanac)
- Jobe’s Organics 9364 Fertilizer (Best for decreasing soil alkalinity, acidifying soil, and promoting dark green growth)
- J R Peters Jacks Classic No.1.5 17-6-6 Acid Special Fertilizer (Best for greening up all acid-loving house and garden plants and keeping them healthy)
- True Organic – Berry & Fruit Plant Food (Best for providing a perfect start for berries and fruits, providing additional soil nutrient boost, promoting lush green foliage and blossoms, supporting container and in-ground plants)
- Winchester Gardens Select Organics Berry Granular Fertilizer (Best for indoor and outdoor plants, encouraging all-round growth, enhancing soil micro-organisms growth, supporting the production of healthy berries, and improving soil quality)
- Espoma GSUL6 Soil Acidifier (Best for acidifying and amending soil, lowering soil pH, and allowing acid-loving plants to thrive)
Our Top Pick
Espoma Holly-tone 4-3-4 Natural & Organic Evergreen & Azalea Plant Food: Best for Acid-Loving Plants, Providing a Long Lasting Plant Food Reserve, and Maintaining Evergreen Shrubs During Spring and Fall
We select Espoma Holly-tone fertilizer as our top pick because it is organic. It provides your blueberries with nutrients for a long time (45 to 60 days). This fertilizer is also versatile. You can use it on blueberries, azaleas, hydrangeas, evergreens, rhododendrons, strawberries, camellias, and other acid-loving plants.
Also, you can use this fertilizer on potted and garden plants. Lastly, this fertilizer contains beneficial microbes for soil.
Your Blueberry Fertilizer Shopping Guide
If you want to buy the best fertilizer that will benefit your blueberry bushes, you need to know its qualities. The move will help you distinguish between beneficial and harmful fertilizers for your blueberry plants. So what do you need to know?
Types of Fertilizer
Organic/Inorganic
Blueberry fertilizers are either organic or inorganic. Organic fertilizers contain natural ingredients that provide the soil with nutrients as the season progresses. Natural ingredients include seaweed, fish, blood, or sphagnum peat moss. You can also make your organic blueberries fertilizer using eggshells and coffee ground.
Regarding inorganic fertilizers, they contain synthetic ingredients. Also, these fertilizers provide instant fertilization to your blueberry plants. In addition, inorganic fertilizers contain higher quantities of key micronutrients than organic fertilizers. Lastly, inorganic fertilizers are odorless, unlike organic fertilizers with an unpleasant smell.
Liquid/Powder
Blueberry fertilizers are either in liquid or powder form. They require dilution with water. This form of fertilizer delivers nutrients to blueberry plants instantly.
On the other hand, powder or granular fertilizers require sprinkling, mixing, and raking of the soil. This form of fertilizer seeps into the ground gradually. It is ideal for blueberry plants that require occasional fertilization.
Soil Acidity
Blueberry plants are acid lovers. They are similar to rhododendrons, hydrangeas, azaleas, and strawberries. The soil that these plants grow in must be acidic. The pH level of the soil should be between 4.5 and 5.5. Such pH levels do not occur naturally in soil. Some soils require enhancement to achieve these pH levels.
How do you know soil pH levels? First, you can outsource for a professional evaluation. Alternatively, you can use a homemade pH test kit.
If you find the soil lacking the said pH levels, mix it with sulfur before planting your blueberry plants. Alternatively, use fertilizers to lower the soil pH. Fertilizer with sulfur-coated urea or ammonium sulfate is what you need to make your soil acidic.
Nutrient Ratio
The best fertilizer for your blueberry bushes should contain nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. However, avoid fertilizers with chloride or calcium nitrate because they are harmful to blueberry plants.
NPK Ratio
Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) should have an NPK ratio in blueberry fertilizers. This ratio measures the quantity percentage of each nutrient in the fertilizer. Fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10:10:10 is balanced and ideal for blueberry plants.
Blueberries require a high level of nitrogen for strong root development. If you fail to get specific fertilizer for your blueberries, you can go for azaleas or rhododendrons fertilizer. Such fertilizer has a similar nutritional value to that of blueberries.
Value
Check the price of blueberry plant fertilizer to confirm that it is within your budget. The market has both cheap and expensive blueberry fertilizers. So, you can get fertilizer that is within your spending limit.
Your Blueberry Fertilization Guide (Reviews)
Espoma Holly-tone 4-3-4 Natural & Organic Evergreen & Azalea Plant Food: Best for Acid-Loving Plants, Providing a Long Lasting Plant Food Reserve, and Maintaining Evergreen Shrubs During Spring and Fall
Espoma fertilizer is natural and organic. It breaks down slowly to provide your blueberry plants with a lasting reservoir of nutrients. This fertilizer is ideal for all acid-loving plants, including blueberries, azaleas, hydrangeas, evergreens, rhododendrons, strawberries, and camellias. It is suitable for maintaining evergreen shrubs.
You can use Espoma fertilizer in spring and fall. This fertilizer is ready to use. So, you do not require additional mixing. Lastly, this is an approved fertilizer for organic garden production.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: 45 to 60 days
- Frequency of application?: Feed in spring and fall at half the rate of spring
- Specs: NPK ratio: 4-3-2, Sulfur: 5, calcium; 5, magnesium: 1, and non-plant ingredients
- Pros: Slow-release of nutrients, organic, environmentally safe, no toxic ingredients, ready to use, acidifies the soil, easy to use
- Cons: Not ideal for quick results
- Brand: Espoma
- Form: powder
- Weight: 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms)
Down to Earth All Natural Acid Mix Fertilizer: Best for Acid-Loving Plants for Lush Fruits and Flowers, Promotion of Root Growth, and Improvement of Resistance to Cold Winter Temperatures
(Amazon Choice Award in Garden Fertilizers by Down to Earth All Natural Fertilizers)
This product is an organic fertilizer ideal for acid-loving plants, such as blueberries, rhododendrons, camellias, hydrangeas, azaleas, raspberries, strawberries, and potatoes. It encourages lush fruits and flowers. It also promotes strong roots development. Lastly, it helps your blueberry plants withstand the extreme winter temperatures.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: 45 to 60 days
- Frequency of application?: Feed in spring and fall at half the rate of spring
- Specs: NPK ratio: 4-3-6, calcium: 3, magnesium: 2, sulfur: 2, and non-plant ingredients
- Pros: Organic, versatile, slow-release of nutrients, acidifies the soil, easy to use
- Cons: Not ideal for quick results
- Brand: Down To Earth
- Form: Powder
- Weight: 5 pounds (2.25 kilograms)
Dr. Earth 703P Organic 4 Azalea/Camellia/Rhododendron Acid Fertilizer in Poly Bag: Best for Providing Food to Plants for Several Months, Making Soil Acidic, and Supporting Superior Blossoms and Buds
(Amazon Choice Award in Garden Fertilizers by Dr. Earth)
Dr. Earth fertilizer is organic and safe for humans and animals when used accordingly. It provides your blueberry plants with nutrients for a long time. Also, it has probiotics that are beneficial bacteria to your soil.
This fertilizer makes your blueberry plants and other acid-loving plants have healthy buds and blossoms. It is a quick-release fertilizer that gives instant outcomes. Also, it makes your plants drought-tolerant.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: 45 days for bushes, six weeks for potted plants,
- Frequency of application?: Apply mid-season at any time
- Specs: Contains eight select endo and endo mycorrhizae strains, trubiotics, ingredients from ocean plants, land plants, fish bones, fish, and mined minerals
- Pros: Organic, has probiotics, safe for humans and animals, versatile, quick-release of nutrients, instant results
- Cons: It does not provide a nutrient reserve to your blueberry plants
- Brand: Dr. Earth
- Form: Liquid
- Weight: 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms)
- Volume: 5 gallons (18.95 liters)
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Organic Tomato & Vegetable Plant Food Fertilizer: Best for Slow and Quick Release of Plant Food, Strong Roots, And Healthy Blossoms and Fruits
(Amazon’s Choice Award in Garden Fertilizers by The Old Farmer’s Almanac)
The Old Farmer’s Almanac fertilizer is an organic product. It is ideal for shrubs, trees, herbs, vegetables, fruits, and tomatoes. This fertilizer has slow- and quick-release properties. So, it has the potential of providing instant results and a lasting reservoir of nutrients to your blueberry plants.
You can use this fertilizer for indoor and outdoor plants. It supports their growth and color, healthy blossoms and fruits, and strong roots. Also, it has a 90-day warranty.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: Six to eight weeks
- Frequency of application?: Apply throughout the growing season
- Specs: NPK ratio: 8-4-8, sulfur: 2.9
- Pros: Organic, both slow and quick release, 90-day warranty, indoor and outdoor application, versatile,
- Cons: No known cons
- Brand: The Old Farmer’s Almanac
- Form: Powder
- Weight: 2.25 pounds (1.01 kilograms)
Jobe’s Organics 9364 Fertilizer: Best for Decreasing Soil Alkalinity, Acidifying Soil, and Promoting Dark Green Growth
Jobe’s Organics fertilizer is organic. It reduces soil alkalinity. It is also ideal for blueberries and hydrangeas because it gives them a dark-green color.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: Four to six weeks
- Frequency of application?: Two to three times a year
- Specs: Sulfur: 30%
- Pros: Organic, certified for organic gardening, increases soil acidity, maintains soil pH, High sulfur content
- Cons: It does not provide plants with several nutrients
- Brand: Jobe’s
- Form: Granules
- Weight: 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms)
J R Peters Jacks Classic No.1.5 17-6-6 Acid Special Fertilizer: Best for Greening Up All Acid-Loving House and Garden Plants and Keeping Them Healthy
Your blueberry plants absorb J R Peters Jack Classic fertilizer with their leaves and roots. This product is for acid-loving plants, including blueberries, magnolia, spruce, holly, and cedar. It makes them healthy, green, and have lush blossoms and vegetative growth.
This fertilizer has elevated levels of sulfur and iron, besides the active nutrients. It is also water-soluble plant food that facilitates the absorption of soil trace elements, such as iron.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: Seven to ten days
- Frequency of application?: Throughout the growing season
- Specs: NPK ratio: 17-6-6, sulfur: 14%,
- Pros: Organic, elevated levels of nitrogen, iron, and sulfur, soluble plant food, quick-release of nutrients
- Cons: It does not provide plants with a reservoir of nutrients
- Brand: Jacks Classic
- Form: Soluble powder
- Weight: 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilograms)
True Organic – Berry & Fruit Plant Food: Best for Providing a Perfect Start for Berries and Fruits, Providing Additional Soil Nutrient Boost, Promoting Lush Green Foliage and Blossoms, Supporting Container and In-Ground Plants
True Organic fertilizer combines all-natural ingredients that fruits and berries require in their starting point. It is ideal for blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. This product has the potential of enlarging fruits and making them delicious.
This fertilizer combines various ingredients, including poultry manure, potash, soybean meal, fishbone meal, seabird guano, crab, and shrimp shell meal. It supports lush green foliage, blossoms, and fruits. Also, it has properties that replenish the soil.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: Monthly
- Frequency of application?: Throughout the growing season
- Specs: NPK ratio: 5-4-4, calcium: 6, sulfur: 1
- Pros: Organic, replenishes the soil, versatile, slow-release, provides plants with a reservoir of nutrients
- Cons: No quick results
- Brand: True Organic
- Form: Granules
- Weight: 4 pounds (0.9 kilograms)
Winchester Gardens Select Organics Berry Granular Fertilizer: Best for Indoor and Outdoor Plants, Encouraging All-Round Growth, Enhancing Soil Micro-Organisms Growth, Supporting the Production of Healthy Berries, and Improving Soil Quality
You can find Winchester Gardens fertilizer ideal for your indoor and outdoor blueberry plants. It is an organic fertilizer that can support the growth of your blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. It also enhances the growth of beneficial soil micro-organisms.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: six to eight weeks
- Frequency of application?: When planting or early in the season
- Specs: NPK ratio: 2-3-4,
- Pros: Slow-release of plant nutrients, supports all-round growth, versatile,
- Cons: Does not support instant results
- Brand: Winchester Gardens
- Form: Powder
- Weight: 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms)
Espoma GSUL6 Soil Acidifier: Best for Acidifying and Amending Soil, Lowering Soil pH, and Allowing Acid-Loving Plants to Thrive
If you test and find your soil with insufficient acidity, apply the Epsoma fertilizer. It is a soil acidifier that couples as plant food. It is a fertilizer with natural and pure minerals that supports the optimum growth of your blueberries and hydrangeas and other acid-loving plants.
- Recommended use- bushes or potted plants?: Both
- How long does it last after each application?: 60 days
- Frequency of application?: Apply in Spring
- Specs: Sulfur and gypsum: 30
- Pros: Organic, safe, unlike aluminum sulfate
- Cons: It does not provide plants with several nutrients
- Brand: Epsoma
- Form: Powder
- Weight: 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms)
FAQs on Blueberries
Q: How do I make my soil more acidic for blueberries?
A: Mixing soil with sulfur is one of the methods of making the soil for your blueberries acidic. However, ensure that you have tested your soil first before deciding to make it acidic. Aim to achieve pH levels between 4.5 and 4.8.
Q: Are coffee grounds good for blueberry bushes?
A: Coffee grounds are acidic, making them a homemade organic blueberry plants fertilizer.
Q: Are eggshells good for blueberry bushes?
A: Similar to coffee grounds, eggshells have an acidic nature. So, they equally make a perfect DIY organic blueberry plants fertilizer.
Q: When should I acidify my blueberry soil?
A: Soil acidity fluctuates randomly throughout the blueberries season. Testing is the only way to find whether your soil requires acidification. Any soil with pH levels of 5.5 needs a soil acidifier.
Q: How do I treat reddish leaves on blueberries?
A: Blueberry plants with reddish leaves depict a lack of magnesium. The sprinkling of Epsom salts on the soil is one of the methods of increasing the magnesium nutrient levels in your blueberry plants.
Key Takeaways on Blueberry Soil
Besides using fertilizers, such as the Espoma Holly-tone 4-3-4 Natural & Organic Evergreen & Azalea Plant Food, ensure you have the appropriate soil for your blueberries. What do you need to know about the best soil for growing blueberries?
Type of Soil
Blueberries grow well on sandy or loam soil. The soil should be fertile with improved drainage but with moderate water-holding capacity. Blueberry bushes are sensitive to heavy or wet soils. The roots of some varieties of blueberries, such as cultivars, rot when growing on heavy and waterlogged soils.
If you create mounded rows or raised beds, you can improve the drainage of your blueberry plants’ soil. Such structures with an appropriate design create sufficient height that keeps the dirt drained.
Soil Testing and Amendment
Before planting your blueberry plants, have the soil tested for pH and nutrients. Collect the soil periodically over a year and above. Also, the soil should come from 12 to 18 inches (30.48 to 45.72 centimeters) under the soil. This part of the soil supports the blueberry root growth.
Blueberry soil should have a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. If the soil test is below 4.5, the soil is too acidic. On the other hand, test results above 5.5 depict that the earth is less acidic or too basic. When the pH level is too high or too low, the soil requires an amendment to the correct pH level.
Regarding the soil nutrients, test the soil for phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na). You should also test the soil for Boron (B) and organic matter.
A test for nitrogen is not necessary. The addition of nitrogen to the soil comes after planting your blueberry plants. So, supply a nitrogenous fertilizer to your plants after planting them.
Soils with a pH above 5.7 require sulfur for their amendment. If the soil has a pH between 5.5 and 5.7, you do not need sulfur to acidify it. The use of fertilizers lower such moderately high pH levels over time.
For soils with a pH below 4.5, applying limestone can raise the soil pH to 5.5. Alternatively, you can use high-pH composts to raise the pH level of such soil. However, avoid fresh animal manure and mushroom composts because they have high salt content.
Recommended Soil Nutritional Ranges
- Phosphorous: Bray 1 test: 23 to 45, Olsen test: 10
- Potassium (K): 100 to 150
- Calcium (Ca): 1000
- Magnesium (Mg): 60
- Boron (B): 0.5 to 1
- Organic matter: Less than 4%
Signs of Blueberry Soil pH Anomaly
If you see your blueberry plants with green-veined or yellow leaves, the pH of the soil is high. This condition happens mostly to young plants. One of the causes of high pH in tested soil is the addition of compost. To prevent the issue, use the appropriate organic matter.
Construction can also raise the soil pH. This causal factor affects home garden soils. another cause of high soil pH is the leaching of lime along building foundations or sidewalks. So, avoid planting your blueberries close to the said structures.