It's time to read and vote for your favorite article in the 2013 Write-Off Contest! The four finalist's articles are featured in the May 13 newsletter and can be found through this link. Hurry! Voting ends May 18.
Welcome!
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I have some questions regarding acidifying soil. Last spring I planted several blueberry plants in a new bed. I added aluminum sulfate beforehand and at least a couple times during the growing season as my soil is alkaline. The plants did not grow much but they did not look unhealthy, either -- the leaves were green -- there just weren't very many leaves. Well I just checked the soil and the PH varies from 6.5 to about 7 in the bed. I am wondering if I should add a bunch of aluminum sulfate or give up on this bed for blueberries. I have read in a couple places that it is more effective to use a raised bed for plants that need an altered PH from what your soil naturally is. Why is that? What is it about a raised bed that would maintain acidity? Why is that different from a bed in the ground? And if I were to do a raised bed, and wanted to buy soil for it, is there particular soil I should get? Is some bagged soil acidic? Or would I be adding alum. sulfate regardless of what soil I use? Or should I just leave the blueberries where they are and try again to amend that soil?
Thank you for any advice!
This thread has 27 replies. This forum is accessible only to subscribing members of Dave's Garden. There are many free features here, and about half of our forums are completely open to all members. Take a tour of our site and learn more about Dave's Garden, and explore the benefits of becoming a subscribing member.
