Blueberry bushes hard to grow is a common complaint from gardeners who try these plants without knowing their special needs. The truth is that blueberries are not hard at all once you give them what they want. They just have very specific soil needs that differ from most other plants. Miss this one detail and your bushes will struggle no matter what else you do right.
I failed with blueberries three times before I figured out what was going wrong in my own yard. My plants looked fine for the first few weeks after planting each spring. Then leaves started turning yellow between the veins while staying green along the edges. Growth slowed to almost nothing and berries never formed. I blamed bugs and disease and bad luck before a soil test showed me the real problem.
The main blueberry growing challenges come down to soil pH that most yards do not have right. Blueberries evolved in acidic forest soils where the pH sits between 4.0 and 5.5 on the scale. Most garden beds test between 6.0 and 7.0 which works great for tomatoes and roses. But that same soil blocks blueberry roots from taking up iron and other nutrients they need to grow.
UMN Extension warns that soil pH above 5.5 causes problems you cannot fix with fertilizer or extra water. Your plants show slowed growth and yellow leaves even when you feed them well. Severe cases lead to plant death within a few seasons no matter how much care you give. The roots cannot absorb what they need from soil that is not acidic enough for them.
What makes difficult growing blueberries even worse is that fixing soil pH takes time and planning ahead. You cannot just dump some product on the ground and plant the next day expecting good results. Elemental sulfur works best but it needs six months to a year to change the soil. Gardeners who skip or rush this step end up with struggling plants that make them think blueberries are too hard.
Some growers also pick the wrong varieties for their zone which adds to their problems each season. A bush bred for Florida will struggle through Minnesota winters. Plants that need 800 or more chill hours will fail in warm southern areas with mild winters. Match your variety to local conditions or your bush will never produce well.
I also made the mistake of planting just one bush my first year without thinking about pollination needs. Even self fertile varieties make more berries when a second variety grows nearby. My single plant set very little fruit until I added two more varieties the following spring. The next summer my harvest jumped up and has stayed strong since then.
The good news is that blueberries become easy once you learn what they need from the start. Test your soil before you buy any plants and know your current pH level. Add sulfur if you test above 5.5 and wait for it to work before planting. Choose varieties rated for your climate zone. Plant at least two different types for cross pollination.
I now grow eight healthy bushes that produce more berries than my family can eat each summer. The same yard that killed my first three plants now supports thriving blueberries. Nothing changed except my approach to soil and variety selection. You can have the same success if you start with the right information before your first plant goes in the ground.
Read the full article: Growing Blueberries: 7 Steps for Success
