Edith on Blueberries

by Edith Isidoro-Mills -- Blueberries are delicious and you might be tempted to try raising them in your garden.  Here in Churchill County that will prove very frustrating because blueberries love acidic soil and water.  Neither of which characterize our local growing conditions. Ideal soil pH for blueberries is between 4.5 and 5.5.  Our local soils range from around pH 7.0 to 10.0.  This can be counteracted by adding elemental sulfur, but depending on how high the pH is, it could require a minimum of 5 to 6 pounds of elemental sulfur per square foot of ground.  In many cases changing the soil pH this drastically will release other minerals in the soil that are toxic to plants. Besides using sulfur, you can try digging a very deep and wide trench and replacing the soil with peat moss.  This will only work for a few years until the roots of the blueberries start to venture outside the boundaries of the trench and into the surrounding alkaline soil. Another possible way to raise blueberries and avoid the high pH of our local soils is to plant the blueberry bush in a very large pot.  This may work until the plant gets too big for the pot.  If you do try this, find the size of pot that could double as a stationary planter.  Keep in mind that the root system will not be as well protected from extreme temperatures as it would in the ground.  This may mean moving the pot into a garage during extremely cold weather. If you do solve the soil issues with regard to raising blueberries in Churchill County, there is another issue that must be solved in order maintain that solution.  You will need to irrigate your blueberry bush and both surface and ground water sources here have a pH of between 7.0 and 10.0.  Watering with alkaline water will eventually raise the soil pH of your treated soil.  Water can also be treated to lower its pH but this will require strong acid such as sulfuric acid.  Handling strong acid solutions such as sulfuric acid can be hazardous. By now you may be wondering where blueberries are grown.  Blueberries are native to eastern Canada and the north eastern part of the United States where soils are quite acidic and receive lots of rain.  Rainwater has a pH of between 5.6 and 5.8 which will not raise the soil pH.  In fact, the soils are acidic because of the high rainfall amounts received in these regions.  Blueberries are commercially grown in that region of North America. Some varieties of blueberries have been developed that will grow in warmer regions but they still require acidic soil.  This has allowed blueberry production in the south eastern states and portions California and Oregon where rainfall is heavy. If you like to eat blueberries and you live in Churchill County, you probably should get them from the supermarket.  It would be a lot safer and less expensive.  You can also develop a taste for berries such as raspberries and blackberries that can be raised here in Churchill on a small scale.  Raspberries and blackberries will grow in a wider range of soil and water conditions.       Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.