Growing blueberries in clay soil

The first part of this article should help with understanding the blueberry plant and its needs, and the second part describes the most important steps for establishing a planting successfully.

Understanding the Blueberry Plant

Blueberries fall into an entirely different plant family from most other food crops.

How to acidify soil for blueberries

This plant family, the Ericaceae, includes azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and teaberries (wintergreen). These species are often found growing together in nature, as their needs are similar. The native soils in which they thrive are typically low in pH (i.e., acidic), high in organic matter, low in phosphorus and calcium, and porous.

Forest understories, bog areas, and pine barrens are all common locations where wild blueberries grow, though the species vary depending on location and conditions.

Most of the roots on a blueberry plant are extremely fine (only about the width of a human hair), so they are fragile, and are usually shallow.

These roots can easily find their way through porous and high organic m

do blueberries like clay soil

growing blueberries in clay