What did you do in the garden today?

[ChicksnMore]

In case you didn't know, blueberries like very acidic soil, pH 4.5-5.5 and most garden soils aren't that low unless you add something.

I do know. Are fruiting problems in blueberries usually about acidity? The soil here is alkaline and the water is too so I grow them in acidic planters and amend through out the year. I think my biggest problem is the heat....but not sure. My understanding is that they like a cool root zone and I think that's where I'm failing. I keep trying to figure out how to cool the roots naturally and think I'm not succeeding well enough. Clay pots with a water reservoir keeps them alive but not thriving. I have a type recommended for hot areas but I've forgotten the name...it's a southern highbush variety though. It might be that the alkaline water is the problem?

 

[Elyrian1]

They want $50 in TX for those too.

Dust storm? 50mph+ winds and enough dust in the air that you can't see down the street. The base velocity maps are all kinds of pink right now. Wave after wave of it coming from this small front line running perpendicular to a large cold front (ha! not cold at all) moving into the area. At the shop next-door the guys packed up, shut her down, and took off!

 

[TJAnonymous]

I do know. Are fruiting problems in blueberries usually about acidity? The soil here is alkaline and the water is too so I grow them in acidic planters and amend through out the year. I think my biggest problem is the heat....but not sure. My understanding is that they like a cool root zone and I think that's where I'm failing. I keep trying to figure out how to cool the roots naturally and think I'm not succeeding well enough. Clay pots with a water reservoir keeps them alive but not thriving. I have a type recommended for hot areas but I've forgotten the name...it's a southern highbush variety though. It might be that the alkaline water is the problem?

Living in the south, blueberries have been really finicky for me. Even choosing varieties that are rated for my area like rabbiteyes. I used to be good friends with a guy who was a blueberry expert at the University of Arkansas - Agriculture Division. He told me that (in our area), the key to blueberries was raised beds and mulch. He said that blueberries do NOT like wet feet. And the mulch helps keep the roots cool & moist. I've still struggled even though mine are in a raised bed. After losing 6 of my 7 blueberry bushes, I finally got a soil review of my beds. I would suggest you do the same. It should be either free or low cost. They require several cups of soil though to do the analysis. They will tell you EXACTLY what you need to do to help YOUR blueberry plants thrive. In my case, I had my soil FAR too acidic. IT killed my plants. I stopped adding acidifiers last year. This spring, I got a 2nd analysis. STILL too acidic. Here's a snippet of my report. You can see that my phosphorus is too high. pH is too low. And those issues are causing an imbalance in other essential minerals. Each month I add a little bit of lime to my beds trying to slowly and carefully raise the pH. I also will be planting some acid-tolerant plants, such as fava beans to help balance out the phosphorus. Those won't be planted until late fall to allow the acid to come up some.... If it all works out, I should be able to add new blueberry plants to the beds next year.

ETA - in regards to your low fruit set, do you have more than one variety? Do they flower at the same time? Like most berries, blueberry varieties have early, mid-, and late-season flowering. Your variety may require cross pollination. If it doesn't have it, it may not fruit well or at all. If your varieties don't flower during the same time, you will also get reduced fruit set.

 

[589205]

I swear this summer is hotter than last summer... I've got nothing but 95+ on the ten-day forecast and half of it is over 100. *sigh*

My store bought starts are trying their hardest! I don't know if they'll make it, but they are trying. My plans yesterday were waylaid by a family dinner, so I'm going to try tonight to harvest the garlic. It has all pretty much crisped up. I was going to harvest it sooner but then it rained a bit and I wanted it dry when I pulled it.

Same dang cockerel bit my other foot this morning but failed to break the skin. I need to weigh him and see if he's fat enough to eat yet.

The weather really is getting weirder and crazier every year. We’re seeing old trees suffer and bug populations booming everywhere.

 

[chickengr]

They want $50 on Oahu........

55 Gallon Blue Plastic Barrels Food Grade - $50 (Honolulu)​

there is a guy here who sells an old tv set for 100 eur. it cannot work without decoder. I bought a new one for 99 eur

 

[chickengr]

I do know. Are fruiting problems in blueberries usually about acidity? The soil here is alkaline and the water is too so I grow them in acidic planters and amend through out the year. I think my biggest problem is the heat....but not sure. My understanding is that they like a cool root zone and I think that's where I'm failing. I keep trying to figure out how to cool the roots naturally and think I'm not succeeding well enough. Clay pots with a water reservoir keeps them alive but not thriving. I have a type recommended for hot areas but I've forgotten the name...it's a southern highbush variety though. It might be that the alkaline water is the problem?

I tried redcurrants and gooseberries but they did not survive the heat.

 

[589205]

We had a derecho roll through here last year and it literally annihilated almost everything, including me. A big Elm tree branch broke off and came crashing down on me while I was running back to my house after locking the chicken coops up. I almost died that day…And it’s not the first time that’s happened to me but it was scary because I had no control over it and didn’t see it coming:

 

[Sally PB]

@TJAnonymous, interesting info about your blueberries. How many years did you add stuff to acidify it, to end up with such acidic soil?

I just "assumed" my soil was acidic, since I pile lots of oak leaves on it every year. Nope. It certainly is well drained, as it's a hill of sand. You can tell where I've been "helping" it, as it's much richer looking. But still not acidic.

At least now I have a reason to make yogurt as often as possible: Whey for the blueberries!

 

[WthrLady]

Tha

We had a derecho roll through here last year and it literally annihilated almost everything, including me. A big Elm tree branch broke off and came crashing down on me while I was running back to my house after locking the chicken coops up. I almost died that day…And it’s not the first time that’s happened to me but it was scary because I had no control over it and didn’t see it coming:View attachment 3141127That

That storm LITERALLY started right here, the first high wind report that day was from me and it only got worse from here. It was scary!!

 

[Sally PB]

Unless there's more rain in the offing, we got next to nuthin' here. I even tempted it by going out to weed a row on my hands and knees. The sun came out momentarily.

Well, the chickens got a bucket of weeds, anyway.

In my travels today, I scored 12 bags of coffee grounds from a Starbucks. I have GREAT luck at that particular store. And I have to head back that way twice next week. It's a good thing I like the smell of coffee, because there are gobs of coffee grounds in my garden.