- Nutrition problems arise because the strategies for raising blueberries mean that nutrients have to be introduced by the grower to compensate for nutrients that are removed from the bush along with the berries, or pruned away with older blueberry canes. Some nutrients are also leached away if blueberry bushes grow in sandy soil that cannot hold nutrients well.
- Blueberries are most sensitive to the presence or absence of nitrogen in the soil. Although a blueberry plant may show little to no symptoms of deficiency of most other nutrients, the plant's reaction to levels of nitrogen can be quite dramatic. If blueberries do not receive adequate nitrogen, they become developmentally stunted. Signs of this include little if no new growth on existing canes and no new canes from year to year. However, if these bushes receive too much nitrogen, they may not produce berries, or produce a low-yield of late-growing berries. Overfertilized berries may also produce late-season foliage that is later killed by the first frosts of winter.
- Blueberry bushes are less reactive to a deficiency or overabundance of other nutrients than they are to nitrogen. For example, blueberry bushes show little reaction at all to the presence or absence of phosphorous in the soil. Plants that are deficient in phosphorous may be slightly smaller with slightly smaller leaves that are tinted dark green to purple. Potassium deficiency may cause dieback in tips and shoots. Signs of magnesium and iron deficiency may include yellowing of leaves.
- The proper way to diagnose deficiency of nutrients in the soil of blueberry plants is to take a soil sample and have it analyzed by your local agricultural extension office. The proper soil pH for blueberries is between 4.0 and 5.7. You can also acidify the soil by amending it with sulfur.
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