Interesting tip, and I appreciate hearing the research behind it. Our soil is naturally acidic and we get a lot of rain, so blueberries are happy without any amendments in our area.
@@NextdoorHomestead I think it's funny that I watch a video where I don't need the info! But your content is well made, and I figured there's always something to learn. It's true that blueberries grow wild in the forests in our region 😊 south coast in Western Canada. Temperate rain forest, zone 7b.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!!! I have been binge watching them all morning and way into the afternoon!!! You explain things so easily!! I just started my grow8ng and built a greenhouse. I was so worried it wasn't gonna work. But you have inspired me!! Keep making videos!!! Their AWESOME!!!!!
THANK YOU! This comment totally just made my night. How is your greenhouse going? And your garden will definitely work out - the first year or two is just so full of learning you can't help but get it right.
Love your videos! Your love of gardening is so apparent and your enthusiasm really keeps my ADHD brain engaged. I am always excited to see a notification pop up that you put out a new video. Keep up the great work!
Yes! Haha I was pretty stoked to make this one - I've wanted to make a simpler blueberry tutorial for a *long* time but just couldn't find anything worth sharing until now. Glad it was entertaining (and hopefully useful!). And thanks so much for sticking with the channel =)
@@NextdoorHomesteadfor sure! I’m feeling inspired to take my blueberries that are outgrowing their pots and get them in something larger. I’ll have to look for the Kentucky bluegrass seeds and try them out!
I just discovered your channel and your videos are SO informative and actually take the time to explain the "why" of it all. it gives me so much confidence as a new gardener!
I have been allowing grass to grow around my rabbit eye and Elliot's blueberries once mature for years here in Georgia despite my soil being naturally grassy. The main reason I do it that way is because it doesn't seem to really hurt them once the plants are full size, and it's a heck of a lot easier to control weeds around them with a lawnmower than any other way that doesn't involve using herbicides.
No problem - it has been a fun project! Just as an FYI, the researchers did have better results with the creeping red fescue grass vs. the Kentucky Blue. I grabbed a bag of it on Amazon to use. Cheers!
Hi! Long time no see! I guess it's that time of year again! 😂 This one is right on time for me. I have a couple of different bushes in my virtual cart right now. I need to grow mine in containers but, I could definitely toss in a layer of ky blue grass seeds around it. I think it would actually look very cool!
SPRING IS HERE! =) I originally researched this method as a tool for growing in pots - I think it's worth a try. But for what it's worth - and I didn't make this clear in the video - the creeping red fescue grass helped more than the Kentucky blue in the researcher's trial. It's harder to find in my neck of the woods so I got it on Amazon. Anyhow, best of luck with your blueberries and thanks for circling back to our channel!
This is great video. I've never heard about sowing grass on top. Question: does the top soil for grass seeds also need to be acidified, or is this an additional, non acidified layer on top of soil for bb? For the first time I just planted 3 blueberry bushes, each into 24 gallon container, 24 inches diameter each. I provided them with special slow release 90% elemental sulfur soil acidifier as per product instructions (300 ml per square meter in order to lower pH from 7 to 4 ). I watered them well and keep them moist. After 7 days I took pH reading for every container and I'm still seeing the result of pH 7, that is pH has not changed a bit. Would you have any suggestions on why that can be and what else I should do. Much appreciated.
Heya! The grass definitely doesn't need an acidic layer like the blueberries. The researchers in the paper didn't acidify the soil like I did actually; they just used the grass in standard soil. Elemental sulfur takes a very long time to be fully effective because it's a biological process. Does your bag give an indication of how often to test? Also, is it in potting mix? The bacteria will need to be present and have time to populate the soil.
Hope you do a follow-up video! Will the grass need to be trimmed? A question I couldn't really find consistent answers to is will planting different varieties next to each other produce hybrid fruits?
I'm pretty sure it will show up in future videos (for better or worse!). The researchers did trim the grass to a lawn height, so I'll probably do something similar until our sun kills it off. Are you trying to breed and grow new plants?
@@NextdoorHomestead I think I'm mistaken in my thinking. I was thinking that if one variety is pollinated from another variety, then the fruit is a hybrid fruit with different characteristics, but I think it's only the seeds of the that fruit that could produce a new hybrid plant.
@@robbiejaeger5441 oh I'm sorry, I should have read your question more closely! Yep, the fruit itself is formed entirely from the genetic material of the plant it's growing on.
Heya! It appears that yes it does. In the researcher's study, the "creeping red fescue grass" outperformed the kentucky blue grass. So that's what I went with =) They only tested two grasses so unfortunately that's the only data I can point at. Cheers!
I do not know whether the grass would benefit blackberries, but honestly you may not need the boost. Blackberries tend to be *much* easier to grow... if you can contain them =)
Dude, this is awesome. I'm totality going to give this a try! In Vegas and I have multiple blueberries growing that are two to three years old and so far have had good results with sulfur, but something easier and quicker would be ideal. What compact varieties do you recommend?
@@NextdoorHomestead So I had a thought, have you tried EDDHA iron on them? Its chelated and specifically formulated to be highly available to plants in neutral and alkaline soil. Really important here in Vegas for citrus and others that aren't the biggest fans of alkaline clay. Might be worth trying out in them if iron is the x-factor to them surviving and thriving!
I added 3 more bb plants this year. I moved a big one and 3 small ones as well. I did add peat and sulfur and made sure to protect them from rabbits, I think that is my biggest issue with bb. I will also put some comfry in the beds with them.
Would this be beneficial in containers? One of my plants is in a huge container right now. The fence on the property line looks to be coming down and replaced sometime over next 12 months so I don’t want to put it in the ground yet. Enjoy your videos 😊
I suspect the answer is yes, depending on the nature of the potting/container mix. There does still need to be iron in there to be made more available. In any case, I think it's relatively low risk. The major downside is it just requires extra watering =)
Please tell me why I have fed my blueberries aluminum sulfate multiple times and I test the pH and it is very slightly lower. Why isn’t the pH lowering??
I love switchgrass - I think it's so pretty. That's a great idea. I've tried to find some resources to indicate which grasses excel at producing iron chelators but wasn't able to (which is why I defaulted to the winning grass from the research study). Cheers.
This is very interesting. I hadn’t heard about grass releasing iron chelates before. It makes sense that more plants are the answer since that’s how it happens in nature. Creeping red fescue and red fescue are the dominant species in most “no mow” or “eco grass” seed mixtures, so using one of those would be an ideal companion planting with blueberries. Sprinkle some yarrow, clover, self heal, strawberries in with it and you have a banging mix. I’m going to give this a go. However, I think knowing your soul PH and correcting it will still be necessary from the start as blueberries require very acidic soil for optimal growth
Would love to see what this bed looks like in a few months.
Yeah, me too! Thanks for watching =)
Same!
It’s been a few months! Show us show us show us! 🤗
The slow zoom with the foreground plant was a nice touch at the start
Oh, thanks! I didn't have much time to edit this one unfortunately, so I appreciate that a lot =)
Interesting tip, and I appreciate hearing the research behind it. Our soil is naturally acidic and we get a lot of rain, so blueberries are happy without any amendments in our area.
Haha I'm always thinking about viewers like you when I talk about blueberries. Must seem crazy to go through so much effort to grow wild shrubs 😁
@@NextdoorHomestead I think it's funny that I watch a video where I don't need the info! But your content is well made, and I figured there's always something to learn. It's true that blueberries grow wild in the forests in our region 😊 south coast in Western Canada. Temperate rain forest, zone 7b.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!!! I have been binge watching them all morning and way into the afternoon!!! You explain things so easily!! I just started my grow8ng and built a greenhouse. I was so worried it wasn't gonna work. But you have inspired me!! Keep making videos!!! Their AWESOME!!!!!
THANK YOU! This comment totally just made my night.
How is your greenhouse going? And your garden will definitely work out - the first year or two is just so full of learning you can't help but get it right.
Love your videos! Your love of gardening is so apparent and your enthusiasm really keeps my ADHD brain engaged. I am always excited to see a notification pop up that you put out a new video. Keep up the great work!
Yes! Haha I was pretty stoked to make this one - I've wanted to make a simpler blueberry tutorial for a *long* time but just couldn't find anything worth sharing until now. Glad it was entertaining (and hopefully useful!).
And thanks so much for sticking with the channel =)
@@NextdoorHomesteadfor sure! I’m feeling inspired to take my blueberries that are outgrowing their pots and get them in something larger. I’ll have to look for the Kentucky bluegrass seeds and try them out!
I just discovered your channel and your videos are SO informative and actually take the time to explain the "why" of it all. it gives me so much confidence as a new gardener!
I have been allowing grass to grow around my rabbit eye and Elliot's blueberries once mature for years here in Georgia despite my soil being naturally grassy. The main reason I do it that way is because it doesn't seem to really hurt them once the plants are full size, and it's a heck of a lot easier to control weeds around them with a lawnmower than any other way that doesn't involve using herbicides.
Great! I just got a few plants! Thanks!
Best of luck! Super fun plant when they're happy =)
Great, I was trying to plant them in pots, thank you. I'll give it a shot with some KY blue's ❤
No problem - it has been a fun project! Just as an FYI, the researchers did have better results with the creeping red fescue grass vs. the Kentucky Blue. I grabbed a bag of it on Amazon to use.
Cheers!
Great video, very informative and well put together!
Well thank you! So glad you enjoyed it =)
Perfect timing! I just planted a bush!!
Nice! I hope this is some food for thought 😁
@@NextdoorHomestead it did!
Are there any pruning considerations? Old cane or fruiting wood? Thanks🎉
Blueberries definitely benefit from pruning (and mine are out of control!) but nothing special with regards to this strategy. Just extra water 😁
Hi! Long time no see! I guess it's that time of year again! 😂
This one is right on time for me. I have a couple of different bushes in my virtual cart right now. I need to grow mine in containers but, I could definitely toss in a layer of ky blue grass seeds around it. I think it would actually look very cool!
SPRING IS HERE! =)
I originally researched this method as a tool for growing in pots - I think it's worth a try. But for what it's worth - and I didn't make this clear in the video - the creeping red fescue grass helped more than the Kentucky blue in the researcher's trial. It's harder to find in my neck of the woods so I got it on Amazon.
Anyhow, best of luck with your blueberries and thanks for circling back to our channel!
@@NextdoorHomestead Thanks! Off to Amazon!
This is great video. I've never heard about sowing grass on top. Question: does the top soil for grass seeds also need to be acidified, or is this an additional, non acidified layer on top of soil for bb? For the first time I just planted 3 blueberry bushes, each into 24 gallon container, 24 inches diameter each. I provided them with special slow release 90% elemental sulfur soil acidifier as per product instructions (300 ml per square meter in order to lower pH from 7 to 4 ). I watered them well and keep them moist. After 7 days I took pH reading for every container and I'm still seeing the result of pH 7, that is pH has not changed a bit. Would you have any suggestions on why that can be and what else I should do. Much appreciated.
Heya! The grass definitely doesn't need an acidic layer like the blueberries. The researchers in the paper didn't acidify the soil like I did actually; they just used the grass in standard soil.
Elemental sulfur takes a very long time to be fully effective because it's a biological process. Does your bag give an indication of how often to test? Also, is it in potting mix? The bacteria will need to be present and have time to populate the soil.
Hope you do a follow-up video! Will the grass need to be trimmed? A question I couldn't really find consistent answers to is will planting different varieties next to each other produce hybrid fruits?
I'm pretty sure it will show up in future videos (for better or worse!). The researchers did trim the grass to a lawn height, so I'll probably do something similar until our sun kills it off.
Are you trying to breed and grow new plants?
@@NextdoorHomestead I think I'm mistaken in my thinking. I was thinking that if one variety is pollinated from another variety, then the fruit is a hybrid fruit with different characteristics, but I think it's only the seeds of the that fruit that could produce a new hybrid plant.
@@robbiejaeger5441 oh I'm sorry, I should have read your question more closely! Yep, the fruit itself is formed entirely from the genetic material of the plant it's growing on.
Our blueberries are just starting to grow berries. I can't wait. I guess there must be other blueberry plants near here, cause I only have one.
Nice! So fun =)
With most cultivars, cross pollination just helps out and isn't totally necessary. But consider adding one nearby if you can!
Does it matter what kind of grass?
Heya! It appears that yes it does. In the researcher's study, the "creeping red fescue grass" outperformed the kentucky blue grass. So that's what I went with =)
They only tested two grasses so unfortunately that's the only data I can point at.
Cheers!
do you know if the same applies to blackberries ?
I do not know whether the grass would benefit blackberries, but honestly you may not need the boost. Blackberries tend to be *much* easier to grow... if you can contain them =)
Dude, this is awesome. I'm totality going to give this a try!
In Vegas and I have multiple blueberries growing that are two to three years old and so far have had good results with sulfur, but something easier and quicker would be ideal.
What compact varieties do you recommend?
Thanks for checking it out =)
I haven't tried them all by any means but the bushel and berry silver dollar seems great so far.
@@NextdoorHomestead I'll have a gander.
Looking forward to more videos!
@@NextdoorHomestead So I had a thought, have you tried EDDHA iron on them? Its chelated and specifically formulated to be highly available to plants in neutral and alkaline soil. Really important here in Vegas for citrus and others that aren't the biggest fans of alkaline clay.
Might be worth trying out in them if iron is the x-factor to them surviving and thriving!
I added 3 more bb plants this year. I moved a big one and 3 small ones as well. I did add peat and sulfur and made sure to protect them from rabbits, I think that is my biggest issue with bb. I will also put some comfry in the beds with them.
Fun! They're addictive - we keep trying to find new places to slot more plants in =)
Good luck keeping the critters away!
Can you do an update video on the blueberries and the strawberries in containers from last year?
Would this be beneficial in containers? One of my plants is in a huge container right now. The fence on the property line looks to be coming down and replaced sometime over next 12 months so I don’t want to put it in the ground yet. Enjoy your videos 😊
I suspect the answer is yes, depending on the nature of the potting/container mix. There does still need to be iron in there to be made more available. In any case, I think it's relatively low risk. The major downside is it just requires extra watering =)
Please tell me why I have fed my blueberries aluminum sulfate multiple times and I test the pH and it is very slightly lower. Why isn’t the pH lowering??
Apologies - I don't feel comfortable advising about use on aluminum sulfate as we never apply it ourselves. Best of luck!
@@NextdoorHomestead I admire that, thanks!
I would love to know what this bed looks like now! Any chance for a follow-up video? Or just a simple comment? :) Did it work as expected? :)
I would like to know if there's some scientific research about having different varieties and getting bigger and better fruit
I just laughed histerically when you said, "Woo woo nonsense"!!! 😂😂😂
=)
That's actually super relieving. Sometimes the woo of gardening drives me nuts!
hmm... it would be interesting to try this with Switch Grass - it fixes nitrogen and is a native grass
I love switchgrass - I think it's so pretty. That's a great idea. I've tried to find some resources to indicate which grasses excel at producing iron chelators but wasn't able to (which is why I defaulted to the winning grass from the research study).
Cheers.
Thank you. My blueberry game has been weak for 2 years.
Haha, hey! Very stoked you're still watching the channel.
I'm really hoping the grass makes growing them a bit less complicated here too.
This is very interesting. I hadn’t heard about grass releasing iron chelates before. It makes sense that more plants are the answer since that’s how it happens in nature. Creeping red fescue and red fescue are the dominant species in most “no mow” or “eco grass” seed mixtures, so using one of those would be an ideal companion planting with blueberries. Sprinkle some yarrow, clover, self heal, strawberries in with it and you have a banging mix. I’m going to give this a go. However, I think knowing your soul PH and correcting it will still be necessary from the start as blueberries require very acidic soil for optimal growth
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Would love to hear how that mix works out for you - sounds like a fun jungle =)