Veseys

Gardeners’ Forum: “High Bush Blueberry”

• High Bush Blueberry

  Posted by Colleen MacLeod on Sunday, May 6, 2007 10:29 am ADT

  Are wood ashes good for high bush blueberry plants. Blueberry fields grow best after fields are burned.... so do wood ashes promote healthy blueberry plants?

  • re: High Bush Blueberry

    Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 5:01 pm ADT

    Wood ash contains a small amount of macro and micro nutrients that are beneficial to plant growth. The concentration of calcium in the ash will increase the soil pH similar to adding agricultural lime. Ash also contains potassium, phosphorus, boron and magnesium. Adding ash as a soil ammendment certainaly won't hinder your highbush blueberry growth, but blueberry fields are burned for a different reason. The lowbush blueberry plant produces a more prolific crop after a year of "vegetative growth", therefore fields are managed on a rotation of "vegetative" and "fruiting" years. Burning is a method of pruning the plants and also aids the farmers in distroying pests and disease. To apply wood ash as a soil ammendment spread a thin layer over the soil during the winter or early spring and incorporate it into the soil. To avoid toxicity problems never use coal ash, and limit the wood ash application to less than 20lbs/1000 sq.ft. Also, blueberry plants prefer acidic soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. It is best to do a soil test to determine your pH before you apply ash to the soil.

  • re: High Bush Blueberry

    Posted by Peter on Sunday, May 27, 2007 7:23 pm ADT

    There are three types of blueberry. lowbush which are 1-2 ft. high, fruit 1/8 to 1/4" highbush 4-7 ft. high & fruit up to 1" in dia. The third is rabbiteye (v.askei) which is up to 9 ft.high. Also there are habrdizing a low & high which I would like to know more about. Sounds good don't it..best of two worlds

  • re: High Bush Blueberry

    Posted by Doug Hankinson on Saturday, June 2, 2007 8:30 pm ADT

    Adding wood ash to any garden is risky. A little bit goes a long way in raising the pH of the soil.

  • re: High Bush Blueberry

    Posted by Claude on Sunday, October 28, 2007 10:40 am ADT

    There is usually lots of snowcover on our plants. Last year there was significant damage. Wondering if the branches of the plant should be supported during winter to minimize damage by the weight of snow.