I try to do everything as naturally as possible. I also don’t like to spend money. These are some of the things I love about permaculture. Using what you have available that is provided to you in nature. Mulch is something that I use a lot in planting, all of which I collect from the land. Some plants have special needs above and beyond rich organic soil. Blueberries like acidic soil.
So where do we find this in nature? Evergreen trees. The needles are quite acidic. This is why not much grows under pine trees. But blueberries like the acid and grow best in this kind of soil. So I mulched my blueberries in evergreen tree branches. The needles provide the needed pH and the woody part of the branches provide the organic matter.
This is not a science for me at this point. I scattered the branches around the blueberry plants and then did the same in the area where I want to plant more blueberries next year. I may need more and I may need less. I will monitor the pH here and there and see what happens.
I don’t know what everyone believes about loving your plants and talking to your plants and how that does or does not effect the plants growth. If loving plants works, then these plants will be huge. Now that my son knows that these plants make blueberries, he spends a lot of time with them and even tells them goodnight before bed. I’ll let you know how healthy they are in the future!
Building a New England Homestead 