Who doesn’t love a freshly picked, home-grown blueberry straight from the backyard?
I know we do… Except, it just wasn’t happening for us.
Our blueberry plants were doing exactly the opposite of what we wanted them to do: thrive.
Last summer, we watched them begin to fail, struggle to catch up, and begin to fail again. This cycle continued, and I was at a loss as to why.
I think I’ve figured out the answer, and it’s going to be a mistake that most homesteader’s will make with their clay soil.
If your perennials seem to be failing when you plant them, you might have unknowingly harmed them, much like I did.
We’re about to teach you a very valuable tip today; if this is an “Aha!” moment for you, please feel free to share this post on your social media accounts or blog! It’s always a great form of feedback that lets me know that I’m offering some positive (and potentially garden and sanity saving) information to my readers.
The Mystery Behind Blueberry Plants That
Have Failed to Thrive in Clay Soil
As I began to search for answers, especially after seeing these plants thrive in containers, I continued to stump myself.
To answer a few questions, let me go over a few key characteristics of my plants:
- The plants would fail to thrive most of the time. They wouldn’t grow well, they would drop leaves, they didn’t get much taller, and parts of the plants were dead by this spring- but there is lots of new growth this year.
- The plants did not suffer from drought or transplant shock. As a matter of fact, they seemed to do better during the dry month we had last year.
- There are no symptoms of deficiencies, and in addition, we have very fertile clay soil. When they try to thrive, they do; and they will set tons of blooms, as one has already this spring.
- There is nothing attacking the plants, causing damage. No pests, no disease, no animals.
- The plants receive lots of sunlight, and are not in a low lying area (not a flooding spot in the yard).
So, What Could Be Causing My Blueberry Plants to Be So Sad and Miserable?
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking “blueberry plants just can’t grow in your area.” This is the answer most homesteaders have for themselves.
I can’t grow this plant, and that plant just seems to die every time I plant it. I guess they aren’t good to grow here.
I know this is almost always false, unless it comes down to extreme situations; such as tropical plants. However, blueberries will grow very well in our zone, so I know that’s not the issue. It always comes down to a mistake that is made that has gone undiscovered.
But I think I figured it out.
My blueberry plants are water logged and are drowning!
But, My Blueberries Are In a “Well Draining” Area, How Could That Be?!
Even though I have planted my blueberry bushes in an area that drains well and quickly, I’ve still planted them in clay soil.
I am not saying clay soil is bad- it truly isn’t! The issue with clay soil is that, when disturbed, you disrupt the way in which water is transported and drained. Just shoveling out the clay will cause that hole to hold water more efficiently, even when back-filled with the same clay.
When you add amendments to the planting hole (which many of us do when planting bushes and trees… which is truthfully not a good thing, I’ve found), you’re creating a pool.
A pool of well draining soil within a cup of poorly draining clay.
The consequences of planting in clay soil, with amendments, can cause a lot of grief for your blueberry plants. These plants were swimming at the roots, and I didn’t realize it. Therefore, during dry weather, they tried to thrive; in wet weather, they fell back.
How to Ensure These Plants Will Thrive, and How I’ll Protect Future Blueberry Bushes at Planting Time
For the current blueberry bushes, I’m just going to allow time and nature to resolve the problem. It has been over a year since they’ve been planted, and the structure of the clay soil in and around the hole should soon return to what it was before planting. With all of the beautiful new growth regardless of the wet weather, this spring is beginning to signal to me that these plants are beginning to recover from my mistake.
Now that I know better (and hopefully this helps you to prevent the same mistake from happening in your own garden!), I’ll pay closer attention to how I plant each and every bush, tree, and root in the future. I will only dig a hole that is big enough to receive the root in order to reduce the amount of water that the clay holds. In addition, sensitive plants that don’t like wet feet will only be buried half as deep as they need to be. Then, I will build a small bed around the plant (much like a border) and fill that with amended clay soil. This will bring most of the root system above ground level where it will drain well, while still allowing the plant to send out strong roots into the clay beneath. I will also add some form of ground cover in order to retain moisture and shade the plant’s root ball during the heat of summer.
As an added measure, I will not be amending the soil inside of the planting hole unless the plant enjoys wet feet and needs amended soil. Many plants don’t enjoy wet feet, so this will become an exception rather than a rule. It may seem like plants grow “stronger” when the soil is amended, but the truth is they will slow down when the roots need to penetrate the clay. Plants in clay will be slower to take off, but once they do, they will have stronger root systems that will better withstand the elements, especially windy storms.