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My main worry is killing my blueberries as this is the first time I've tried them, and I know I'll put myself off if none survive. I think the JI ericacious and getting a good pH meter is my best bet, thank you!

 

I doubt you will kill them. I'm not sure how accurate the PH meters are..

 

The thing about pH to remember is that it's a logarithmic scale (just like the Beaufort wind scale) . The difference between pH 6 (acid) and pH 7 ( neutral) is not 1 but 100. Most plants prefer slightly acid soil around pH 6.7 to 6.8. Ericaceous soil can be anything from pH 4 to 6. There are a few extreme cases where plants need a lower pH than this. It's all about nutrients availability. Your blueberries would grow in JI 2 they jut might not fruit as well. Remember also even if you have Ericaceous soil, if you water with tap water in a hard water area, it won't stay acid for very long.

 

pH is based on log 10, so the difference between pH 6 and pH 7 is a factor of 10.

 

I swear by Vitax, it's the best compost I've ever used.

 

Put a layer of pine needles over the top of the soil.

 

Can you water with a baking soda solution to increase alkalinity in a localised planting area. I add bicarb to my pond to increase PH.

 

You will need a pretty thick layer of pine needles, assuming you have them available.
I compost mine before using as a mulch on ericaceous plants.

 

Not really, as soil has more buffering capacity than your pond water does.
Why not use lime like other people do.

 

Oops sticky finger, yes it's a factor of 10 but that still means that most plants grow best in a relatively narrow pH range. Very few plants require a pH of less than 6 to grow successfully.

 

Surely the first signs of an acid loving plant having a too alkaline soil is yellow leaves.
I sometimes get this on various plants and just give one iron feed a year.

I don't think it needs to be too complicated to the average gardener.

 

I always blame my sticky keyboard for things like that.

 

Or gypsum, maybe from recycled plasterboard.

 

I bought this multi purpose containing peat last week, 40 litres at £5.99. I've used it today for some house plants and will repot some rooted cuttings with it at the weekend.





It's clean with a few small lumps that easily break down. It retained water without going straight through, so that's a good start. The cuttings are currently in peat free and the roots have barely grown, so I'll see how they develop with this.

 

How do you know it's peat? I read everything on the backside of the package, it doesn't say it's peat. But it feels peat. I bought 5 bags, and 4 more recently from Poundland. They had 2 for £6 offer. Usually £3.50 each. Adding it into mix for pots.
The downside, all Poundlands around don't have where to park, asked my son to help bring bags to car.