What is the best mulch for blueberries?

The concern with cedar was that it secreted subtances toxic to blueberries, turpines, not that it would raise the pH. I'm no expert windyme, but I would suspect your highy alkaline water is the culprit with your rise in pH.

My worries over cedar were raised by the article on blueberries. Jun 20, Blueberries have dense, shallow roots and do best with inches of mulch over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds and build organic matter. Do not use bark, sawdust or bagged mulch from cedar or redwood trees which has tannins which may harm the young plants.

Sawdust is one of the best materials to use as mulch around blueberry bushes.

Mar 17, Blueberries have dense, shallow roots and do best with inches of mulch over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds and build organic matter. Do not use bark, sawdust or bagged mulch from cedar or redwood trees which has tannins which may harm the young plants.

May 01, Well-maintained mulch can help control weeds, and keep soil cool, loose and uniformly moist. Mulch should be 4 inches to 6 inches deep and cover a 4-foot pruning small cypress trees of soil centered on a blueberry plant row. It is important to replenish mulch as it deteriorates. Jun 07, Apply in a layer 2 – 3” deep around the plants, keeping wood chips a few inches away from the base of the blueberry bushes to avoid fungal diseases.

Sawdust is one of the best materials to use as mulch around blueberry bushes. The best sawdust to use is pine sawdust due to its slightly acidic nature; this will help maintain the acidic soil pH preferred by the plants.

While strawberries such as “Surecrop” (Fragaria “Surecrop”), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, love straw mulch, mulching with wood doesn’t work so well. On the other hand, blueberries such as. Feb 23, Blueberry plants grow best in an acid soil (pH to ) and like high organic matter.

Do not use bark or sawdust from cedar or redwood trees.

The pH of douglas fir sawdust is about There are other low pH mulch options including bark mulch (a great option), wood chips, and pine needles -- all have a relatively low pH. Mar 22, If you add 3 inches deep mulch made solely of composted manure or yard compost, the pH will be too high for good blueberry growth.

You can use a little bit (1/2 to 1 inch deep) of this type of product, but then you should put about 2 inches of bark or sawdust on top to avoid too high of a soil pH and poor blueberry growth.