The best soil for blueberries in pot is an all purpose potting soil with some added organic slow release fertilizer, pelleted chicken manure and microbe additive. You can also use a potting mix made for azaleas as this will be slightly acidic and great for blueberries.
This article will explore how to prepare potting soil for planting blueberries in pots and easy tips for repotting an established plant.
Best soil for blueberries | Top tips to prepare soil for repotting
Here are my top tips to prepare the best potting soil for your new blueberry plant.
1. All-purpose potting soil or azalea mix
Choose a good quality all-purpose potting soil. You can choose one with a slow release fertilizer or add one yourself. You could also choose an azalea or camelia mix which will be slightly acidic and great for your blueberry. You can even get a blueberry soil mix if you are lucky.
2. Add some slow release, all- purpose fertilizer
Layer a small amount of the general potting soil in the bottom of your pot. You can then mix through a small amount of slow release fertilizer. Any general fertilizer will work for this purpose or one made for vegetables is great. This will contain a range of nutrients your blueberries will love.
3. Add a slow release fertilizer with organic matter
I always like to add some extra slow release fertilizer in the soil before planting. I will choose a slow release pelleted chicken manure and add a handful in the bottom of the pot. Mix this through the soil before moving your blueberry plant into the pot.
4. Add a soil microbe mix
A sneaky extra ingredient that will give your plant an extra boost is a soil microbe mix made for potting soil. Just add a couple of teaspoons of the mix through the soil and this will help healthy soil bacteria to grow and break down the organic matter in the soil. Create a healthy microbe balance to help to feed the plant.
5. Top with pelleted chicken manure and water it in
Once you have added your blueberry plant to your pot, backfill the edges with some of the potting soil. I then like to add some extra pelleted chicken manure and slow release fertilizer to the top of the soil. This will give your blueberry a boost of nutrients every time you water.
The best time to repot your blueberry plant
Repot your blueberry plant in spring before the weather gets to warm in summer. This will give it time to settle into the soil and prepare to grow new flowers and fruit. I had my blueberry plant hidden and planted behind my plectranthus. As the plectranthus got bigger it covered the blueberry so it was time to take it out and put it in a pot to give it more room to grow.
How to repot a blueberry plant
I have recently transplanted my blueberry plant from a garden bed to a new pot. These are the steps I followed to give my blueberry plant more room to grow.
1. Choose a pot that is 1-2 inches bigger and deeper than the blueberry bush
2. Fill the bottom of the pot with potting soil, slow release fertilizer and pelleted chicken manure
3. Dig the plant out of the ground or tip it out of its pot
4. Move the plant into its new pot
5. Backfill with more potting soil
6. Trim off any overhanging or damaged stems
7. Top the soil with pelleted chicken manure
8. Position the plant in a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun
9. Water the plant in well
Always take the time to water the plant in well after repotting. This will settle the soil in around the roots filling any air pockets and start to release nutrients and organic matter from the fertilizer.
Best soil for blueberries in pots | Summary
The best soil for blueberries in pots is an all purpose potting soil with added organic slow release fertilizer and some soil microbe mix. You can choose a specific soil made for acid loving plants like azaleas or a blueberry soil mix. Blueberries are easy to care for in pots and can be moved around to get plenty of sun to grow lots of berries.
My blueberry pot will get more sun and have more room to grow in its new pot. I will leave the berries on the plant and they will continue to grow and ripen over the next few weeks. This is the first year the blueberry is growing and expect that the next year the bush will be covered.
Happy growing.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.