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Ericaceous Compost Recommendations

Hi All

I have recently acquired three pink blueberries and a cranberry plant (for the princely sum of 97p thanks to Tesco clubcard vouchers and free postage offers), now I've recieved the cranberry and the blueberries are due in the next 4 weeks, I need to pot them on into bigger pots, so has anyone got any recommendations for a decent ericaceous compost to use, being as most of the stuff sold these days is made of bark, nails and polyethene?

Also, this is the first time I'm growing cranberries and blueberries, has anyone got any top tips?  Know they didn't cost much, but I'm a Yorkshirewoman with very short arms and deep pockets.  Be nice to be able to make my own cranberry sauce this xmas.

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  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    i've got 3 blueberries in 12 inch terracotta pots. Now 3 year old. Enough blueberries to use as garnish but not enough for blueberry muffins. Still they get bigger each year. I don't do much at them. Blackbirds like them so they need netting.

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,933

    Erin composts usualy alright  3 for £10  paying a decent price ,you should get a decent compost . I find B&Q verb I think it is called is absolute rubbish  . When I joined the Forums a few years back there was a big discussion about B&Qs compost 

     a few of the companies seemed to go down hill  round about that time I seem to remember .

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,933

    Sorry , 4 for £10.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Because they will be in their pots for many years, choose big pots and mix the ericaceous compost with John Innes No 3, which is intended for permanent plantings.  I mixed mine 50-50 and the acid loving berries I grow (including blueberries) seem to be doing well in that mix.  Remember to only water them with rainwater as tap water often contains lime (which they hate) and will neutralise the acid effect of the ericaceous compost over time.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    I'm trying Humax, ericaceous compost this year, now I'm no expert on plants which like ericaceous compost as an azalea I've had for years, has never really grown much and neither have the two blueberry plants I have but I'm hopeful with Humax.

    It's texture is just like any other 'good' compost, black and crumbly, previous ericaceous compost I've used has been very gritty and the plants haven't thrived, not knowing what ericaceous compost should look like I thought this the norm image but this year the azalea has loads of buds on as does the 'top hat' blueberry bush.

    I'm hoping for blueberry muffins if I can get to them before the birds image.      

  • paolomhpaolomh Posts: 24
    What do we mean by good ericaceous compost? Is it lime free? Is it low/acidic ph? Or like many people think just good for azaleas, pieris japonica, etc? I bought 
    J Arthur Bowers with 'eye closed' but later I got a cheap  ph reader giving a ph of  7 which is alkaline... I got 2 days online trying to understand this issue with no good rational explanation. So plz somebody put us out of our misery!
  • paolomhpaolomh Posts: 24
    After much research about ericaceous compost the best link I have found is: https://www.gardenmyths.com/compost-creates-acidic-soil/   also have found j Arthur bower ericaceous compost data sheet https://www.gardenhealth.com/product/arthur-bowers-ericaceous-compost which although claim a pH of 5 ( 6.5 on my pH strips) doesn't specify components... So since my pieris flaming silver is in a pot, I stop worrying about the low acidity for the time being and focus more on feeding with organic ericaceous fertilizer(for first time after bought 3 weeks ago), watering and position. Will try to update but hopefully others will comment and share experience.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Sorry to be pedantic, but ericaceous means lime hating, ie. acid loving.
    Therefore you can't not worry about the pH, but feed with an organic ericaceous feed.
    An organic ericaceous feed, by definition, must be acidic.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    paolomh said:
    What do we mean by good ericaceous compost? Is it lime free? Is it low/acidic ph? Or like many people think just good for azaleas, pieris japonica, etc? I bought 
    J Arthur Bowers with 'eye closed' but later I got a cheap  ph reader giving a ph of  7 which is alkaline... I got 2 days online trying to understand this issue with no good rational explanation. So plz somebody put us out of our misery!
    I think you've answered your own question ... get a decent one ... and don't use tap water to make the solution.

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Lily PillyLily Pilly Posts: 3,845
    I have just swept the yard and collected 3 large buckets of pine needles. They have all been emptied under various rhododendron. I remember vividly and old gardener (he had green overalls and a pipe!) telling me it was great ericaceous feed.  I have been doing it for years.
    he also showed me how to use a hoe properly and edge a lawn. I hope he is in a beautiful garden up there.
    Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
    A A Milne
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