off-grid

How To Successfully Grow Blueberries In Your Survival Garden

With the right conditions, you should be able to grow blueberries as easily as other fruits and vegetables.

Blueberries have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but if you have the right growing conditions, they’re no more difficult than other fruits and vegetables. To grow blueberries, you need a soil pH between 4.6 and 5.5. Most of the East Coast, the South, and the Pacific Northwest have acidic soil, but if you live elsewhere, soil pH can be a challenge.

Blueberries need moist but well-draining soil. They don’t tolerate heavy soils that stay soggy. They also do best with some humidity. In dry, windy areas, they tend to dry out in the winter and suffer bud damage. Blueberries grow best in full sun to partial shade. In the north, they should be planted in an area that gets six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In warm, southern regions, they can take partial shade. An area that gets four to six hours of sunlight is fine.

How To Grow Blueberries: Choosing A Variety

Besides giving your blueberries the ideal cultural environment, spend some time carefully choosing the varieties for your berry patch. Blueberries produce better yields if planted with a pollinator, so you’ll need two varieties. Northern highbush blueberries, as the name implies, are adapted to cold, northern climates. They grow 5 to 10 feet tall, although some dwarf cultivars are available. Popular varieties include Bluecrop, Blueray, Jersey, Elliott, Legacy, Chandler, and Duke.

Southern highbush blueberries are adapted for the warm, humid conditions of the South. Commonly grown varieties include Morrow, Murphy, Bounty, and Blueridge.

Rabbiteye blueberries are native to the southeastern United States. These blueberry plants produce smaller, sweeter blueberries than the highbush types. They’re also more adaptable to growing conditions and tolerate drier, more alkaline soil. One drawback to rabbiteye blueberries is that they bloom earlier in the spring than highbush types, which makes them more vulnerable to frost damage. Try Climax, Powderblue, or Premier.

How To Grow Blueberries: Planting And Early Care

Buy blueberry plants from a reputable nursery or online vendor. Choose two or three-year-old plants that stand at least 12 to 36 inches tall. Plant bare-root blueberries in early spring while they’re still dormant. Plant potted plants anytime from spring through early fall. However, planting them only in spring or only in fall is usually best because the plants stay moister.

Space blueberry plants at least 5 feet apart, depending on the mature size of your plants, and mulch them with 3 to 4 inches of wood chips. Keep them well watered during the first season as they establish roots.

After planting, prune bare-root plants to remove up to two-thirds of the growth. Prune potted plants by half, leaving two to three strong stems. Remove any flower buds that appear during the first season to encourage strong root growth. This early pruning will produce more vigorous yields in future years.

About six weeks after planting, fertilize the blueberries with 1 tablespoon granular 10-10-10 fertilizer or an acidic fertilizer made for azaleas. Spread the fertilizer in a 12-inch circle around the base of the plant and water it in well.

How To Grow Blueberries: Ongoing Care

Blueberries won’t produce a significant crop for at least the first two or three years. Your early patience pays off, though, because blueberry bushes can live for 50 years or more. Continue to water blueberries throughout the growing season so the soil stays moist 2 inches beneath the soil surface. Additionally, drought conditions will reduce yields.

In cold areas, wrap blueberries in the winter with old sheets or burlap so they don’t dry out. Replace mulch every few years as it thins. Mulches conserve soil moisture and keep weed growth down so plants stay healthier with less effort.

Fertilize mature plants with 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per plant each spring, as new growth emerges. Spread the fertilizer in a 3-foot circle under the shrub.

New Natural Fertilizer Doubles Garden Production!

During the first three to four years after planting, blueberry bushes should be pruned each spring to remove most of the flower buds. Heavy fruiting on young plants can cause permanent bending and damage. Once the bushes stand 4 to 5 feet tall, their canes are strong enough to bear fruit. Thereafter, prune them each spring to remove old, dead, or diseased canes or those that rub against each other. Prune them back to outward facing buds, if necessary, to control their height. Rejuvenate older bushes by cutting out one-third of the oldest canes every spring.

How To Grow Blueberries: Solutions For Alkaline Soil

grow blueberries

If you thought you couldn’t grow blueberries out West or in the Midwest, get ready to change your mind.

In the past, gardeners in the Midwest and western states have found growing blueberries to be challenging or impossible. Alkaline soil, so prevalent in many of these areas, was usually to blame, along with cold, dry conditions. When blueberries are planted in alkaline soil, they can’t take up iron. The leaves develop chlorosis or yellowing of the leaves with green veins. Soon, the plants wither and die, usually within one or two seasons.

It’s possible to acidify your soil with applications of sulfur, but the results are temporary and work best if you have a soil pH of 6.0 or less. Researchers at the Colorado State University Extension have found a few blueberry solutions for the western gardener. If you thought you couldn’t grow blueberries, get ready to change your mind.

Joel Reich, a horticulture expert at the Colorado State University Extension, has successfully grown blueberries in sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss is naturally acidic, drains well, and provides the perfect medium for growing success. He punches large drainage holes in plastic-wrapped bales of peat moss. He then sinks these bales into the ground and cuts openings in the top, where he then places the blueberry plants. Peat moss holds up to three times its weight in water, although it comes in a very dry form. Allow a hose to run slowly in the bales for at least an hour to thoroughly moisten the mixture. Once it is moistened, it will retain water well.

Another option, also developed by CSU, is a bit more complicated. Mix 40 percent coir, 40 percent peat moss, and 20 percent perlite to get a light, acidic potting mix. Dig a hole in the ground and place a large pot in the ground. Place a second pot inside the first. Fill this pot with the acidic potting mix and plant the blueberry plant. Advocates of this method say that the double pot method helps insulate the soil from temperature changes and completely isolates the plant’s roots from native, alkaline soil.

Regardless of which method you choose, once planted, the blueberries should be mulched with three to four inches of wood chip mulch. Also, treat them with an acidic fertilizer in the spring and summer. Wrap them in burlap in the winter to protect them from cold, drying winds.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Natural Fertilizer Can Dramatically Improve “Survival Garden” Food Production

Do you have any additional thoughts or tips about how to successfully grow blueberries in your garden? Let us know in the comments below.

The post How To Successfully Grow Blueberries In Your Survival Garden appeared first on Off The Grid News.

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Self Sufficiency

NYC Adds Nearly 4,000 People Who Never Tested Positive To Coronavirus Death Tolls

New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll Tuesday, bringing coronavirus-related deaths in the city to around 10,000 people.

The city decided to add 3,700 people to its death tolls, who they “presumed” to have died from the virus, according to a report from The New York Times. The additions increased the death toll in the U.S. by 17%, according to the Times report, and included people who were suffering from symptoms of the virus, such as intense coughing and a fever.

The report stated that Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio decided over the weekend to change the way the city is counting deaths.

“In the heat of battle, our primary focus has been on saving lives,” de Blasio press secretary Freddi Goldstein told the Times.“As soon as the issue was raised, the mayor immediately moved to release the data.”

The post New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll appeared first on Daily Caller

This Article Was Originally Posted On dailycaller.com Read the Original Article here

off-grid

The Ultimate Energizer Review – Does It Really Work?

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This brings us to the review of the ultimate energizer guide. This is a program that provides users with classified information on how to build a free energy generator. But can the program really make you achieve this?

does it work? will it be worth your investment, time and energy? all these questions and more are what this review on the ultimate energizer program seeks to help you find answers to.

The ultimate energizer review – is it worth it?

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About The Ultimate Energizer guide

The ultimate energizer is your ultimate guide to building your own alternative and portable energy source to power up any of your household appliances including refrigerators and aircon units. It is a very affordable way to having an emergency generator that can help you save more than 50% from your electricity bills without spending too much on other alternative energy source like solar panels or wind turbines which is costly and will also need a lot of space.

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About The Ultimate Energizer Creator

The creator of the complete the ultimate energizer guide is steven perkins. He found the journal of the founder of this technology in his home when his father shifted near quebec city in canada.

In this post, we will review the ultimate energizer whose creator claimed to offer a way through which you can generate non-stop current. According to the author, you can drop down your electricity bills by 80%.

Of course the ultimate energizer owners provide resources. But the truth is that you are a master creator. All of them have that talent in us. The only difference is the extent to which it is hidden in each of us.

Features of The Ultimate Energizer

The features of the ultimate energizer guide are as follows:-. This program guide will help you to design a the ultimate energizer generator which will follow the rules of linear induction motor which is built around a track that is orbicular to maintain the smooth motion of rotors that are transportable.

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Use it on any electrical appliances from small clocks to big plasma tv screens, refrigerators, and air conditioners. Power the cabins while hiking to the mountains or camping. Other essential features of this complete the ultimate energizer are that it is easy to assemble and does not require a technical background to master engineering.

Pros and Cons of The Ultimate Energizer

I’ve created this honest ultimate energizer review to help you make a well-informed decision. I’ve tested it myself and now i’m going to share with you all the key aspects you may be interested in: how does it work? is it really so powerful and effective? what are its pros and cons?.

It is non-polluting. It remains popular the ultimate energizer guide pros & cons because it is both a renewable and clean source of energy. Harnessing solar energy is more than a fine idea it’s currently a reality in thousands of homes in a lot of nations around the world.

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On the review of the ultimate energizer guide, we will be looking into what exactly the program is all about, the details of the energy generator program, the benefits, pros & cons and our conclusion on the program.

Does The Ultimate Energizer really work?

The device is usable during emergencies. It works without fuels and therefore there are no expected fumes. It is weather proof. Cons of the ultimate energizer. You can only download the program from the official website.

But the ultimate energizer reviews that are available from real users online on platforms like google and youtube seem to confirm that the device does indeed work. So, as per my ultimate energizer review answer to the question is the ultimate energizer legit? is definitely yes.

The ultimate energizer guide. The ultimate energizer is said to work for your home and cut electricity by 82%, guaranteed by tomorrow. The ultimate energizer reviews. It can boost any type of electricity by as much as 5 times.

Advantages of The Ultimate Energizer Program

The program can benefit you in many ways. Below we are listing the advantages of using the ultimate energizer program for generating electricity:. This device will help you save up to 60%-70%, without investing money in solar panels which can cost you a lot of money.

There are additional the ultimate energizer guide program advantages too, including advantages at tax time, so do your homework on what you might have for being a solar power pioneer contributed back.

Why The Ultimate Energizer is Useful?

The ultimate energizer is a complete guide and blueprint. With it, you get everything you need to know to build your own free energy generator. This generator can be completed for less than $50 if you have some tools already. But i remember reading another review of the ultimate energizer, and the guy said he took days. Maybe he was crafty. Then, you assemble it and get it to work.

You will be guided step by step, that anybody who can read can build it. You do not need prior building experience or massive strength; it is that easy. Building the ultimate energizer takes under 4 hours if you are slow and definitely a lot less when you have help.

The ultimate energizer has already changed the lives of over 30,000 families who chose to power their homes using this eco-friendly device. This is definitely a good investment that is worth your time and money and if you think it isn’t after trying it out, you can request for a refund.

Is The Ultimate Energizer a Scam?

The ultimate energizer guide really show you how to power your house and save tremendously, or is this just another overhyped scam? this system was created after its owner decided he wanted to have a home power generating system in case of any crises or disasters.

The ultimate energizer pdf. It does not need any conventional electric power. The ultimate energizer scam. In this program, you can also build more generator and sell for profit. This product can also be incorporated into the automobile to power an electric motor.

All you need is an open mind and a desire to try new things to get a life in the field of freedom of energy. So, what are you waiting for? it’s time to say goodbye to major energy companies and start using the ultimate energizer guide today.