BR, By following your advice here and on other threads, I've gotten my pH holding at a pretty consistent 5.5. Your advice to get a Kelway is spot-on - it's hand's down the easiest/quickest pH gauge I've ever seen and it's not delicate like most others. I'm going to get the pH down to about 5.0 by continuing to use acidified water; since I have sulphur in the soil, I'm going to take my time with it so that the pH doesn't get too low when the remaining sulphur kicks in. We're a few climate zones cooler where I am, so my blues are just now breaking dormancy - I'll post some pics as they grow & develop. When I first started, my main fear was that I couldn't get the soil acidic enough, fast enough, but sulphuric acid solution at about a 5.0 pH sure does the trick fast, without all the frustration (timelag) of sulphur and the complications of sulphate. The system I developed that works well for me so far, has been to purchase a new 5 gallon diesel can (in a contrasting color to my gasoline can, so that I don't confuse the two). I filled it with just over four gallons of rain water and then added two new battery refill kils (about 1 liter each), and then topped it off with rain water. Using my narrow range pH paper, I determined that about 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon gets me to the 5.0 range; I plan to use a second table spoon when I'm trying to decrease the pH and one less when I'm trying to bump it up a bit. My near-worthless Burpee soil tester has found a second life double-checking my pH paper for water (I think the problem with this thing is that it's much better for testing liquids than it is solids - it doesn't work the way the picture on the box shows as a direct tester, even when the soil is very wet). I picked up one of Monrovia's "Bountiful" blueberries today, thinking it would fit well in the the landscape in a foundational setting (my more conventional northerns are in a hedge planting in the front yard, three facing south, five facing west with 12 hrs+ sunlight). So far, I'm having trouble finding out a lot of details about this variety, I'm assuming since it's proprietary with only one source - does anyone have experience with these? Coming from the nursury where they've been in a greenhouse, they're already done blooming and are well-along to harvest - which my Northerns (Duke, Blueray, Bluecrop, Earliblue and Ozark, a Northern/Southern hybrid) are just now budding out heavily. Which makes it difficult to know what's a good pollination partner for the Bountiful.

Dawn, I have never heard anything specific about the growing conditions affecting the blueberry flavor, but I would have to guess yes based on this year's experiences. It is just a guess though. I fertilized once and watered a few times right during the middle of the Duke production, so I would lean towards that maybe causing the poor taste except that the Bluecrop that was overloaded got the same treatment as all others yet was the only bad tasting Bluecrop. About the pH of the water, would you believe I have never had my water tested. I have asked the rural water people, but the information they gave me did not include pH level. What I did to test my growing situation before planting many was that I bought 7 plants of 3 varieties the first year and replanted them in larger pots (1.3 cubic feet, but only 10 inches deep) for the growing season. The soil mix was half peat moss and half native soil. I watered them every day until the water stood on the surface. When late July and August arrived, they started putting out new shoots and leaves. I had decided that if the new growth showed no signs of pH issues even after being in a pot and getting so much tap water, then I would not have an issue in the ground for at least a few years. Everything looked good so I put them in the ground that fall and planted more the next spring. All the ones after that got 100% peat moss, but the first ones were half/half. Only 3 out of 40 total plants have been unhealthy for any reason so far. A couple of other things I should mention, though, are that my soil pH in a couple of home tests I did was a little under 6.5, and that some rabbiteyes that I put in pots 1.5 years ago are showing pH related issues this summer. Those rabbiteyes are in a half/half mix of potting soil and peat moss, and the pots are too small. I don't really have to fight the birds for the blackberries here much so this might not be applicable to your place, but thus far I have not ever noticed birds or any other animal or insect touching a blueberry with the exception of the over-ripe ones that ants started to get to a little bit. I don't do anything to protect them except let the dog roam at night to keep the deer away. One winter they ate some of the tops off of a few plants, but no problem since even though I have seen them during the night in the area multiple times this year and last. If you buy a couple of healthy two-yr old plants, they will be about 12 to 18 inches tall with a few good branches. If you pinch off any fruiting flowers the first year and the second year you have them, you might get 5 lbs per plant starting the third year. You will have to take really good care of them, though, and use a pot that is a couple feet across but not necessarily very deep. (If you can keep a loaded tomato plant healthy through harvest in a pot, you can easily do it with a blueberry plant.)

Trixie, I made that cake for one of the girls' birthdays last week (since we'd just picked 3 gallons of blueberries). I'd torn it out of a little magazine that comes with our local paper. It was very easy and very good....especially with a little white chocolate glaze drizzled over top. I love easy bundt cakes for staff bdays...they take home the leftovers and bundts travel so well. Next month I have two with birthdays. This apple cake will be one of the cakes, and I'm thinking that apricot cake might be nice for the second one (I don't see why it wouldn't bake just fine in a bundt pan, yes?). Spicy Apple Nut Bundt Cake Recipe By :Katie, 2003 Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 spice cake mix 1 can apple pie filling 2/3 cup sour cream 2 eggs 4 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup chopped pecans Oil Bundt cake pan. Melt butter and stir in brown sugar and nuts. Pour into pan. Mix cake mix, pie filling, sour cream and eggs until well-blended. Pour over nut mixture. Bake at 350F for one hour. Let cool in pan for five minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Nice with a brown sugar glaze. Source: "Adapted from several different recipes."

Hi BahamaDan, I'm succesfully growing several varieties of blueberries in South Africa. I posted a long reply here that disappeared when I changed tabs :( I'll be brief now. My best performing variety is Brigitta which I believe was developed in Australia. Second best is Centurion. I use a mix of 1/3 each of perlite, acid compost and peat /coco peat in my pots. I top them with a mulch of big pine bark chips. My father-in-law bought some expensive German potting soil for azaleas, for the blueberry I gave him but his plant has been struggling for the past 2 years. I use only a half handful or so of Ammonium Sulfate per plant in the larger, half whiskey barrel sized terracotta pots. I do that in early spring and early summer. I almost killed one of the plants with a massive dose of the ammonium sulfate, so I'm very careful with it now. On a weekly basis or when I remember, I add a weak dose of either fish emulsion or an organic and water soluble fertiliser for acid loving plants. Below is my 2 year old Brigitta (one of two in the same style pot). In front of it are O'Neil and Gulf Coast recently bought for me by a friend, as they are said to taste really good and do well in warmer climates. The Brigittas were much smaller than the two in front when I first got them.