How often should I water blueberries?

Watering the blueberry plants is all about timing and depth balance! Aim for 1-2 inches a week, but split it up into 2-3 deep watering sessions. If you are taking care of potted blueberries, the soil will dry out considerably faster, so you should check them daily in summer. Whenever I had potted blueberry bushes in summer last July, I ended up giving them around 50% more water than the plants in the ground when we hit a heatwave!

Signs of an overwatered plant are yellowing leaves and mushy stems. I almost killed a Legacy bush once because I watered it daily in clay soil. Now I poke around in the soil before reaching for the hose. If it clumps, I don't water it. Sandy soil? Water it even if it is slightly damp so it doesn't get drought-stressed.

Droughts call for action. Double water first before we evaporate off of the heat, just don't flood. I've also learned to use shade cloth when temperatures reach 90 degrees or more to help reduce evaporation. You can also mulch with a layer of 3 inches of pine needles to keep roots cool and to reduce water requirements by up to 20%.

People sometimes overlook the need for water in winter. Evergreens like Sunshine Blue or Rolling Green will need a drink every month during dry winters. Deciduous varieties will go dormant, and those will only need water if the soil is dust-dry. I lost two young plants in winter to dehydration before I learned this lesson!

Rainwater is superior to tap water in terms of acidity. You can set up a 50-gallon rainwater barrel to collect runoff. The pH value for my tap water was 7.2, raising soil alkalinity levels over some time. The switch to rainwater had the rainwater of 5.3 stabilized for pH and yielded increased berry size and sweetness.

Read the full article: How to Grow Blueberries: 7 Essential Steps for Success