Coffee grounds to lower soil pH for Blueberries, Fact or fiction..

Tips, Tricks

46665View count

7m 41sLength in seconds

Have seen on the web & been told by a few folks that you can dramatically lower the pH of your soil with used coffee grounds for acid loving plants like blueberries.. While blueberries do best in soil between 4 & 6 on the pH scale, unfortunately used coffee grounds just doesn't lower it that far.. Flowers of sulphur is a much more suitable amendment to add to the soil to help lower the pH & is a naturally occurring element.. Following the directions on the pack will help guide you as to the best dose & method to use to achieve the pH level for your soil type.. Do Pine Needles Make Soil More Acidic? Truth or Gardening Myth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B8-1sVcfzE Annette McFarlane's website, http://www.annettemcfarlane.com/ One Yard Revolution's channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/OneYardRevolution Alberta Urban Garden's channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/stephenlegaree14 Mr Chip Gardener's channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/MrChip123472 David Duvall posted this in the comment section of the clip & might help a few folks out.. *"There have been a lot of questions regarding the use of sulfur to lower ph.... How much do I use, etc.... The Michigan State University Extension office has free pdf literature on the matter. Just google University Extension and using sulfur for blueberries and Michigan's literature comes up first. Several other university extension sites have detailed information -- Oregon, Washington, and Missouri all have free downloadable articles on the subject based upon research and actual field trials."* You can also find Bits Out the Back on Facebook, Instagram & G+ where we post mini updates on the aquaponics/aquaculture, chooks, worms, wicking bed gardens & other small tidbits.. www.facebook.com/Bitsouttheback www.instagram.com/bits_out_the_back http://plus.google.com/u/0/+RobBob/posts To subscribe to us at Bits Out the Back click below http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=bnbob01 Have a great one everyone...

Comments

Unnecessarily long-winded. The letter is pronounced 'aitch', not 'haitch'.

Blueberries pH is between: 4.5 - 5.5

Hi Rob! I am a newbie to gardening and i have no idea where to find Sulfur and if its the right one or not. Can i just dilute some fresh coffee? If ao what ratio would you suggest?

Hi Rob Where Can I purchase FLOWER OF SULPHUR DOES IT COME IN ANY OTHER NAMES CANT SEEM TO FIND IT IN AUSTRALIA
THANKS

Good vid 👍 curious, What does the PH reader show when out into the flowers of sulphur?

too much confusing

I've been adding coffee grounds to my blueberries for a few weeks now, the PH level of the soil hasn't budged a single bit! But watering the plants with (diluted) coffee has a real effect, the plant goes crazy for it!

Well done.

Please don't expect used coffee grounds to acidify your soil. The acid goes into the coffee/water when made. I just tested used coffee grounds that I had kept and they were quite alkaline. I'm not saying it's not good for your garden. I'm saying it's not acidic.

Hi Rob,

What variety of blueberry are you growing ? And is your area classified as subtropical?

These experiments seem badly thought out.

If adding coffee grounds to soil raises acidity then is through the microbial decomposition of the grounds.

For example wine is slightly acidic but microbes can turn it into vinegar which is much more acidic.

Measuring the pH of fresh grounds tells you nothing. You need to mix the grounds with soil that contains a lot of microbes and then measure the pH change in that soil over time.

2:19 to 20:20 in between them seconds was a cut

you are far better off using grounds than not. You have to repeatedly do it and don't expect to toss coffee grounds once and expect it to work. Just save your grounds and till them into the area. A .5 change in pH is actually a massive change. The number is small but the effect is huge. For example a pH of 6 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 6.5. Now I don't remember the exact numbers but it is around 100 times more.

if you use enough it works

saw video about coffee water, not from used coffee ground to lower.... hmmm bet starbucks coffe will work the best. to bad im not a rich fucker

Good video thank you.
I also use coffee grounds and agree the ph level is not low enough to encourage good blueberry growth.
Azalea feed is probably better as Azaleas also need a high acid soil to grow in.
We are using azalea feed and the coffee grounds for extra Nitrogen boost.
This is our first year growing blueberries in pots so hopefully they will produce plenty of good berry and sweet ones ?

good shit man thanks

U OF MAINE in the usa ,recommends sulfur flower as well and ph 4.8-5.2 is the operating range for high bush,,,, but in my area zone 4b eastern Canada we grow mainly 95% wild low bush, or ground blueberries , on sandy shale and peat soils ,on a large scale , and they spray hydro-sulfur (water + sulfur) as a ph fixer,,,,, thousands of acres the fields turn blue come august each year, quite the sight, (blue carpet) but we are seeing smaller producers , adding high bush on bad sections for low bush ( uneven, stony areas, )to which pickers (machines)can not harvest properly and are picking the high bush by hand (high bush are easier to pick by hand then ground types, ) and mature at different times , (mainly for fresh eating)unlike the smaller low bush types( go for possessing and freezing or concentrates ) , i like you video and testing,,, i would add that adding the grounds to your compost ,would be a great use of them ,,,, act much like peat moss as a additive ,,,, in compost, where adding fish meal will bring you a higher nitrogen for your plant ,,, increasing its vigure and crop yields,,,, water +fish meal= tea then water the plant with this tea ,,,, early in spring for leaf growth,,,, then again before blossoms fade off for higher yields , good luck growing

hi rob I really like your vids they were very helpful, I started my ras system and watch a lot of vids yours seem to be the most practical for me, i'll try doing some vids... so hope to get some feed back, I may take awhile as i'm learning to make vids as well. thanks

You are missing the main point my friend. One yard revolution aims for a "frugle" do nothing approach. Buying extra simply does not apply.