What type of ground covering should I use around blueberry bushes.
by
Cora Bauer
+9
My husband put in two rolls of these bushes near our garden but we get a lot of weeds springing up. He talked about mulch but when it gets mowed in that area, I could only see issues with dead grass laying on top of it. Also grass growing through it as well.
You could trying laying down the black garden cloth and then cover with mulch. You could also put down old newspapers or cardboard to kill the weeds off then follow through with the cloth and the mulch.
I agree with the first answer.....also when mowing go in the direction that blows the grass clippings AWAY from the beds.
Pine straw is good for blueberries- they prefer more acidic soil
Pine needles work well. You can also buy Hollytone
We put uncomposted chicken manure around ours. The blueberries love it but its too strong for the weeds. And, no. It doesn't smell after the first day.
Up here in Blueberry country, the farmers all use sawdust/shavings. Plants love it and thrive and weeds are a minimum.
I had a neighbor with beautiful blueberry bushes, but the birds attached the bushes, so he constructed a 'walk-in cage' around the bushes. The cage actually had enough height to it that he could walk into the cage, harvest berries, tend the berry bushes and exit through the door. Saved his blueberry crop for sure!
I use mowed grass in my gardens all the time. Crass clippings do not cause grass to grow unless the grass had gone to seed. I put down Preen weed preventer after planting and then put shredded leaves or grass down to keep the moisture in the soil. I spend about five minutes each week looking for weeds and end up only pulling creeping Charlie.
If you want a ground cover, creeping thyme is good for blueberries, but I suggest a thick layer of pine needles.
pine straw, and fertilize with azalea food in the spring, if the pine straw is layed down thick enough it will kill grass and weeds.