How to Fertilize Blueberry Cotton Seeds

Blueberry plants, like their botanical cousins rhododendrons and azaleas, are particular about the pH level and the nutritional content of the soil they grow in; with both liking soil rich in organic matter and acidic in pH. Cottonseed meal is a natural, slow release fertilizer with a guaranteed analysis of 6-2.5-1.7 that is used on its own or in combination with other amendments to add nitrogen and organic material to the soil and boost acidity. Apply cottonseed meal when the blueberries are newly planted and repeat each year thereafter.

Cottonseed meal
Gloves
Fixed tine rake

Instructions

- 1
  Fertilize your Blueberry plants in the spring and summer each year to supply them with a steady flow of nutrients during the growing season. Make the first application at bud break and subsequent applications at six weeks and then 12 weeks from the first.
- 2
  Apply the label recommended dose of cottonseed meal or roughly 120 lbs. of actual nitrogen per year, per acre when fertilizing over mulch. Scale that maximum back to 60 lbs. of actual nitrogen per year, per acre over bare or lightly mulched soil.
- 3
  Cast the appropriate amount of cottonseed meal around the base of the plants a few inches out from the main stem or along rows on either side of multiple berry pants.
- 4
  Nestle the cottonseed meal into the soil surface with a fixed tine rake when fertilizing over bare soil. When fertilizing over mulch, simply cast the cottonseed meal over the mulch and water in well to wash it down toward the soil surface.
- 5
  Repeat this application twice in the first year the blueberry plants are established and three times per year thereafter.

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