Is Sheep Manure a Good Fertilizer for Blueberry Plants?

Blueberry Fertilizer Needs

• Blueberries primarily require nitrogen, so expect to provide your plants with nitrogen every year. For home blueberry plantings, apply 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer each spring. This fertilizer contains 10 percent nitrogen by weight. To encourage plants to grow, make additional applications of nitrogen fertilizer. The second two numbers indicate the percentage of phosphorus and potassium, respectively. Blueberries need these minerals less frequently, and what you initially apply should last the plants throughout the season.

Sheep Manure Fertilizer

• Sheep manure contains levels of nitrogen and phosphorus comparable to those found in most other livestock manures, and relatively high levels of potassium. However, sheep manure contains considerably less nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than commercial complete fertilizers or some organic fertilizers, such as blood meal, which is a nitrogen source. For example, sheep manure contains 0.7 percent nitrogen, the most important element for blueberry growth. In order to get the same fertilizer effects, you need to apply 14 times more sheep manure than you would commercial 10-10-10 fertilizer. Since blueberries don't require extensive fertilization, you may replace traditional fertilizer with manure.

Using Manure

• Before applying sheep manure to your blueberry patch, allow the manure to age or compost, as fresh manure can contain forms of nitrogen that damage plant roots. Avoid manure from animals fed a pesticide-treated diet or given antibiotics.

Blueberries and pH

• While sheep manure may supply your plants with nitrogen if used in abundant enough quantities, blueberries also require a very low pH. Before planting blueberries, have your soil's pH tested. Elemental sulfur can lower soil pH to create an environment favorable for blueberries. If you need to adjust the pH of your soil, sheep manure alone does not create the soil conditions you need to grow blueberries successfully.

Organic Matter

• Blueberries also grow well in soil high in organic matter. Organic matter improves aeration, nutrient retention and drainage. Manure serves as an excellent source of soil organic matter. Commercial synthetic fertilizers add nothing to the soil's organic matter. In this regard, sheep manure is superior to commercial fertilizers, even though you have to apply more in order to get the same amount of nutrients.