Peat Moss or substitutes.

laura27314

Hi guys,

I'm attempting to grow a blueberry plant from seeds I harvested from the berries. I got growing instructions and they told me to place them on peat moss to germinate them.

I am reading though that it really isn't ethical to use peat moss, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of substitutes? I was planning on using my usual organic potting compost and hoping for the best.

Thanks!

Laura

old boy

do they not require acid soil conditions

The Sweeper

Blueberries need ericaceous soil (acidic). Buy a bag of potting mix designed for azaleas and camellias - that'll be a suitable acidic mix for blueberries.

Be careful when trying to germanate - don't make the common mistake of bringing them on in the hot press and then leaving them indoors on a windowledge because you're scared they won't harden off. Lots of seedlings are lost this way, because they stretch to reach the light and become leggy and weak, eventually falling over and dying.

If you can, see if you can germanate them outdoors, using a sheltered environment - either sow direct where they're to grow and use sawn-off soft drink bottles to create a mini greenhouse or try using a seed propagator (like an opaque plastic storage box with air holes - in fact, you can indeed use an opaque plastic storage box if you carefully drill air holes).

laura27314

Thanks, I'll get some of that acidic soil! I'm terrible for keeping things indoors. I left my strawberries inside for most of May out of bird fear, despite no strawberries! They're out now.

Laura