Blueberry bushes and nettle fertilizer

[Grimir]

Is organic nettle fertilizer good for fertilizing blueberries?

[VirginVegGrower]

I have put coffee grinds as a mulch around mine. You could try pine needles too or pine sawdust if you can get it.

[Grimir]

I know for those, i have plenty of peat moss and i puted it in autumn around bushes as mulch. But i am wondering is nettle fertilizer good for fertilizing blueberries? Is it better to use it as foliar or as a watering fertilizer?

[VirginVegGrower]

Nettle as a feed is a good general feed as is comfrey.

[Grimir]

I am asking cause i red that nitrate nitrogen is poisonous for blueberries, so i am not sure which form of nitrogen is in nettle fertilizer.

[roitelet]

I would be inclined to use comfrey. It is high in potash, good for fruit and flowers. Nettles are high in nitrogen and therefore good for leafy crops.

[boundtothesoil]

I am asking cause i red that nitrate nitrogen is poisonous for blueberries, so i am not sure which form of nitrogen is in nettle fertilizer.

There's no intrinsic problem with plants taking up nitrate (NO₃^-). After all, apart from legumes that fix their own nitrogen from the atmosphere, all plants have evolved to take nitrogen into their roots in the form that is most available in most soils and this is nitrate and/or ammonium (NH₄⁺). Many species can also absorb amino acids, but these are usually present in very low concentrations in the soil.

The problem with nitrate, for plants that don't like an alkaline environment immediately around their roots (like blueberries), is that for every nitrate ion absorbed by the roots, there is usually the net release of one hydroxyl ion (OH^-) from the roots, which has the effect of raising the pH in the soil solution immediately surrounding the root surface and making the soil more alkaline.

On the other hand, the uptake of one ammonium ion by the roots is always accompanied by the net release of one proton (H⁺ ion) from the roots into the soil, with the result that the pH decreases and the soil becomes more acidic. Hence, the common experience of soils becoming more acidic under continuous fertilising with ammonium salts.

The above is a bit of a simplification, because the composition and availability of other nutrients in the soil solution can impact on the acidification/alkalisation of the root zone. But nitrogen usually has the dominant effect on the pH of the rhizosphere (soil closest to the root system) as it is the nutrient taken up in largest quantities by all plants, other than legumes.

[Two_Sheds]

Is organic nettle fertilizer good for fertilizing blueberries?

Very simply, nettles are N (nitrogen) which is good for leaf growth. For fruiting plants, they need potassium (K), which is to be found in comfrey

http://burlingtonpermaculture.weebly...rs_handout.pdf

" If you give flowering or fruiting plants too much nitrogen, the chances are that you’ll just encourage an abundance of leafy growth – and not much more" Nettle Fertiliser - Great for Leaves, Bad for Fruit and Flowers?