SEVERAL SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES INFLUENCING THE GROWTH AND RHIZOME DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY

A field experiment using various soil management practices showed that the most effective means to increase blueberry plant spread was through the use of a surface mulch. Peat and sawdust were of equal suitability as a mulching material influencing vegetative growth, although sawdust did result in a reduction in the number of flower buds produced when compared with peat. Mulching was associated with a higher soil moisture content than non-mulched plots.Blueberry plants growing in nitrogen-treated plots had an increased flower bud number and rhizome growth in contrast with those growing in unfertilized plots. Nitrogen fertilization was of particular benefit when applied in association with surface organic mulches.Plants growing in an undisturbed soil were more vigorous than in a homogenized or tilled soil. Sawdust was found to be detrimental to the growth of lowbush blueberry plants when incorporated into a homogenized soil.