Are you starting a new blueberry farm?
Blueberry production is gaining more and more popularity due to high demand and good market value despite the fact that is capital intensive with high development and labour costs.
Prior to selecting appropriate blueberry sortiment, take in consideration soil quality as well as climate & geographic characteristics.
If decision is made to plant in soil, you have be sure that your soil is suitable for selected blueberry variety and that can provide chemical and physical support.
If you decide to play soiless, take in consideration to choose appropriate compacted substrate.
Blueberries require light and loose acidic conditions, with pH values between 4.2 and 4.8
Need assistance?
Most common types of production:
Blueberry cultivation in soil
👍 PROS:
- smaller capital investment
- harder to maintain optimal pH level
- lower yield
- problem with water retention which leads to suffocation of the roots
Hydroponic cultivation
- utilization of inconvenient land
- the increase in the number of plants
- easier irrigation and fertigation
- higher capital investment
- frequent check-ups of growing media pH & EC
To combat the effect of climate changes on expected yield, growers are more and more open to investment in greenhouse production – protected areas.
High tunnels provide protection from rain, hail, frost and enable all-year-round production in many areas.
Blueberry assortment choices
Most common variety in production is duke.
It has high fertility, ripens early and the fruit is of exceptional quality. There is also blue crop, a sort that has similar characteristics, but storage can be problematic.
Patriot is also grown and ripens seven days after the duke variety. Some of the new varieties recommended by producers are draper and huron, liberty and aurora.
Blueberries can have a long life if optimal conditions are provided.
pH is the main limiting factor in blueberry production and only with pH optimization you can move towards higher yield.
Duke
Soil/soiless media pH vs. Electrical Conductivity
pH and electrical conductivity of your growing media will interact.
Actually, we can say they play as a team.
The pH of your soil tells you how basic or acidic it is, which can influence the electrical conductivity results.
Conductivity is a measurement of all ions present and pH is the measurement of ions as well, but specific ions. Positively charged hydrogen ions cause a substance to be more acidic, while negatively charged hydroxyl ions cause a substance to be more basic. As these ions carry charges, they can also carry electricity.
The more acidic or basic something is, the more ions there are. The more ions, the higher the electrical conductivity is. Therefore, the more acidic or basic your soil is, the higher the EC will be.
The closer your pH is to being neutral, the less it will affect the electrical conductivity of your soil.
HI9814 pH/EC/TDS/ Temp meter
HI9814 is a durable, portable pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids and temperature meter for most measurements encountered in hydroponics, aquaponics or general agriculture applications.
All operations and settings, are made through only two buttons and the housing is waterproof and rated for IP67 conditions.
User-selectable features include selectable TDS factors of 0.5 and 0.7 as well as auto-off after 8 minutes or 60 minutes to prolong battery life.
How to test?
Method: 1-2-3 Compare
- Basic testing: pH & EC of Nutrient solution
- Feed (sample collected at the drippers) EC
- Drain (from the substrate) – EC value collected will give an important information that determines the number of irrigation cycles vs. nutrient cycles
When you collected all these testings you will be a step ahead.
EC 3 (drain)>EC 2 (feed):
much bigger value of EC in drain samples gives information that plants are not receiving enough water.
EC 2 (feed)>EC 3 (drain):
much lower value of EC taken in the drain sample gives information that plants are receiving too much water.
Next step: Adjust the number of cycles accordingly
MONITORING – 24/7 pH and EC measurements
HI981420 Monitor for Hydroponic Nutrients Groline
The HI981420 GroLine Monitor for Hydroponic Nutrients provides around-the-clock, continuous monitoring of pH, conductivity (EC & TDS), and temperature in hydroponic nutrient solutions.
Quick to setup, simple to use, this monitor was designed with Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Greenhouses in mind.
Make your nutrient solution easy to manage with the GroLine Monitor:
- Get 24/7 pH&EC measurements for consistent yields every time.
- Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) feature for professional accuracy.
- Calibrate pH and EC with a single Quick Cal solution.
HI981421 Monitor for Hydroponic Nutrients GroLine with inline multiparameter probe
The Monitor for Hydroponic Nutrients, HI981421 GroLine provides around-the-clock, continuous monitoring of pH, conductivity (EC & TDS), and temperature in hydroponic nutrient solutions.
Quick to setup, simple to use, this monitor was designed with Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Greenhouses in mind.
Make your nutrient solution easy to manage with the GroLine Monitor:
- Get 24/7 pH&EC measurements for consistent yields every time.
- Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) feature for professional accuracy.
- Calibrate pH and EC with a single Quick Cal solution.
MONITORING & DOSING
HI981413 Nutrient Dosing System
HI981413 Nutrient Dosing System is engineered for maintaining the concentration of fertilizer in the nutrient solution used in hydroponics and irrigation water. The meter can be programmed to display results as EC (electrical conductivity) or as TDS (total dissolved solids). The EC results are displayed as mS/cm while TDS is displayed as ppm with a selectable conversion factor from 0.45 to 0.99.
The HI981413 was developed to be an inexpensive solution for the horticulturist to maintain the ideal fertilizer concentrations at all times. Simply insert the probe and injection valve in-line with the recirculation pump and provide the chemical to be dosed.
The HI981413 is available in multiple configurations including a meter and probe option, a kit for in-line mounting, and a complete package that includes bypass loop and panel mounted flow cell. The kit for in-line and flow cell models include aspiration tubing with filter and dispensing tubing with injection valve.
HI981412 pH Dosing System
The new HI981412 is a cost-effective solution for always maintaining the ideal pH. Simply insert the probe and injection valve in-line with the recirculation pump and provide the acid to be dosed.
HI981412 is available in multiple configurations including a meter and probe option, a kit for in-line mounting, and a complete package that includes bypass loop and panel mounted flow cell.
The kit for in-line and flow cell models includes aspiration tubing with filter and dispensing tubing with injection valve.
IRRIGATION
The blueberry is characterized by shallow roots and is therefore sensitive to drought. Therefore, in all areas where there is not enough properly distributed precipitation during the growing season, it is necessary to irrigate regularly.
Commercial cultivation without irrigation is not possible because drought can cause great damage (weak growth and even drying of plants), so building an irrigation system is a mandatory expense that should be considered when calculating costs.
Besides sensitivity to soil & water pH, blueberries are also sensitive to salinity, chloride, boron, and sodium. The quality of irrigation water quality can have a significant impact on production.
After initial water analysis is conducted proper steps can be taken towards water treatment.
pH correction of irrigation water is in most cases mandatory, and depending on mineral composition the water can be treated with adequate filtration system, like reverse osmosis or desalination.
Irrigation automatisation & control
ARTICLE: Know your Conductivity – a step toward higher yield in blueberry production
Successful Grower Tips:
- Keep a log of your data
- Keep results on drippers in line with irrigation system controller values
- Calibrate portable pH & EC meters weekly
- Calibrate pH & EC sensors on the fertigation unit monthly
- Keep electrodes, fertigation system and fertilizer tanks clean to avoid deposits
mag.ing.chem.ing
Have questions?
Contact a Hanna Technical Specialist at [email protected] or using our contact form.
