|
|
|
|
|
Anne Miller wrote:I have read that oyster mushrooms will grow near pine and spruce.
Were you planning on doing an inoculation? Or just hoping mushrooms show up?
Ben Zumeta wrote:Given reasonably decent soil moisture, in order of most full sun loving to least, I’d say Peaches, Apricots, Mulberries, Apples, pears, cherries, plums. I would also consider chill requirements and timing of spring hail or hard frosts in the design and varietal selection process.
Cristobal Cristo wrote:I have noticed that full sun recommendation is written from the perspective of Midwest, East with an assumption "one fits all".
My experience is that high UV mountainous sun at lower latitudes and altitudes, accompanied by high temperatures will kill young and older plants that are supposedly sun-loving: figs, pomegranates, grapes. Evergreens like pineapple guava, tea, avocado or natives were completely scorched. All of the above were mulched and regularly irrigated. Apples, cherries and chestnuts also suffer a lot.
Yes, you want afternoon or morning shade for most of the plants. For my figs the difference between gentle slope + no shade versus flat terrain and morning shade means: death versus happy plants producing fruit in the first year.
Some trees seem not to be bothered by the full sun: peaches, plums, almonds, mulberries, pears, quinces.
Ian Young wrote:Correction: The study is not actually paywalled, yay! Here it is in full: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.00255/full?utm_source=fweb&utm_medium=nblog&utm_campaign=ba-sci-fpls-blueberries-grass
Some interesting excerpts and answers to some of my questions:
The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of sustainable strategies to correct iron deficiency in blueberries, based on Fe-heme applications or intercropping with graminaceous species, on yield, and berry quality variables. The experiment was conducted in a blueberry orchard established in a sub-alkaline soil. The association with grasses increased the crop load and yield (only Festuca rubra), and decreased the skin/flesh ratio. In addition, these treatments increased anthocyanins as well as some hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanols, and flavonol concentrations in skins with a similar effectiveness as Fe-EDDHA, whereas the Fe-heme applications did not influence such parameters. Moreover, data revealed that the association with both grasses decreased the firmness of the berries, whereas none of the treatments assessed changed the soluble solids, pH, acidity, and the soluble solids/acidity rate compared to the control.
The graminaceous species F. rubra L. and P. pratensis L were sown over the rows in autumn 2014 at a density of 20,000 seeds m-2. During the season, the graminaceous species were cut manually to a height of 5 cm every time they reached 15 cm.
It sounds like they grasses were sown to cover all soil, not just the paths. And they were kept mowed fairly short, which is interesting because that's supposed to be what causes grass to compete heavily for water and nutrients. They did add extra irrigation for the rows with grass so the bushes weren't getting shorted.
If I'm reading their results correctly, it looks like Festuca rubra in particular performed very well, with yield comparable to the synthetic chelator (Fe-EDDHA). Fe-EDDHA produced larger fruit, but fewer berries.
All in all, it sounds promising!
M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:I'm not sure where you got your info, but in my experience, grass is the number one enemy of blueberries. Blueberries do not have a tap root, and their fibrous root systems cannot compete with grass. Grass sucks up nutrients and water, leading to tiny blueberry crops. Instead of grass, I like to use lots of wood chip mulch, bark and rotten logs. The mycorrhizal fungi that blueberries require thrive in a wood based soil, and donot live in grass based soils. My blueberries love wood chip mulch- the more, the better. I also use Acid Mix organic fertilizer- it's got cottonseed meal, langbeinite, fish bone meal, rock phosphate and seaweed meal. It's pricey, but it makes the difference between a small crop and a huge crop. And if you use softwood chips, they will keep the root zone moist, supply nutrients and keep the soil acidic, although hardwood chips are great, too.
If you don't have acidic soil and want to plant blueberries, you might try amending your planting holes with conifer bark dust and/or compost made from conifer sawdust and manure. In the old days, people used peat moss. Blueberries also really thrive in hugelkultur beds made with lots of rotten logs and conifer debris. There's also a great thread on this site about plants for blueberry guilds.
https://permies.com/t/147945/Blueberry-guild-companion-plant-chart
As you can see, there are lots of good plants to have near blueberries, but grass is not one of them. And some of these companion plants can also amend the soil when they drop their leaves. Good luck!