Soil / mulch for blueberries

[JoseyJo]

We have recently acquired the other half of our allotment plot - yay- and with it a blueberry bush. The lady on the neighbouring plot also grows them successfully, even though I believe our soil is quite alkaline. I will ask the neighbour when I see her too, but I wondered if I should mulch with anything in particular to make the area more acidic? Would a layer/mulch of ericaceous compost help... or is there a cheaper option? I doubt I can lay my hands on many pine needles but I think I read somewhere that coffee (or was it tea) would help - maybe I'd need a lot though.
I'd like to add more blueberry bushes and maybe cranberries too if I can get the soil right. Are there any other crops which like acid soil? Might as well have a few plants as one or two.

[diggernotdreamer]

Have you tested your soil? it may be worth seeing what it is. Blueberries do really need an acid soil to produce good fruit. Changing the ph of soil is quite tricky. I have seen high beds filled with peat and acid lovers grown in it. I looked into all this thing with coffee grounds and pine needles at length and I am now of the opinion that these do not create an acid soil or change the ph. Blueberries can be grown successfully in pots which you can fill with ericaceous soil

[ina]

Blueberries can be grown successfully in pots which you can fill with ericaceous soil

That's what I'm doing...

[Green Aura]

Although it is a good place to chuck your spent coffee grounds, even if they don't have a major impact.

Blueberries like to be cross-pollinated, to get a decent crop, so if you're planning to add a few more plants to the area I'd get a couple of different varieties of blueberry.

[JoseyJo]

Yes testing the soil is a good idea. I had always planned on (eventually) having some blueberry plants in pots, and only really wondered about altering the soil because the plant is already in the ground... maybe it isn't as alkaline as I thought, or maybe I'll find we get no fruit - although the neighbour suggested we might.

[doofaloofa]

Courtesy of DnD

[JoseyJo]

Thanks - that list is interesting... we do have foxgloves which are in the acid list, but my weed identification isn't great so I'll have to look up the rest!