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fertilizer. It is very easy to apply the fertilizer in too narrow a band and 

 concentrate it to such an extent that injury results. Young bushes are espec- 

 ially susceptible to this sort of injury. Therefore, when fertilizer is applied 

 to young bushes, it should be applied just beyond the root zone rather than right 

 over it. Fertilizing a strip or band down the rows is much safer, faster, and 

 easier than ring applications. The fertilizer can be broadcast along the row, 

 thus avoiding the danger of concentrating in spots over the roots. 



In Pomology Sheet No. 2 it is suggested that the fertilizer application 

 be split, half being applied in the early spring before bloom and the other 

 lialf about June 1. There were several reasons for this. Splitting the appli- 

 cation would give a better distribution of nitrogen available to the plants 

 during the early part of the season. The June application would give the bushes 

 a push just as fruit starts to ripen. Where high rates of nitrogen are used, 

 splitting the application would ordinarily be less likely to result in injury. 



Weather can have a very marked role in this practice of split applications. 

 If there is a prolonged drought in late spring so that the soil becomes very 

 dry, as happened in 1957, an application of fertilizer during the dry period 

 might be risky. If the application is followed by just enough rain to put the 

 fertilizer into solution, the soil solution might become concentrated enough 

 to cause considerable root injury. Under dry conditions it might be better to 

 reduce the amount of fertilizer or even omit it altogether, unless irrigation 

 equipment can be used to thoroughly wet the soil. 



It is obviously impossible to give directions which will satisfy the needs 

 of every blueberry field. Nor can specific directions or qualifying statements 

 be given in the limited space of a single page. It was for these reasons that 

 the following statements appear in Pomology Sheet No. 2: "The amounts are 



suggested ". "The amounts used should be based on the size, vigor and 



productiveness of the bushes". "The quantities recommended should be increased 

 or decreased as experience indicates". In other words, the table is just a 

 starting point. The amount actually givm should be adjusted to the needs of the 

 bushes. 



Pomology Sheet No. 2 



Other fertilizer mixtures may be as good as those listed. The amounts in the 

 table are suggested for an overall, broadcast application. If the entire area is 

 not covered, the amount applied should be adjusted accordingly. The amount used 

 should be based on the size, vigor and productiveness of the bushes. Where fields 



