4

When I was planting my blueberries today I thought it was strange to see that the blueberry plants were planted in some sort of matting (think the stuff for wire plant baskets). What was it planted in, and why?

kevinskio
  • 57,927
  • 9
  • 76
  • 157
black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67

1 Answers1

4

This is a woven cocoa fiber mat. Growers put a round disk with a hole for the stem of the plant to cut down on weeds.

It does degrade slowly so it is not reused. The cocoa fibers can be chopped and composted for reuse in your compost.

kevinskio
  • 57,927
  • 9
  • 76
  • 157
  • So planting it will help it grow initially similar to dirt? – black thumb May 09 '16 at 20:09
  • @blackthumb No, this mat is only stops weeds. It does not help the plant grow. You could argue that it acts like a mulch but you should be mulching anyway. – kevinskio May 09 '16 at 20:23
  • 1
    I used some swampish black dirt that it so rich it doesn't change color when it dries, won't that be like a mulch? – black thumb May 09 '16 at 21:21
  • 1
    yes, that's sounds like what a blueberry would need – kevinskio May 09 '16 at 21:34
  • Blueberries like rich leafy humus like found in a temperate forest, black swamp soil is too dense. The roots will rot quickly. If you mix up some of this dirt with leaf mulch and sand you might have a killer mixture. And for the blueberries add peat moss to the soil mixture to add acidity. Blueberries like acidic soils. – Escoce May 10 '16 at 09:45