The way Gene mentioned to make the soil more acidic will work if you have low bicarbonate water or just irrigate with rain water which is even better.  If you have very hard water you will absolutely need a acid in some form to keep the bushes happy.  As Gina said auto parts stores.....for battery acid.  NAPA sells by the 5 gallon box and it is 33% sulfuric.  I use a much stronger sulfuric at 96%.  You have to really dilute it and it is not guess work.  Need to get low PH test paper and work out how much you need but if you need 10 drops per 5 gallon bucket that is what you will always need and don't have to test it again.  Shoot for PH 5 water.  

Thank you WillsC and Gina, I will check into it at the autoparts store this week.  Our water is very alkaline and I know it has had a negative affect on some of our acid loving plants.  I will also start using more pine needles in conditioning the soil.  Happy growing!

*I will get the litmus paper and make sure I'm at ph 5 before I apply.  I imagine this would be helpful with other potted plants that like more acid conditions and maybe rhubarb? 

Hope it works for you. It's been several years since I figured out my formula. I don't much like working with the acid from the original container (it's cumbersome), so I make an intermediate dilution. To make one gallon of intermediate acid mix, add 2 cups acid to water and bring that up to one gallon of liquid. (never add water to undiluted acid)  From here, I add one cup intermediate mix to 32 gallons of water - which is one standard trash can. That would mean 1.5 teaspoons intermediate acid mix to 1 gallon of water. If you were using straight battery acid (33%) from the box, it would be even less.... approx 1/5 teaspoon acid/gallon. Another reason for using an intermediate mix - easier, more accurate measurements.

Water pH here is about an 8, and it's very hard. Blueberries here, very yummy. :)

Thanks Gina!  I hope this will make a big improvement with our blueberries.  I want to get more going but because I've never done well with them I've held off increasing the numbers.  Maybe now things will improve.

Hi greenbud,
rhubarb thrives with clay dirt and alkaline water. I live in the land of rhubarb and our water is really alkaline ...
rhubarb needs freshness and water to really develop .

Thanks JDSfrance for the info.  I don't know why I assumed it needed more acid.  I bought a Chipmans Red last spring and harvested some this season.  I have older patches that are good too.  We are basically sand but I do sidedress with compost and leaves and other organic material.

Thanks Gina!  I'm going out shopping in the next hour and will check at O'Reillys about the acid.  I do grow peppers and tomatoes and usually start most of them inside between Valentines's Day and Easter.  I bet with a little acid in their water they will be  stronger, happier plants. 

Now the figs I am suppose to do the opposite, add limestone scratched into the top and water with our hard water?  We have 3 chickens that I buy oyster shell for calcium.  I wonder if I should start mixing an amt. into the fig pot?  The big fig is already re-potted and quite heavy so all I'll be doing to that will be on the top of the soil.  But the little cutting is in a one gallon pot and is about 16" high.  I could add some oyster shell to that and put in 2 gallon container.    zone 4 WI

For Blueberry and Figs pinching works better after the main branches (structure) have been established.
This is the simplest diagram I've found for the pruning of blueberry bushes, its applicable to fig bushes also because figs are produced on current season's branches... http://ncblueberryjournal.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html
 
IMO, In the attached diagram, pinching should start late in year one or in year two to increase branching...

Pete,

I respect your very helpful and generally dead on wisdom but on this issue you are dead wrong at least for those that grow in warmer climates.  

WillsC,
IMO, you are 100% correct.
Continuous pinching works better in Zones with a longer season. In colder Zones, continuous pinching would result in less production due to more vegetative growth in the shorter growing season interrupted by the longer dormancy periods (winter). My statement is that establishing a solid bush scaffold first will result in a larger harvest in the future, regardless of the Zone. 

I was able to get my sulfuric acid yesterday.  Originally they said they only had the 5 gallon.  I'd never use that much in my lifetime.  They do repair and sales of snowmobiles and came out with a 50 oz. plastic container.  That was a much better amt. for me.  The only problem is it doesn't say what strength.  So when I go to dilute in the next few days with repeated checking of instructions, goggles and gloves, I am going to assume it is the strongest concentration and work from there. 

Went out yesterday to check my bb bush and found, what I think is scale.  And the ants were everywhere.  Another issue to address.

Scale just crunch them.   The acid is probably just 33% you can tell if it is the higher concentration acid because it is thicker.  33% is just like water, the 96% is like mineral oil.  Did you get your PH paper yet?  I use this one...  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OD7AEM/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pete,


So lets say I don't pinch.......plant goes in ground March 1 and it could easily hit 6'-8' tall as a single stem by fall.  In your non pinching strategy it would then get winter pruned back to a point where you want the scaffolds to form.   So the following spring I have 12"-18" tall single stem.  

Now if I do pinch........ Plant goes in ground March 1 and I let the plant hit 12"-18" then pinch and the plant responds by branching.  I keep the branches I want and remove those I don't. I keep pinching and choosing the branches I want.  By summer I have a 6' tall bush that already has it's scaffolds established and the secondary scaffolds.  It has 10+ times the amount of leaves, stems and over all mass than the single stem non pinched plant has.  

I just don't understand why you feel the non pinched method is better?

Trying to follow the thread since I am new to the whole idea of pinching but I don't see if anyone mentioned are you pinching first year cuttings once the single stem hits 12-18 inches with 5 leaves or do you have to wait until after the first year to start pinching figs? I guess I could take a picture of one and you can let me know?

Here is an example. LSU gold. Seems to be vigorous. 1st year cutting. 16" tall. What should be done...pinch? wait a year? Let it get taller? Thanks!

 

Scott,


The pinching can be to make the plants set fruit sooner in short season areas or for structure of a growing plant or to make a plant bushier.  

Thanks Will. I will have to give this a try on a couple of the first year cuttings to see if I can get it right. I definitely want more of a bush for the shorter cooler growing zone to give me the best chances. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't damage first year plants by pinching them so early on.

Scott,

You won't damage the plant by pinching, it will make the plant bushier and more leaves equals more growth.  As long as you pinch when the plant is actively growing you will be fine.  

WillsC, no I didn't get the litmus paper yet.  I was going to try at the local pharmacy.  Thanks for the suggestion about the online co.  If I can't find it locally I'll give them a try.

Scott,

Here is where the shaping comes in....I would pinch it......but see where that branch is already forming a bit lower down?  If when you pinch a branch forms at the leaf above that new branch I would remove it.....what you want to happen is it will branch on the other side of the plant away from that new branch.  It is not 100% random though you could let it grow that way if you want.  Let the branches form where you want them too and the others remove them.  

Greenbud,

The Pharmacy may have it but I bet they won't.  The paper comes in ranges and the low PH paper is a bit outside the normal human needs range.