Evaluation of different growing media prepared from peat moss, coconut coir, pine bark, and vermicompost for soilless blueberry cultivation

However, substrate formulations that provide suitable physicochemical balance for sustainable blueberry production remain insufficiently optimized. This study evaluated 16 substrate mixtures (v/v), prepared from peat moss (PM), coconut coir (CC), pine bark (B), and vermicompost (VC) in different proportions, with perlite (PE) fixed at 30%, for their effects on plant growth, yield, fruit quality, and mineral nutrition in container-grown ‘Duke’ blueberry over two seasons.

In the vermicompost-containing mixtures, electrical conductivity (EC) and pH reached 2961 µS cm⁻¹ and 7.9, respectively, and all plants died during the first growing season. Pine bark-dominant GM15 had low water-holding capacity and produced the lowest yield (242 g plant⁻¹). In contrast, PM–CC–PE mixtures provided a more favorable root-zone balance.