Anybody here grow blueberries?

[ducks4you]

I wanna order some plants before the week (and the $special is over.) I want bushes that do well between Zones 4-8, and I may consider those plants that bear 2x/season, but that is not necessary. Any thoughts to share before I order blind?

 

[Marie2020]

I wanna order some plants before the week (and the $special is over.) I want bushes that do well between Zones 4-8, and I may consider those plants that bear 2x/season, but that is not necessary. Any thoughts to share before I order blind?

Sadly I lost one through hard circumstances. I now have one healing at the side of my garden. I've read they are better grown in pairs, two different kinds. I'm sorry I do not know the one I have, I may just buy two more if these lockdowns ever end, God permitting.

 

[flowerbug]

I wanna order some plants before the week (and the $special is over.) I want bushes that do well between Zones 4-8, and I may consider those plants that bear 2x/season, but that is not necessary. Any thoughts to share before I order blind?

my guess is that you should be fine ordering any that are hardy for your area, nice to have a few with overlapping flowering and fruiting times so you can get a better harvest. how many are you planning on putting in? around here the tall bush kinds are the ones used at the You-Pick places and you can find the smaller/shorter ones out and about in the woodlands and around some swampy/sandy areas.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have variety suggestions. You might contact your local extension office, they probably have recommendations for your area. I can't remember what I planted in Northwest Arkansas. My records stayed with the new owner.

Have you checked the pH of where you are going to plant them? Blueberries like a low pH, around 5.0 to 5.2. So my suggestion is to get started now preparing where you are going to plant them. I dug in a lot of organic matter, peat moss and compost, and used elemental sulfur to get the pH moving down. I mulched them with sawdust saved from non-treated wood. Keeping the grass out of them was an effort. Weeds were easy, they puled right up. But the Bermuda was a pain if I didn't keep on top of it.

Blueberries have a shallow root system. They like a well drained area or they can drown. But since they are shallow rooted, they can dry out too. In Arkansas I was watering them a lot even after they were well established. They are kind of high maintenance but man were fresh blueberries good!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Look for varieties hardy to your location and any disease that might already be present in your garden. Make sure your soil is to the proper Ph. Also check the size of the particular variety. Rabbit eye blueberries in particular can get very big. 10-20ft in height and diameter. Though if you have the space they are very tough and require less pruning to get a good crop.

 

[bobm]

Check our Fall Creek Nursery in Oregon... they are the largest producer of blueberries. Their plant description pages are the best for the beginner as well as for the professional producer.

 

[ninnymary]

I have 6 different ones all in huge containers. They are very easy to grow and disease free at least for me. It helps with pollinisation to have different ones and it also extends the season. I do have to cover them with shade cloth when they ripen to keep the birds out.

Every year I fertilize and top with compost.

Mary

 

[Dirtmechanic]

It may be fuzzy but this graph is supposed to show the valley of available P at particular pH levels. Ever wondered why certain pH ranges were favored? Here the first hill is P fixed to iron, the second to Aluminum, and the third to Calcium (*also a metal). When fixed or attached, Phosphorus is not as available to the plants, so you would find a fertilizer with P helps. With pH in the the sweet spots less is needed. We keep our blueberries down around 4.5 pH with aluminum sulphate and elemental sulfur. Its not hard since our clay is a natural 5pH and the topsoil is 5.5pH un-amended.

*The chemical element Calcium (Ca), atomic number 20, is the fifth element and the third most abundant metal in the earth's crust. The metal is trimorphic, harder than sodium, but softer than aluminium.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks!!!
That's a LOT to digest. I thought to start with 2 plants that can pollinate each other. I am guessing that they could benefit from aged horse manure, which I have aplenty. Any particular blueberry recommendations?

 

[ducks4you]

@bobm , thanks for the Very good advice! I will be contrary and probably go cheap bc I am not sure if my first 2 will survive!
Still, @Ridgerunner , I Did look up the local extension office posts. I was surprised that they recommended zones 3-7 for here, but I can understand that if the roots aren't deep, they could use some protection. I was GONNA put them on the south edge of our lawn to shield the junk in my neighbor's yard, but DH complained that he might harvest from them. Instead, I am considering buying 2 blueberry's and planting them in my front flower bed, east of the house, where they can be protected from winter winds. I usually mulch there, too, and I think that that will help.
@Ridgerunner the front bed is downhill, hence the steps, so well drained, plus easy to spot fruit.
I REALLY need to post a survey on most liked and most disliked gardening jobs. My least liked activities are planting seeds and harvesting. I like to weed more than those two...