Blueberry Bush question

[Forget-me-not-lover]

we were thinking about getting a blue berry bushbush, but im not sure how to take care of it..is it just like any other bush?

 

[Greenthumb18]

we were thinking about getting a blue berry bushbush, but im not sure how to take care of it..is it just like any other bush?

The only major thing with planting blueberries is that they need an acidic soil, so adding plenty of peat moss worked into the planting hole will increase the acidity for the blueberry bush. Other than that their pretty easy to care for.


Hope this helps!

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are three different types of blueberries, northern highbush, southern highbush, and rabbiteye. I'd suggest checking with your county extension office to see which variety and type might be best for your area.

The root system of a blueberry is shallow. It can be killed by standing water so it needs a well drained soil. At the same time, it needs a lot of water to keep the top of the soil moist. In my area, irrigation is recommended to keep highbush alive and to improve rabbiteye production. I don't irrigate as such but I carry a lot of water.

Blueberries do not need a rich soil, should not be fertilized at planting and don't like a lot of phosphate. With the shallow root system, heavy mulching is almost essential to keep the moisture in and the grass and weed growth down. They do not take cultivation well because of the shallow root system. Cultivation disturbs that root system. And, as Greenthumb said, they need an acidic soil.

I took all this from a pamphlet I got from my county extension office. They have a pamphlet for just about every crop that grows in the area.

 

[patandchickens]

Blueberries are tougher to grow than most bushes (unless you are on very acidic soil to begin with) because they absolutely require you to give them a soil pH around 4.8 to 4. They have no flexibility or sense of humor on the subject. IMHO one should think twice before planting blueberries unless your soil is naturally at or very close to this range, because it gets to be a lot of ongoing work and testing, and they do not usually do as well in pH-adjusted soil as in soil that is naturally acid *anyhow*.

Beyond that they are not difficult. They need even soil moisture, not drying out in summer but not standing submerged either. In colder areas they will winterkill significantly if they are in a windy area. For Indiana the most sensible choice would be highbush varieties if you like supermarket type blueberries and want high yeild, or half-high or lowbush types if you want more of a wild blueberry flavor but lower yield.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lesa]

Not sure if I missed it in another reply- but you need more than one blueberry bush, if you want berries... Good luck!

 

[Forget-me-not-lover]

oh wow...blueberries r kind a complacated
oh well i still plant it
thank you all!!
:rainbow-sun

 

[4grandbabies]

I planted 3 of the coldhardy ones last fall, I am in zone 5, but I am not sure how they over wintered.
Not trying to cut in on you, forget -me-not, but does anyone know when they start to show signs of life after a cold winter? I am in central Mo.
I have a couple of Ka-Blueys ordered to plant this spring, I wanted them last fall, but they were out of stock when I tried to get them.

 

[Forget-me-not-lover]

I planted 3 of the coldhardy ones last fall, I am in zone 5, but I am not sure how they over wintered.
Not trying to cut in on you, forget -me-not, but does anyone know when they start to show signs of life after a cold winter? I am in central Mo.
I have a couple of Ka-Blueys ordered to plant this spring, I wanted them last fall, but they were out of stock when I tried to get them.

its okay
and what are zones??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Areas are split into different zones in an attempt to classify which plants might grow there. With our microclimates it does not always work perfectly but it is an effort. Different organizations have slightly different classifications. I'm on the border of zones 6 and 7, so I try to plant things that grow in zones 5, 6,7 and 8 to try to be covered. These three different sites actually give me three different answers to which zone I'm in. Zone 6, Zone 7, and Zone 7a.


Arbor Day Zip Code Planting Zone
http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfm

Zip Code Planting Zone
http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/zip.cgi

Zip Code Planting Zone
http://www.garden.org/zipzone/

 

[ducks4you]

, Ridgerunner, they DISAGREE!!! One says I'm in zone 5 and one says I'm in zone 6. I feel like I have a split personality!!!