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This year I think I will plant some blueberry plants, I was wondering if anyone else has planted these ones that come in the 1 gallon container like from Rona or Homedepot.
How many years until they begin producing berries.
Any tips for growing these plants?
I had four till they got to old and stopped producingQuote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
You have to have bird net over them or you get nothing
I got 6 plants from a local greenhouse last year. They were all in 1 gallon pots and were fairly big plants. They produced a half pint the first year. With proper pruning and acidification of the soil I’m sure they will flourish this year. Be mindful of varieties. Some grow bigger than others, different bloom times for pollination, and animals love them.
Yes I will want them to all to bloom near the same time. would prefer the large ones.
I am dealing with some old plants(approx. 20) down here by Lake Erie and between info online and talking to some of the blueberry farmers around here have my battle plan in action. I cut out all the old stock and will put down a Pine mulch around them to increase the PH. Obviously your new plants should go into holes already prepped/PH adjusted and then the Pine mulch. I was told not to use any other type of mulch it must be Pine ! My two test plants showed good results and the new shoots produced some berries. As they mature ( 5 year old ?)proper pruning will have to be done and bird netting is a "must have" . I also have Elderberry bushes(3) and a row of old grapes that I'm working on, plus one acre orchard of apples and pear trees .
I do have Redpine and Jack Pine in my yard, I was planning to cover all around the blueberry bushes with the pine needles
Netting, netting, netting and testing PH soil of soil..key points.
Put the netting like on a stand above the bushes?
I had 4 bushes inside 5’x12’ x6’ tall 4x4 posts netting on sides roof was netting with door of netting at one end birds still find way in
Has anyone tried digging up a wild blueberrie bush and had any luck transplanting it...
tried both wild and domestic with no success. Too much of a fickle beast to cultivate for me. Have blackberries, raspberry, thimble berry, Goose berry, strawberry but never had luck with blueberry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bo D
Thimble berries are my all time favourite. I can remember as a kid my grandmother baking thimble berrie pies in a wood stove oven. When they came out of the oven she'd sprinkle sugar over the hot crust. Man they were delicious...
I'm going to try it this spring, early summer. I'll dig one or two up at our hunt camp and give it a go...
thanks
Well I picked up 3 Blueberry plants each a different type and are also self pollinating.
I also picked up 3 Haskap Honeyberry plants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_caerulea
Looks interesting, hope they grow well for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
We plant our blueberries in trenches with a plastic liner then grow them in pure peat moss for soil. The liner keeps plants growing in the proper acid range. Add a layer of peat moss each year. The haskaps are grown in just good soil with no need of acid , treat them like a rose bush , with much during the first year.. You will need netting protection from the deer, rabbits, and birds. The haskaps will take 4 years , just like the blueberries before you get heavy production.. I had lost countless blueberries bushes and years before just using pure peat moss for a growing medium ..
How much Peat would you say per plant?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgh
If I was only allowed to plant one thing it would be blueberries - I have over 30 bushes and get all I can use and give away to my kids - each year I end up freezing about 50 quarts - I do have a fenced in area similar to a chicken run around the berries - you can get all the information needed from you tube - blueberries are suppose to be very healthy for you - I probably eat about a cup full each day - still have a lot in the freezer right now -
I have mine in raised beds. Rabbits, for me, are a non issue. It’s also easier to harvest and prune the bushes. Since the soil is contained, it makes it easier to amend as needed.
The high bush blueberries will grow 5 ft high and spread branches out wide. So they need to start in in 6 to 8 inch peat soil. i used one 3.8 bag per plant.. yes this is a lot , but unless you have natural acid sandy soil, you plants will not do well. thus the peat moss.
I do have some big Pine trees on my property and hope the soil is at least close to neutral. I was going to line the trench with pine needles as well and use some Aluminum Sulphate and then line the rest with peat but was only planning to use 2.2 cubic feet of compressed peat.
How far did you dig down and how far apart would you recommend planting?
This is interesting, having so much blueberries growing in the wild around here, I never thought people would grow them. That’s cool, blueberries are awesome.
Good luck with your plants
Any updates GW?
This weather has been so slow inconsistent it has the garden confused. Most of my heat loving veggies are struggling, but berries and fruit seem to be doing fine.
If the birds don’t beat me to it, this should be a bumper crop of blueberries.
Got a couple early ones already ripening.
Attachment 43666
Well they are growing not a lot of growth but the branches on the Haskap have grown quite well and the Blueberries have grown more, but I have found in the past that shrubs take the first year to get established.
I do hope the mice don't hurt them come fall, I might put some moth balls around them before the snow comes this winter.