Benny:

Does your O'Neal usually have frost damage? That might be your best indicator.

Im seeing the same thing here. All my SHB are flowering now and buds are swelling on most Rabbiteyes. I do have a tunnel in place that I can put plastic over just in case we get some freezing temps in the next month or so.

Fruitnut, Im trying hard not to fert my SHB. If I can provide freeze protection am I safe to go ahead and do it? It is organic slow release so you said it should take 4 to 6 weeks before up take begins with in the plants right? My emerald is breaking buds every where. Well over half of them have broke now.

blueboy:

Uptake doesn't require 4-6 weeks. It can take that long for a low vigor plant to respond with increased growth. If your plants were vigorous last fall there is no need to push fertilizer now. That vigor will carry over. I'm going to try to slow mine down. They are outgrowing my pots.

Also in most fruits too much water and fertilizer is a recipe for low sugar fruit. Not sure if that translates to blueberry but I don't fertilize too much in spring. Some, not too much.

Fruitnut,

In the blueberries more fertilizer will equal more sweetness but it will not increase the BB flavor. I'm not sure what too much or not enough water will do to them. I like my berries sweet so I push the fertilizer when the berries are sizing up but definitely not now.

Fruitnut,

It is normal for O'Neal to swell and open ahead of the Rabbiteyes, but they have never had frost damage in the six years that I have lived here, except for 2007 when the whole crop was lost.

Benny

Wow, blooming in January? That would be awesome!

It's 21 degrees here in eastern washington right now and we have 6 inches of snow on the ground.

RM

Come on riverman,let's go down south and start a Blueberry farm! :~)

All of my BB are in bloom except Jubilee.

I'm ready Brady, stop by and pick me up!

There is a bad ice layer on top of the snow around my plants and when the wind blows it rocks the stem of the plant back and forth against the ice layer and it's marking them up..........it's not good!

RM

riverman,
We can always dream.I feel I'd be more appreciative of the warm weather by experiencing some cold.
Did your area get the freezing rain after the snowfall?It made for a lot of problems in the Puget Sound area with slick streets,trees and limbs falling and power outages.I'm glad I covered the Southern Highbush.
Well,hang in there,Spring is coming.Brady

Even though I live in Orange County, this has been a strange winter for us as well. Most of my plants are 1-2 months ahead of schedule. My Misty, Southmoon, Bountiful Blue, Sunshine Blue, and Pink Lemonade blueberries are all in bloom. The honey bees and humming birds are out pollinating all the flowers right now. My apple tree are also about a month ahead versus last year filled with open blossoms and my flowering cherry trees and sweet cherries are about to brake dormancy too. I wonder how large my crops will be this year with less chill hours even though I'm still gaining hours every night....

Brady just to add some salt to your wounds:)

{{gwi:55226}}

Yea, we got about 6 inches of heavy snow first and then 2-3 days of freezing rain! You can walk on top of the snow the rain is so thick. Now the last two days it's been in the 40's, really windy right now and we are down to about 3 inches of snow, it's melting really slow. Miserable.......will be glad when it's spring! This was a bad storm.

RM

bamboo rabbit,
Got an extra room,just for a couple months?Just kidding,actually this past summer,my plants could of used a little more heat,but while I heard a good part of the country was sweltering,it was probably one of the most moderate ones that I can remember,with temperatures in low seventies for the most part.I think it's why most people stay here,they look forward to getting out of the gray and into the not too hot weather.Each area has it's pluses and minuses though.Brady

bamboo:

Just my opinion and preferences but the ONLY good weather FL has all year is in winter. The summers, well you can have them. Our winters aren't as warm as yours but still good weather for working outside or hiking. And our summers are infinately better than that awful FL heat and humidity.

Fruitnut,

Half the fun of living in Florida is picking on the people up north in the winter:) You don't want to take that away from me do you? I came from NW PA so lake effect snow and cold I know all too well. In Florida our spring fall and winter are great. Summers, well it is warm. Not as hot as Georgia as in the 7 years we have lived here I think it hit 100 just once but most days are low 90's. It does make the plants grow. I gauge the day by how many shirts I have went though but a 5 shirter is about the norm. I know it is hard to believe but you get use to the summers. Use to ice fish in -10 now......my teeth chatter when it hits 50.