I think the best time for transplanting potted blueberry shrubs is April, or late March, before the shrub has set any blossoms. My guess is that your shrubs have blossomed out by now. In that case, it is best to transplant them in overcast weather, if possible at the beginning of 3 or more days of cloudy weather. This reduces the demand made by the leaves on the root system, because the light will be subdued. You can help the plant get established by partially shading the shrub, for the first week or two, if you are dealing with sunny weather. If you bought the shrubs at a local nursery, they will know what your soil type is, and they can give good advice on planting instructions for your particular area. At a minimum, you will need to find out the pH of your soil, and the pH of your irrigation water, unless you are using a rainbarrel.

OK, since mine already have blossoms should i pinch them all off when I transplant? I'm guessing these are 2 year old plants, they are about 2 feet tall.

Dale

Removing the blossoms will help the plant get established and thrive during the first year. It allows more energy to go into developing the roots, which is exactly what the shrub will need to be doing. What kind of soil do you have?

When i first made my yard into a garden the soil was already somewhat loose because the original owner had the whole yard a huge garden. I have approx. 5500 sq. ft. garden and I added 21 tons of compost 2 years ago with a couple yards of sand and tilled it all in. It drains very well but I am going to amend a portion specifically for the blueberries as soon as i am sure exactly what it needs.

how long should blueberries remain blue on the plants before harvesting??

Charleslou, harvest your blueberries to taste.

They are blue before they are ripe, and how much more time they need will depend upon the weather and the variety.

So you check the plant and pull a berry off and taste it.

Then, be aware that not all the berries will ripen at the same time.

Since it is already middle of May and my soil definetly needs to be more acidic should i grow my bluebrries in pots this year and put them out next year in early April?

Dale

thepodpiper; this is a great time of year to plant blueberries in Michigan. It has been raining almost every day, cool temps and danger of frost has passed. The overcast skies also help reduce the need for shade cloth.

Just dig a large hole and fill with peat, add organic material such as pine needles or compost, add some sulfur to the mix and you are done. Blueberries have small root balls, but if you dig a larger hole than required, it will help keep the higher PH soil from reaching the roots. Watering with the vinegar water mix (as ericwi has suggested on this site before) or Miracid every now and again; will help with any PH issues till the sulfur starts working.

I went and bought some Spag peat and some ferts for acid loving plants, I have some White Oak wood chips for mulching around the plants once they are in the ground but I cannot seem to find the aluminum sulfate to help acidify the ground. Where is a good place to buy?? Lowes by me does not carry it. Is it in a particular fert or is it sold as plain ole aluminum sulfate?

Dale

I use agricultural sulfur for lowering soil pH. It takes 6 months to one year for the sulfur to take effect, because soil bacteria must metabolize the material first. The time lag gives me a chance to check soil pH periodically, and make adjustments. Sulfur is available in 50 pound bags, at feed & seed co-ops. Here in Wisconsin, it is used mainly for growing alfalfa.

Thanks Eric, when using pine bark mulch does it matter if it comes from cedar or does it have to be a white pine or similar.

Dale

All mulches cause some nitrogen depletion, as they are decomposed. I think the nitrogen ends up in the bacteria and fungi as they consume the mulch. Despite this, blueberry shrubs are generally mulched, to help retain soil moisture around the root zone. I have mulched with shredded cypress bark, shredded maple leaves, regular maple leaves, and arbor vitae leaves. Other blueberry growers use pine needles, or oak leaves. I would think that pine bark mulch would be OK to use on blueberry shrubs, but I haven't tried it. I fertilize our blueberry shrubs in April and again in May, mainly to keep the nitrogen level up. I have used both MiracleGro-acidic, and Schultz Plant Food, acidic formula. To avoid burning the roots, I mix up one tablespoon of fertilizer per 4 gallons of water.

Then none of the mulches you use are for lowering the PH just for water retention? Is there a specific mulch that will help lower PH.

Dale

thepodpiper In S.E Michigan English gardens, Tractor supply, Family Farm & HomeÂ..might be good places to start, the big box stores may have sulfur but little else. Personally I would use sulfur, but some people use iron sulfate.

I am not aware of any mulch that lowers soil pH. Although, there must be some change in soil chemistry that happens when the mulch decomposes. There will be an increase in bacteria & fungi during the growing season, followed by a dieback over the winter. To my knowledge, no one has reported significant change in soil pH due to mulching.