Ensure that you can provide the acidic rich soil that blueberries demand. They are surface rooted & need a heavy mulch/ full sun for best berry production. I got my plants from Millers Nursery in Canandaigua, NY. They have a web site & provide stock that will grow in Nia. Falls. Blueberries have significant ornamental as well as food value so don't be afraid to place them in a prominent position. Lowbush varieties would be best for your area. Good luck.

Might be best to find a local source of blueberry shrubs so
you can inspect the plants at time of purchase. You will
need to check soil pH, it should be around 5.0 for blueberries, which is pretty acidic. Our soil is high in
clay, so I amend with compost or peat moss when putting in
a blueberry bush, about 1/3 by volume. After planting, I
will scatter one tablespoon of granulated soil sulfur over
the surface of the ground, around the shrub. Then, add
3 or 4 inches of mulch. The mulch helps keep the roots from
drying out in sunny, windy weather. Blueberries are not
swamp plants, they should not be wet all the time. However,
there should always be some moisture in the roots. I have
to water once or twice a week during summer drought, usually
in August. Of course you will water in the plant well when
planting, and check it in a few days. But established plants do not need to be watered when there is normal rain-
fall. If the lawn is green, the blueberry shrubs should be
OK.

If you have access to pine needles or shredded oak leaves,
either can be used as mulch, and you might not have to use
granulated sulfur to lower soil pH. I have had good results
with Miracle Grow for acid loving plants, one tablespoon per
gallon of water, applied once in the spring and once again
in June. This product will lower soil pH immediately, and
does not burn or damage the roots. Soil sulfur lowers soil
pH, but is slow acting. An application of granulated soil
sulfur takes about 3 years to dissolve.

The methods described above have been used successfully in
Madison, Wisconsin, since 1992. Since your soil and climate
will be different, you might have to use different methods.
Please do not expect the shrubs to produce much the first
year, I think it is best to be satisfied with healthy plants
for the first two years, and expect significant berry
production at about 5 years.

If you need to order blueberries through the mail, be aware
that the center of the blueberry growing industry is around
Traverse, Michigan, and the plant nurseries that support this industry are in the same area.

Mario; Try DeGrandchamp in South Haven,Michigan and i am sure there's lot's more where Eric mentioned (Traverse).

Eric - what a great write-up/keep it up.

Bob; Did you ordered specific varities from Millers for
your place in Wisconsin??

Here is a link that might be useful: blueberries info

How much sun do they need? I've seen pictures of them under trees but wonder whether they will do well or produce there...

tadeusz5
I ordered a Patriot, Northland, Elliot & Early Bluejay from Millers. I used to live upstate NY & have visited their family nursery. I've had good luck with their stock but there are undoubtedly other equally worthy providers.
jmsmith
Especially in the North, blueberries bear better in full sun. I also wonder about competition from a trees roots. I have seen them grown outside the dripline of mature evergreens. I suppose the needles help acidify the soil. Don't know how heavily they cropped however.

We have blueberry shrubs around the house, as landscaping,
and at other locations in the yard. An eight year old
shrub at a full-sun location might produce 3 pounds of berries per season. We have some shrubs along the east side
of the house, that get full sun for 1/2 day only. These
bushes might yield about one pound of berries in a good
year, but they are healthy and look fine.

Bob/Eric;

What about winter protection? How about pruning them to keep them in shape? any fertilizers and when to apply?
I have 5 bushes that I planted 3 years ago, but I hardly get
any ripe fruit as the birdies get to them just like the cherry trees. I guess I could try placing some netting material to get a taste.

Do birds eat the blueberries as readily as they will eat raspberries or tayberries?

We lose about 5 percent of our blueberries to birds every
year. I can see the tell-tale purple splotches on the side-
walk when taking the dog out. Who can say what is typical?
We live in Madison, about 4 miles from city center, we have
many birds, but generally not big flocks. Netting is a good
idea, and I will consider this if the losses get too high.

Blueberry shrubs are well adapted to winter conditions. Ours were mulched with branches cut off the Christmas tree,
and there are also some tree leaves that I leave alone over
the winter. So I will rake the leaves off the lawn, but
leave those around the blueberry shrubs to act as mulch. It
is not necessary to cover the bushes with mulch.

Our oldest shrub is now eight years, and pruning is not an
issue yet. If a branch is storm damaged, or diseased, it
gets pruned. Commercial growers know how to prune for
maximum production, but I am not expert at this.

Soil pH can be adjusted with granulated soil sulfur, but
this is slow acting, and an application takes about 3 years
to dissolve. Miracle Grow-acidic will give an immediate
drop in pH, and it adds nutrient as well. I do this 2X per
season, but the commercial growers fertilize much more
heavily, and they also achieve higher yields.

Fertilizer is 1/2 the battle. Unless your soil is high in organic matter, its recommended that copious amounts are added at planting time. As blueberries are surface rooted, there's no need to go real deep with ammendments. I mix in sulpher to lower ph at that time. Erics comments regarding the slow nature of sulpher are exactly correct. I moved a bush after 3 yrs, and some of the granulated sulpher particles were still intact. Birds love blueberries (as do deer). Netting may be advisable. Beautiful & useful plants if you can meet their needs. Well worth the effort.

I went back through my records, and located the varieties of
blueberry we have here in Madison: Patriot, Friendship,
Northsky, Northblue, & St. Cloud. All of these are winter
hardy, all are in good health, and all produce berries.

Eric,
Are the Northsky & Northblue that much smaller than Patriot?
I'm led to believe they mature at about 3'. I'm hoping the ones I planted grow taller ie. 5-6'. My grandfather used to grow much larger plants to like 8' but that was in Zn 7. I'm unfamiliar with Friendship & St Cloud. Sounds like you have a nice collection.

I should have kept a record of what variety is planted where, but did not do so. The reason for more than one
variety is to improve pollination and berry production.
Most of the shrubs are at about 3 foot after 5 years, one of
them is up to 4 foot at eight years in the ground. They
grow slowly.

Eric-I think I've seen a post by you that you have alkaline water. Is this true? Does the twice a year Miracle-Gro Acid application countact the alkaline water?

And what ingredients does Miracle Gro-Acid contain?

THANKS a lot and yes I know Kansas isn't exactly Great Lakes:)

Regarding the tap water here in Madison, WI, it tests out to
pH = 7, using pH paper. However, we get lime deposits on
the kitchen sink, and heavy lime deposits accumulate in the
pot we use to boil water for tea. This pot has to be de-
limed every 6 months or so.

I have to water the blueberry bushes every summer, typically
twice a week during August. So, I am probably raising the
pH of the soil a bit. There is always a small amount of soil sulfur around the roots of the blueberry shrubs, which
is slowly taken up by micro-organisms and eventually ends up
lowering soil pH. I am not certain about the pH of the rain
fall we have here. I will look into this.

Miracle Grow-acidic, is 30% nitrogen, 10% phosphate, 10%
potash, and also contains traces of boron, copper, iron,
manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. It readily dissolves in
cold water, and I mix up a weak solution, one tablespoon per
gallon of cold water. I once thought that MG-A would lower
soil pH, but the manufacturer makes no such claim.

Should the MG-A be used as a soil drench or a foliar feed or both?

I always use Miracle Grow-acidic as a soil drench. Since I
have never tested the foliar feeding method I cannot comment
on this procedure. I am relieved and pleased that I have
never had to use any fungicide or any other pesticide on my
blueberry shrubs. One time there was some "rust" type
fungal infection on one branch on one plant, but this was
easily pruned off and never reappeared.

My understanding is that high PH soils bind up iron in forms unavailable to plants. My grandfather "planted" iron nails around his plants/ this practice was common b4 the Ortho revolution. Miracle grow/ acid has iron in a form that is readily absorbed by plants hence its value for acid lovers in high PH environments. It does not change soil ph & it wouldn't hurt plants that prefer a "sweet" soil.

Commercial blueberry growers in North America can get 20 lb
of produce per shrub. Our blueberry shrubs, located around
our home, produce between 1 and 5 lb per shrub per year.
Tall shrubs located in full-sun all day produce the most.
Shrubs in partial shade produce less, maybe one pound per
shrub per season.

Help. I have 3 blueberry bushes that have been prolific producers over the years - I don't even mind sharing with the birds. However, the last couple of years the bushes have been sending out shoots 2 - 3 ft. long at the top of the bush. These shoots never have any berries on them, and I have been cutting them off randomly. Is there a good time to do this - and does it have any ill effect on the bush (doesn't seem to have hurt them so far). I have no idea what type blueberries these are. The bushes are about 15 years old.

I have enjoyed the posts on growing blueberries. We also want to grow them here in this very hot part of Georgia. Will that be difficult?

Jeanne03,

I shouldn't think so, provided that you make sure your soil is acid and you keep the berry bush's roots above the water line. If you get a chance to see blueberries in the wild, you'll note that they like swamps but they don't grow in wet soil.

Here in Wilmington, NC (8A), we can grow both rabbiteyes and the new southern highbush types.

I'm having a hard time finding good recommendations of cultivars based on fruit quality, but from what I've turned up in research, many of the Southern Highbush varieities were bred in Florida during the mid-20th century when blueberry production went commercial.

Good luck.

Blueberries are one of my favorite things! Being originally from the Maritimes, lowbush was what I was most familiar with. Where I live now in Ontario, the soil isn't acid enough for them but highbush will tolerate less acid conditions so it's easier to ammend the soil. Mine are growing in a former childrens sandbox that was here when we bought the house! I added several bales of peat moss and a good deal of composted sheep manure so it gives them a nice light soil. I mulch with pine needles and chopped oak leaves every year and they seem to do fine in those conditions.

The link below has a good summary of growing information for highbush blueberries. On the issue of pruning, it needs to be done while they are dormant. In late February or early March (depending on whether the snow has gone away enough for access...:-), I usually prune off all the spindly growth that comes from the base. Here's what the web page I've linked says about pruning:
"The highbush blueberry produces fruit only on the previous season's growth. For the first two years very little pruning is required except to remove dead, diseased or weak branches. In the third year remove only the small spindly growth near the base of the plant.

As the plant matures, remove dead and injured branches, fruiting branches close to the ground, spindly twigs on mature branches and old stems and branches low in vigor. Mature plants should be pruned severe enough to stimulate the production of new, vigorous shoots from the base of the plant. Prune in late winter or spring before growth starting."

For you southern folks, blueberries need their winter cold conditions to bloom and fruit properly. There are varieties that have been bred specifically for warmer climates - they've been bred to have less need for cold dormancy - so make sure you buy plants that have been bred for your conditions. This nursery from California lists southern highbush culitvars that might be more appriopriate for you:

http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/nursery/v-shighbush.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing highbush blueberries

i hve palnted 6 new bushes. all seem to be doing well. today i have noticed that the leaves on one of my bushes has turned yellow. a few limbs on the bottom of this plant still has green leaves. can anyone give me any clues as to the source of my problem.
thanks
brandon

Thanks to AOL's frequent mailings, I have shiny CDs twirling in the breeze from the blueberry bushes. The birds may love berries, but they dislike those CDs even more.
I got my bushes by digging them up and transplanting them one November nearly 12 years ago. Is it likely I could cultivate new bushes from shoots?

Mario, I just joined the gardenweb recently...I noticed from your info that you work in the town I live in! Small world..I wonder if you pursued your interest in blueberries. I have some plants too. There are great nurseries in the area.

I have 8 acreas of blueberries here that grow fine on there own. But I am sure its because I have acidic soil on my property, but we also do not cover or mulch anything either of course because how could we ever do that. :-) But as for full sun or shade they grow in both at least here they do. Actually I have some that produce better in the shade then the ones in full sun, they are much larger also, it seems to much sun just dries them up sooner. Just my observation on them. We really had a good year for them this year tons of them it is because we had such a cold spring and summer here and lots of rain. Good Luck growing the berries I find they are pretty easy to grow , you should have no problems .

Here in west central Florida along the Gulfcoast we grow blueberries. There are several farms just in this area alone. Most varieties have been tested and researched by the University of Florida in Gainesville. On our farm, we have Rabbiteyes, Sharpblue, Gulfcoast, Beckyblue, Windsor, and Jewel....the Misty and Bonita are good to use for pollination along with the bees to help. Acid soil with a ph of 4.5 to 5.5 is ideal, using sulphur and Osmocote. They grow in a solid mix of chopped pine bark. They get plenty of chilling hours, flowers in February, fruit by first week in April. Florida holds the market for blueberries for 2 weeks before any other state or country for fruit production then.

As I am extremely lazy and easily frustrated, I hesitate when I think of planting blueberries.

My folks planted four bushes 18 years ago, and one survives. Our soil hereabouts isn't acidic enough, apparently. After my Father passed away, I never thought of tending the bushes. Too much to do to think of landscaping.

I know about adding sulfer now, of course.

How about Huckleberries instead of blueberries? Oh, sure, someone's going to say that blueberries are better. And I'm sure they are, in some ways.

And I think huckleberries are native here. Also, they're more of a groundcover than a bush, which I like. A groundcover should be easier to cover with birdnetting than a high bush.

So, does anyone have experience with huckleberries? Are they easier to tend than blueberries?

growing blueberries in wine barrel planters? Interested in feedback from those who have? RQ

jreq - I grow them in much smaller than that (12", where they've been for the past 5 - 8 years, depending on variety) and they do just fine. Half barrels would be even better. ;-)

I remember years ago hearing about a blueberry that I think was called Maine blueberries. They were very small and so sweet. I would like to grow these, if possible. Has anyone heard of them? If not, what would be the sweetest blueberry to grow in zone 5?

Chey

Rubel and little giant are the tops for flavor (if you trust the nursery industry). (I can vouch for rubel personally, but LG was just eaten plant and all by bunnies the both times I planted it)

They will both survive zone 5

~Chills
Try burntridgenursery.com they've got quite a selection

Thanks!

Chey

Does anyone know a good mail order source for Blueberries in Canada? Or a local source in the Hamilton, Toronto area?

I'm desperate for a few bushes, but am having trouble locating stock.

Help! :)

I think William Dam (Dundas) has them...their web site has been misbehavin' tho.

Thanks, I'll try them.

Feegle

You were right, Tomgyrll, that website is $#*$)#@*$)ed. Oh well, I'll try the 'in person' approach.

Chey,

'Maine blueberries', the small sweet ones, grow wild in Maine. They are not a cultivar. I have no idea if you can get them commercially, or how well they would grow in another situation.

Feegle

I've got a bit of a slope on the edge of the property (ok - it's almost a 90 degree slope) but it's only 3 feet deep from top to bottom but about 60 feet long.

Can I plant blueberries on this slope? As you can imagine, drainage is really good on the slope. I've used alot of cutleaf stephanandra's for ornamental effect and irrigation control - would love to fill the 'inbetweens' with blueberry bushes. Am I beyond wishful thinking?

Help! one of my blueberry bushes is only producing every other year - not one blossom this year, and this is my best producer. Is this due to a lack of something in the soil? The bush next to it produces faithfully every year.
The nursery where I got the bushes said that it is not getting enough nutrients because the rain is washing them away. That doesn't explain why the other bush produces in the same conditions.

I have 3 yr old blueberry bushes (climax, Bluecrop, Blueray)that just this year have developed some black spots along all stems and most of the blossoms have died. Only the top of the plant has berries this year. I fear it may be some type fungus and have treated plant and ground with Captan, but can't find anything in blueberry literature that describes my plants. Some leaves are curled but I think that is due in part to the farmer's spraying next door since I've found other plant leaves curled around the yard also. Any ideas?

DOes anyone know what variety of blueberry would be similar to the ones that grow wild in Northern Sudbury. They are bright purple, not blue and they are small.

Also, are bears attracted to blueberries? We are moving to 2.5 acres in Marmora Ontario near Peterborough and I was thinking of planting some of these bushes in and around the grass perimeter near the pine trees. I know I'll have to share with birds and deer but don't want to attract bears too.