Sheri,

They should not bloom again until spring. They are low chill but still require some chill hours....think it is 100 or 150. Now it is possible for young plants to put out a few blooms in the fall, heck I have a 5 year old bush here I noticed yesterday had a few blooms on it. I just fertilized my bushes for the last time Tuesday. I was very impressed with the amount of growth my sunshine blues put out after being planted this spring. I would say they have quadrupled in size.

Hi Bamboo,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, mine have really leafed out nicely as well. There's this little white beetle type bug that likes to munch on the leaves now and then. I've used sevin dust but prefer a more organic remedy so am using neem oil spray. I think it helps for a little while but then they come back again. Do you know of any other natural pesticide that might keep beetles away? I'm wondering about the garlic, hot pepper, dish soap remedy?

Take care,

Sheri

P.S. Putting a little organic garden sulphur on the blueberries today.

Sheri,

I have not seen the beetles you mention but grasshoppers which are very thick this year sometimes take a munch or two but nothing serious. In the spring the Tussock caterpillars are brutal some years ( like this past spring) and they cause a lot of damage and need control.

Maybe we don't get the grasshoppers and caterpillars in our zone (hope not) and maybe you don't get those white beetles in your zone (hope not, either). :-)

Sheri,

Not sure which is worse. How long have you had the sunshine blues? Do you have any trouble where you live getting the required chill hours?

Sheri,

These are some low chill blueberry varieties that would also work well in your zone 10 area

'Gulf Coast' - Chill hours - 100, Season: Early, Zone 8-10, 4' to 6' tall. Excellent tasting fruit, ideal for containers and edible landscapes.

'Misty' - Chill hours - 150, Season: Early, Zone 6-10, 6' to 7' tall. Beautiful evergreen bush, bright blue green foliage & hot pink blooms. Very flavorful fruit, good pollination compatibility with your Sunshine Blue.

'Sharp Blue' - Chill hours - 150, Season: Early, Zone 7-10, 5' to 6' tall. Upright evergreen bush, Tough & very adaptable, blooms and fruits all year.

'Emerald' - Chill hours - 200 Season: Mid, Zone 8-10, 5' to 6' tall. Highly productive when paired with 'Jewel', requires very little pruning to keep good form

'Farthing' - Chill hours - 300, Season: Mid, Zone 8-10, 6' to 7' tall. Consistently produces large yields, a strong bush with high-quality fruit.

'Jewel' - Chill hours - 200, Season: Mid, Zone 8-10, 6' to 7' tall. Very early to ripen, excellent cross pollination with 'Emerald', high fruit quality.

'Scintilla' - chill hours - 200, Season: Early, zone 8-10, 5' to 6' tall. Produces large berries with great color and firmness, consistently produces medium to high yields.

'Southern Belle' - Chill hours - 300, Season Mid, Zones 8-10, 5' to 6' tall , Large firm berries on upright plant.

'Spring High' - Chill hours - 200, Season: Early, Zones 8-10; 5' to 6' tall, vigorous, upright bush and sets fruit in poor pollination conditions.

'Spring Wide' - Chill hours - 100, Season: Early, Zones 8-10, 6' to 7' tall. Spreading bushy habit, produces an abundance of new leaves in early spring, very low chill requirements.

'Sweet Crisp' - Chill hours - 200, Season: Early-Mid, Zones 7-10; 4' to 6' tall. Unusually crisp, sweet and the best tasting berry there is! (my opinion).

Lou

Wow, Lou, thanks for listing all those berries! I've had my present ones for about 1.5 years. Do you know which ones don't require a cross-pollinating variety (I think that's what it is). In other words, you can have just the one plant and it will produce nice fruit.

Also, can you get these at nurseries or have to send away? Where do you get yours?

Thanks,

Sheri :-)

Sheri,

Most blueberry plants will self fruit but do much better when paired with a compatible pollinator. If you can find a 'Misty' or "Misty Blue' for your 'Sunshine Blue' you would get a larger and more reliable crop of berries on it each year. I now have many different varieties so I don't really have a problem with compatible pollinators.

I'm constantly on the web looking out for new hybrids as they are being developed right and left now. I search exhaustively to find anybody selling the new hybrids (usually expensive) and I try to buy only one plant. Then I propagate cuttings from the bush if I like the berries.

You may not find all those varieties that I listed as yet but some should appear at your local nurseries or on line in the near future. I know the 'Misty' & 'Misty Blue' have been available for a while now and should be fairly easy to find.

Lou

Hi Lou,

The Misty Blue sounds like a good second plant. Is there a way you could send me a few cuttings? Of course, I'd pay you. Or maybe you could recommend a specific website? If you lived closer, I'd come over and purchase some. I think you're on the west coast, right? I'm on the east coast. Then of course there are nurseries that could possibly sell them but I think they're few and far between around here. Sounds like you have a lot of land, right? We have more than most folks in our neighborhood.

Please reply when you have the chance.

Thank you,

Sheri

Sheri,

Right now it is too early in the season for a nursery to be shipping fall blueberry plants, I'm not sure if I can identify mine because the FL sun fades & blanks out all my labels. I will check on mine again tomorrow as it is dusk out there now and I cannot read the faded writing with a flashlight. If I can find it labeled I will root out a cutting for you and send it later. If I cannot find it in my blueberry bushes, I will keep a close eye out for it online. I do see one online but it's way way too expensive at $38 bucks. There will be others probably starting to ship next month.

I have a little over eight acres here, around 25 miles inland from the west coast and around 45 miles southwest of Ocala.
Lou

Sheri,

I checked my labels on the blueberry plants this morning and most were totally unreadable and some were missing, but I did finally find the Misty Blueberry plant for sale for $8.95

Lou

Here is a link that might be useful: Misty Blueberry Plant

Hi Lou,

Is that one for $8.95 one that you'd send to me?

Thanks,

Sheri

Sheri,

I am unable to identify my 'Misty blueberry' from the other blueberries I have because the labels are sun bleached or missing on my bushes. So I'm not able to send cuttings of 'Misty' to you.

I then searched around online for you and found that the True Blue Nursery now has them for sale (to blueberry growers in flats of 25 plants). I also knew that True Blue Nursery sells single plants on Amazon and figured that would be the easiest way for you to buy only one plant so I gave you the link for you to buy it online.

Lou

Hi Lou,

I just caught the link in your prior message. I'm going to check into it. Thanks for all your help. Any more comments or suggestions are always appreciated.

Sheri :-)