Hi gt3corn
We've planted 200 bb a little over a year ago so we're learning ourselves. First get a soil sample to test ph. So far that seems to be the most important thing to get rite. It took us about 3 years to get the ph down to 5.5 from 6.8. and that was with using a lot of sulfur (we experimented with 6 plants 5 years ago). We have a "good clay" soil, and we didn't amend our soil with sulfur until we planted the bb. It didn't seem to hurt the bb, but they didn't take off till the ph got lower. Your best bet is to talk to wholesale nurseries to get answers, don't worry about ordering from them, they will give info freely if they are reputable.

Hope this helps
Jake

First thing you should probably do is contact your local extension office or a blueberry grower near you. There is no such thing as the perfect cultivar! One that works very well somewhere else, may not work for you at all. An extension agent or local grower would be familiar with your particular set of circumstances. Maybe someone from your area will see your post here and be able to give you more advice.

gt3corn,

To me, the most crucial step is getting that soil right. Blueberries really need a soil high in organic matter along with it's being acidic. At the least, I'd till in A LOT of peat moss where they're going to go and add soil sulphur. Soil suphur takes a long time to work, but you can help your plants along with other products like Miracid and Copperas, a faster-acting iron amendment. Also critical is moisture. Blueberries have a shallow, fibrous root system that won't tolerate much drought--especially in the early goings. I would definitely mulch. Personally, I like oak leaves--even though Nourse does not recommend them. I'd also not fertilize past late summer. New growth before winter is pretty susceptible to damage. DO NOT use ALUMINUM sulfate even tho' some suggest it. Give them plenty of room too. I plant at least five feet apart. They will get anywhere from four to eight feet tall. Mine are in pretty full sun, but I've seen some great plants in partial shade. You should be ok.

Taste is a personal preference--like size of plant and berry. Make sure you get plants appropriate to your zone. You don't say how many you're planting, but I plant several different varieties that ripen over an extended period of time. I personally don't trust local sources like big box stores on most fruits--been burned too many times. Order bareroot plants from a reputable source. I also have been generally disappointed with the conglomerate nurseries, as well. Be prepared to battle birds and critters--especially rabbits. Oh, the worst part: If you really want those plants to do well, remove all blossoms and berries the first couple years. As far as pruning, I lay off it initially unless it's dead wood. Others may want to chime in here on that topic.

Good luck,

Brook

As mentioned, taste is subjective. You mentioned you like sweet. One I would recommend is Blueray. I would recommend going to as many upick places as I could tasting them myself and see which varieties you prefer.
There are some pathogens that live in soggy soil, I would suggest putting a berm of sand on top of your soil, ammending it heavily with humus,(sawdust, shavings, oak leaves, pine needles, peat moss).
As mentioned, don't let them dry out either.
I would plant enough varieties to give a long season if possible.

Your blueberries will sweeten up if you leave them on the shrub for an extra week or so, after they appear to be ripe. This of course gives the birds an extra week to find them, and birds like ripe blueberries just as much as people. Don't be too surprised if you end up developing a taste for slightly tart blueberries, like I have.

It takes so much sand to modify a clay soil that it is not recommended- I've read that sand can turn some clays into concrete. I still think it can be used for blueberries because you don't have to transform much soil as the plants are small and roots are shallow (compared to trees).

I'd create raised beds using 1/3 peat moss 1/3 sand and 1/3 native soil by volume and see after it dries out if it's light enough (and hasn't turned into concrete, ha ha). The soil should be almost as light as a potting soil. The beds should be about 4 feet wide and a foot high (it will settle some), and flattened on top to help watering.

Peat can be substituted with other things like a very light forest compost. The amount of sulfor you need will depend on the pH of your soil and your water source. Rain water is best.

Keep the plants well mulched with any convenient organic product- preferably free, direct from an arborists chipper. Don't ever let the plants dry out during the growing season.

Although I feared the consequences of adding sand to clay when I got out of hort school I have used it succesfully to establish blueberries in heavy soil. If you skip the sand and just add lots of OM, it will probably work just fine if you raise the beds. This is what Cornell would recommend.

If you have any woods nearby, the best organic amendment I've found for blueberries is the black humus that sometimes forms under oak trees and white pines and other forest trees. It's much more stable than peat moss which quickly disappears when added to soil. PM is mostly raw plant matter high in usable carbohydrate that is easily digested by organisms once removed from the bog.

Gt3corn,

Since you have clay soil, I'm guessing you are in the central to eastern part of the state. You get very far west and you start to get sandy. The pH of the soil in the central to eastern part of the state runs around 7.0 or higher. Generally speaking, in KS, the farther east you go, the lower the pH. I'm 4 miles from MO and my soil runs 6.9. Blueberries do well around 4.5. I've visited two commercial blueberry farms close to me. Both used fertigation. One is just over the MO border. The soil is well managed and the plants are beautiful. The other is close to a gravel (limestone) road and as such, they told me they struggled to keep the pH down. The lower vigor of their plants was notable. My point in this is that if you haven't started to lower the Ph, you need to. As was mentioned, a soil test would be a good idea. I've used A&L labs. They are very reasonable in price (around 20 bucks) and test for most micro nutrients as well as the macros. If you don't want to go to the trouble of a soil test, a general recommendation of 2500 lbs. of sulfur per acre is recommended on clay soils with a pH of 7.0 to grow blueberries. An acre has roughly 43,00 sq.ft, so you can do the math.

Hman is correct that you want to build berms to grow your blueberries and add organic matter. He frequently points out blueberries can take a higher pH if there is adequate organic matter. Still I'd add some sulfur in our conditions. 50# bags of sulfur can generally be purchased at a coop or a good garden center. One 50# bag will be plenty for a small planting.

Thanks everyone! I think this pretty much covers it all. And Olpea I live here in Manhattan.

I went to school there. Soil pH will definitely be your biggest problem. Lot's of limestone. Your soil is probably well into the 7's. I know a guy out farther west. He ordered 30 BB plants and they all died. However, he didn't amend his soil at all and pH was about 8. You'll need to keep a close eye on the pH.

Good luck!

Yeah, by higher pH I'm talking about the low 6's. I wouldn't even shoot for anything lower than the mid 5's. In a home orchard you can afford to add a lot of organic matter and to mulch which helps assure that plants get adequate iron. You can spray the plants with a soluable iron if they are chlorotic (yellow leaves from iron deficiency)- it sometimes takes some time for the acidifying to reach the blueberry roots.

Here are some blueberries that do well in clay

Patriot BlueberryÂÂ is better adapted to grow in clay soils than most blueberries, as it's resistant to phytopthera root rot. It also gets really large berries. The 'Patriot' blueberry bush tends to be shorter and wider with more red and variable leaf colors in the autumn.
http://www.greatlakesnurseryco.com/product_info.php/products_id/622

SUNSHINE BLUE BLUEBERRY (Vaccinium sp.)
A dwarfing evergreen blueberry to 3 ft. height. Bright pink flowers in spring, followed by delicious fruit ripening over a 2 month period in midsummer. Low chill variety, tolerating high soil pH better than other varieties.
http://www.burntridgenursery.com/otherproducts/index_product.asp?dept=31&parent=28

But if soil does not drain at all, better to build a raised bed and fill with the mix described by harvestman. The last thing you want to do is dig a bowl and drop your plant in, if it doesnÂt drain it will die.

I've used sand to loosen the soil in my garden and berry rows. It seems to do a great service to the soil. If you do use sand, make sure that it is washed sand. If it is unwashed it contains too much salt and could damage your plants. It's also very inexpensive. I think, around here, it's about 18-20 dollars per ton.

Luke

Make a call to Doug Grimm, at Grimm's Gardens in Hiawatha. Probably the most knowledgeable blueberry grower that is close to you.

I mentioned to Doug one time that i thought blueberries were one of the most challenging crops for Kansas gardeners to grow. He said, Nah, it's easy. Well that is not the experience for the majority of us here - you ever see bushel baskets of blueberries at any local farmer's markets?

So, give Doug a call. He'll get you pointed in the right direction.

brian