which blueberry shrub to choose?

preppystud

11 years ago

i went to a local Lowe's store, they are selling a few varieties of blueberry shrubs.

i don't know which one to choose. they are produced by this site.

http://duartefruittrees.com/?page_id=40

i want one that is easy to grow and produce lots of blueberries. ;)

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Comments (6)

User
11 years ago
It would help to know what state you live in.
Noogy
11 years ago
PJ-
8-20lbs depending on age/variety/care
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Preppy, I have seen Emeralds so tall that the migrant workers could not pick them easily but height is controlled by you through pruning. Rabbiteye blueberries can hit 15-20 feet I guess again if allowed to do so. There are some commercial growers here in Florida that have acres and acres of blueberries all in 30 gallon pots. They may produce slightly less in a pot for most people. I know Steve (Fruitnut) had a huge yield out of a Star BB in a pot..bigger than I have ever got from my inground plants even but he is a rockstar grower:) He knows his stuff. Bamboo_Rabbit say.... a slightly reduced yield in a pot is still way more production than a dead plant in the ground. :) This post was edited by bamboo_rabbit on Fri, Feb 22, 13 at 17:09
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Sweetheart does state it crops in the fall also but so does Emerald and the berries dont sweeten up in fall. I think its a good sales pitch though! Not saying it wont work cause I havent tried Sweetheart, just a little sketchy about fall blues. From what Ive read the zones havent been nailed down as to where it will thrive, at least the southern zones havent been nailed down. I also havent seen a chill hour recommendaiton on it either. Pearl sounds interesting after reading some descriptions of it. Oneal is supppost to be a great berry but doesnt produce a lot of fruit. If you dont like to thin fruit buds in the spring Oneal would be the way to go. Pretty much all the newer Southern High Bush over produce and do require bud thing. The only one Im aware of that doesnt is Sweetcrisp. If I had to choose from the varieties you stated I would have to get 2 and hope they flower close enough to each other to get good cross pollination and would choose Sweetheart and Pearl. There are alot of online nurseries that carry bunches of other varieties that are proven in your area. Maybe alittle research would give you better options, proven options.
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Again, I don't know what size you want your shrubs to reach, but I'm planning on buying some purple smoke bushes, (Cotinus coggygria Atropurpurea) for my sunny bern. According to the limited reading I've done, and maybe others can help me out here, but the newest cultivars of Hydrangea, specifically the "All summer Beauty" (HYDRANGEA macrophylla) variety claims to do well in Full Sun. I always thought hydrangea's were more of a partial shade shrub, but this one claims that it can tolerate full sun. Another shrub I want to buy for my sunny spot is the ST. JOHNS WORT, (HYPERICUM Hidcote : H. PATULUM, GOLDENCUP) and I'm also going to plant some of the reblooming lilacs ( Syringa 'Josee'). The more I look at abelias, the more interested in them I am. Darn, I just reread your post and saw that you wanted evergreens. I guess I'd go with the azaleas, or rhodies, or there are even some mountain laurels that can tolerate full sun. I was thinking of getting a variegated Daphne, (Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata') and that's an evergreen for full sun. Or a camelia? Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
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I just happened to be passing through and, seeing this, HAD to comment. I live in Utah, and since we just bought this house some four months ago, I was excited to start gardening and landscaping(though husband said not this year, first need to pull the other stuff out first. lol ;) ). I also heard this, and, loving the idea of bushes that looked cute and were useful, was planning on doing it. Until I talked to the local nursery. APPARENTLY, blueberries demand acidic soil. In Utah, we have clay type soil, which is alkaline. They said, were I to try to grow blueberries, I'd probably have to add stuff to make the soil acidic at least once or twice a year. Even saying that they sounded like the conversation was done. Not in a rude way, but in a, "I know you're new to this stuff, so with our years of experience, we're trying to save you tears and frustration." haha But yeah, they said they(being a few people I've talked to), hadn't really known anyone who kept blueberries going around here. SOO...my point is, know what kind of soil you have first, and then go from there. Another I had dreamed about was cranberries, as they can be a pretty ground cover, or trained to fences. They too are pretty by holding berries into winter, so you see the red against the white snow. But they too demand acidic soil. Just some advice from someone whose dream was broken. heh ;)
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preppystud
Original Author
11 years ago
i am here in southern california.
User
11 years ago
Well in your area and zone I have no experience but don't see why you could not grow southern highbush. You can't beat Emerald for sheer volume of berries produced. For taste I love sweetcrisp. Windsor is also a good one as well as Jewel.
Bradybb WA-Zone8
11 years ago
preppyjock,
From what i know,I'd pick O'neal and Legacy from your provided list.I have Misty,which is sweet,but can be too overbearing and may need some flower bud pruning at some point,but that's okay.Legacy is excellent.I want to get an O'neal,because I read they are good tasting and bear early. Brady
Bradybb WA-Zone8
11 years ago
I was looking a little closer at some of the descriptions of the Blueberry varieties listed on the duartefruittrees page and it lists some of the Southern Highbush chill hour requirements at 800 -1000.I don't think so.One of the main reasons Southern Highbush were made is to have low chill hours for Southern growers.
I checked for the variety Rebel which duarte lists as needing 800-1000 chill hours.The patent information has it as 400-450,which is more like it.
Preppyjock,it may benefit to check the average chill hours in your area for a Winter,that is between 32F and 45F and pick the plants need that many or less.Weather Underground is a place to check and tally up chill hours. Brady

And don't use that stupid chill hour info from duarte.

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which blueberry shrub to choose?

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Noogy

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which blueberry shrub to choose?

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Noogy

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preppystudOriginal Author

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Bradybb WA-Zone8

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preppystud
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