Blueberries in Containers... How Much Sun?
kristimama
16 years ago
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sautesmom Sacramento
16 years agoapplenut_gw
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Hydrangeas and sun? how much is too much
Comments (3)thanks for the tips...I suspected that might be the best choice, the downside is that the north facing side of my GH is really isolated and out of view from about everything. So they wont get many "looks", but maybe I can figure a way to position them on the corners so that they can peek around from each end and be seen....See MoreBlueberries in containers?
Comments (8)If it were me, personally, I would definitely containerize my blueberries at least this year. #1 you don't know what exposure you will have in the side yard after the house next to you is constructed; #2 the construction of a fence could affect the shallow roots detrimentally. Blueberry roots are very shallow and grow horizontally from the plant's crown rather than vertically, as pointed out in another thread. They can easily be damaged by the foot traffic, digging, etc., that will go on during installation of a fence. But, if they install a privacy fence, it sounds like, based on the size of your side yard, it could also affect how much sun the area gets, and fences can create a "dry line" within a foot or so out from the fenceline. Blueberries like moist soil - not a bog, but consistently moist. I wouldn't risk planting them in that location until the house and fence are finished and you can see if you'll have enough sun and space to plant them in-ground there. The size of container will be dependent on whether you get a 1 year old or 2 year old plant, and whether you get a dwarf variety, like Top Hat, for example, or not. I wouldn't plant up a 1 year old plant into anything more than a 2 or 3 gallon container, but some may disagree with me on that. Mine are regular Northern highbush varieties - Blue Crop and Elliott, and I potted mine up at the end of their first summer (2 year old BBs when I bought them) into approx. 10 gal. pots. They do fine in those so far, and they are entering their 4th year now. I don't think the dwarfs need a pollinator, and in all honesty, neither do the others since blueberries have both male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). However, if you want a better harvest, it is necessary to have 2 varieties for best crop production. You don't "have" to, but you won't get as many blueberries if you don't. Your blueberries can grow in containers and be planted out eventually. Just be careful handling the roots as they can be easily damaged. I just carefully removed mine from the original container and put them in the new ones without touching the roots. Probably too careful, but that's me. My blueberries have been in approx. 10 gal. containers and I would like to repot them into 20 gal. containers that are squatter with less depth and more surface area than the ones they're in now. They've been in the 10 gal. for a couple of years now, and were originally in 1 gal. pots. The first 2 years I removed the emerging berries, per Scott's direction. Well, last year I didn't have to prune them off because the hail we had did that for me. There were just a few left hanging, but my Cardinals "pruned" them. They did love those berries! I may have to fight them this year for my share. I hope this helps and Scott will probably come in and correct any info that is not accurate and add his own special expertise. He is our resident Blueberry Guru. Susan...See MoreHow much sun for containers?
Comments (3)You should be fine with anything, really. I have a lot of shade from neighboring trees, and I can tell I don't have the production I should have, but, they still do grow well. On the up-side, all the trees surrounding me help stave off frost in the Fall so I can extend the season a bit longer. :-)...See MoreHow much is too much sun
Comments (20)Hey Bruce, I'll add something here. Your question is "How much is too much sun?", but the conversation is focused on temperatures. I submit that temperature and sun intensity are not necessarily directly related. If the question was "How hot is too hot?", I would say at that point where pollination is adversly affected - which is a function of temperature and humidity rather than sun intensity. Now, as for "..too much sun". I would say that this is more a function of your latitude than your temperature. I'll give you an example. It may be 100+ where you are, and 85 where I am, but the sun's intensity will be FAR GREATER here than there. Too much direct summer sun for me might be 2 hours, where too much direct summer sun for you might be 6 hours - even though your temps are much higher. PJ...See Moreraerae1
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX