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Fruit & Orchards

Will a highbush pollinate a rabbiteye blueberry

16 years ago

I've looked and searched all over to not need to post, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. I planted two of each, but one of my rabbiteyes died. Do I need to find another, or can I get away with the three I was left with?

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Comments (10)

fruitgirl
16 years ago
Blueberries don't technically need to cross-pollinate to produce fruit. Recent research showed that some varieties, southern highbush in particular, set a bit more fruit if they're cross-pollinated, but they certainly don't *need* it to produce fruit.

So the short answer is that you're fine.
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kev843
16 years ago
Do you mind telling me why your Rabbiteye died?
I myself am trying to grow some for the first time and am not having alot of luck with them:-)
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Well I guess it depends on who you ask at my house. My wife told me yesterday that I should replace all my plants with Brightwells. She likes them that much! Tifblue is suppost to be what all other rabbiteyes are compaired to so I assume its good but havent tasted it. Its alittle high on the chill hours for my area just like Powderblue. Thats why I didnt get it and Im probably going to get rid of Powderblue for the same reason. Beckyblue is my least favorite of my rabbiteyes. Its hard to tell when they are sweet unless you taste them and usually you are dissapointed. Im going to let them stay on the bush untill atleast half of them have been ripe for a couple weeks and see if that makes a difference. Woodard is okay as far as taste goes. Same thing as Beckyblue, usually dissapointing unless they stay on the bush for long time. Taste, plant growth, hardiness...... Brightwell seems to be alot sweeter of a berry than any of my Southern High Bush. SHB seem to have more of a tart to them, which I like, but all the SHB have alittle different flavor than the next. I probably have been picking the SHB alittle to early. About the longest Ive let them hang on the bush is about a week after turning color. Rabbiteyes out grow SHB 3 to 1. Im trying really hard to keep my rabbiteyes at 6ft but it requires alot of prunning and tipping to do it. They can get up to 20ft if left unprunned. Hardiness, Ive only lost one Premire rabbiteye in the first growing season but it was sick when I got it. Havent lost another plant yet but have had to cut back a few canes on Gulfcoast due to stem blight. Other than that every variety I have is growing like gang busters so far. I really believe that its all about the water quality you use to water them. Anyone can create a acidic growing medium but not everyone has access to good water. The only reason I think Ive had the success that I have is the amount of rain water storage I have. I have about 1800 gallons of storage now. It looks pretty getto though with all the blue drums in the corner of my yard but I just put up a wood fence to hide it and it looks so much better now.
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Stac5455, just a suggestion, I would stay 500 ft. away from FHN as they have been questionable in their credibility of supplying the blueberry varieties they claim to be. Many of us have been burnt with FHN's blueberry varieties. Despite reading online comments about FHN, I have purchased blueberry plants from them yet the plants already show different growth habit characteristics than what they are supposed to look like. I have yet to wait for the real fruits to determine if they sold me what it was supposed to be. It is really painful way to find out it is a different variety than what you had purchased only after several years. Plus they have not responded my questions concerning the plants I received. Just Fruits and Exotics has been highly recommended by many blueberry experts. I have contacted JF&E recently, they are going to have many blueberry varieties available for the fall (most likely in October). You might want to contact them to see if they will have Spring High available in the fall.
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patapscomike
Original Author
16 years ago
I don't know why the one died. I do know that the other three came from Stark Brothers, and the one that died came from Home Depot...
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kev843
16 years ago
O no,
Hope thats not a sign because I have gotten some there too LOL
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greenhaven
16 years ago
Blueberries are very particular about their soil conditions. Did you prepare your planting hole well and make sure the pH was at proper levels?
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kiwinut
16 years ago
Most rabbiteyes are self-incompatible, and will set very little fruit, or very small berries without cross-pollination. Highbush types will pollinate them, as long as the bloom periods overlap.
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fruitgirl
16 years ago
Oops, I always forget that rabbiteyes are self-incompatible, as I've never worked with them (I've always lived too far north). Anyway, just to make sure the OP understands, you need to different varieties to ensure pollination. Two plants of the same variety won't work.
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patapscomike
Original Author
16 years ago
I was very careful about my holes, using a mix of peat moss, local soil, and very old horse manure. I used the same mix for all holes, so I don't think it was the soil.

Thanks for all the help. I hope one of my other blueberries overlaps in terms of bloom timing. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks...
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yeshwant91
16 years ago
Fruitgirl, when you say you need different varieties to ensure pollination, do you mean different cultivars of the northern highbush like Bluecrop and Patriot for example, or Highbush and Rabbiteye varieties of blueberries?
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fruitgirl
16 years ago
By variety, I mean like Bluecrop and Patriot, not that you need different types or species. Variety and cultivar basically mean the same thing, as "cultivar" is a shortened version of "cultivated variety."

Remember, though, that rabbiteyes are the only ones that absolutely need cross pollination to produce fruit. Southern and northern highbush do not require cross pollination, even though some varieties may set a bit more fruit if they have it.
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