kara: It is possible for winds to snap off plants, depending on their strength and the wind exposure of the plants at their location. But only you know these facts. We do not. It is, however, surprising to find a very young blueberry bush broken by wind. You would not normally expect a young plant to be large enough to present much resistance to the wind. But whether or not the wind was culpable is irrelevant. What it relevant is whether or not the roots are likely to generate new canes, and my guess is they are not. I think that plant is toast. It is possible to start new blueberry plants from cuttings, and there is no reason why Sunshine Blue should be different from any other variety in this respect. But I have taken cuttings only when the plants are in full dormancy, then stored them in a cold location in moist peat moss until spring. This is necessary to allow the ends of the cuttings to callus, a precondition for rooting. At the point, I lined them out after rolling the ends in Rootone, a root stimulant hormone. You could take cuttings and try it anyway, but if the plants are leafing out I doubt there would be time for any root growth before they would dry up and die. If the location of your blueberry plants is very exposed to winds, and you expect this phenomenon to occur again, you might consider moving them to a more protected spot. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

apeach: First don't feel bad even if your plants die. My friends and I have killed them by getting the pH too high, getting it too low, by applying too much or wrong fertilizer, and by over watering. But I'll probably harvest 40 lbs of blueberries this year and have some plants 7 years in the same pot without repotting. The issue I've had with over watering has been stem blight on a few plants. A couple plants lost branches and a couple died. These were all in the first year. On bigger plants watering once a day in hot weather has caused no problems. My soil mix drains very well. Water poured in disappears in seconds and drains out the bottom. A tall pot is better because the upper soil will be better drained. And I don't stand the pots in water.

Blueberries like rich, well-drained soil that is acidic. If you treat them like a rhododendron, the usually do well. Oak bark mulch, pine straw, peat moss,composted horse manure...I have used all of these at one time or another. Iron and sulfur can also be used around blueberries in the cool wet seasons. They like the iron and the sulfur acidifies the soil. A good layer of mulch on top of the soil is helpful with water retention in the root area. Just do NOT pile mulch up around the base of the trunk(s). IF you have to grow it in a pot, recognize that the roots will be hotter (and no doubt dryer) than they would prefer to be. Pots dry out quickly. Do NOT set the pot on a sunny patio (it will bake). Pots also freeze and thaw easily which will cause winter damage as the plant will often start budding on a warm winter day if left outside in the pot. Then WHAM, back to winter. Best to put the entire pot into the ground for the winter if you MUST leave it in the pot. All things being equal, it'd be best to plant it somewhere...

I believe summer prunning is the best option for SHB expecially in humid areas like where I live. If no disease pressure is around and in a dry climate you might be able to get away with it but even then I believe SHB are much healtier and more productive when summer prunned. Ive made a list of which I believe justify summer prunning. SHB are prone to disease, namely stem blight and root rot. Stem blight is avoided by removing dead canes/branches (spent fruiting wood). My plants tend to form a thick canopy by the time fruiting is done. This canopy limits sunlight and air cirulation. It also forces branches and canes to rub on each other wounding the plant. These wounds can be a entry point for disease Fungus and Mildews can cause major issues with leaf retention in humid areas which have a direct effect on number of fruit buds formed in the fall. By prunning after harvest you force new shoots and leafs which stay longer on the plant into the fall to form more fruit buds. Usually the spring flush of leafs is pretty battered by the time fall comes and thats only the leafs that managed to hang on to the bush that long. Branching is multiplied by topping new canes and branches after harvest. More branches equal more fruit buds/fruit next spring. Sunlight and air. New shoots need sunlight to grow up right and strong. Shaded branches and shoots tend to be weak and sometimes twisted trying to reach the upper canopy. Sun and air also keep mildew and fungus at bay to an extent. Any thing else Im missing here? Ive even taken this same approach to my rabbiteyes. I believe in my area of the world rabbiteyes benefit even more from summer prunning than SHB. Ive had bad problems with powdery mildew in rabbiteyes from the get go and prunning to a open center and thinning out the rest of the canopy after harvest really seem to help. Im trying to think of a good reason not to prune SHB after harvest...... Im at a loss....... Still thinking....... Forget it, I cant think of any! I guess if your not really into getting the best production out of your blueberry plants than sure, why prune after harvest right? But if your nuts over growing the things like I am its just another reason to spend time in the garden. Your mind and plants benefit from it.