small blueberry bush: barrel planter or in-ground

11 years ago

We have two small blueberry bushes arriving from Gurneys tomorrow. We think we have a good location in front of the house, but we still aren't sure how the plants will do there.

Alternately, the wife likes the idea of planting them in some half wine barrel planters. The worry there would be freezing since more of the base is exposed to wind.

We're zone 7a -- some freeze thaw and usually one to two major snow events each winter.

Any advice is appreciated!

Anthony

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Bradybb WA-Zone8
11 years ago
Hi Anthony,
Snow is okay,it actually acts like an insulator.Being in the ground with some mulch around them will give them the best protection,but half barrels are big and should probably be fine.There is a guy who grows Blueberries in Southeastern Washington State where it can get in the single digits and he wrote that his barrels froze solid but the plants came back fine the next Spring.
What varieties are they and how old and big? Brady
edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years ago
I like the barrel idea. I grow my blueberries in containers and have had good results. As long as the growing mix is correct from the start they're fairly simple to grow.
Related Discussions
Have a question about half wine barrel planter
Q
Comments (16)
I've included a link below to a fantastic article on container soils and how water moves through them. The article also has recipes for free draining mediums you can mix yourself. I think the 511 medium would be perfect for a half barrel. It would be worth your while to begin again, drilling the necessary holes, placing some mesh over them, and using a more durable, free draining soil that will hold up well and give your plants' roots better aeration along with excellent drainage. It really helps when you know what the purpose of soil is, and what plants actually require... and Al's article in the link covers it all. It dispels some old wive's tales, gives excellent and very pertinent information, and if there's anything you don't understand about the concept of a more durable, fast draining medium, please feel free to ask us! We're all here to help! :-) I use the recipe for Gritty Mix in all my long term plantings, which would be my house plants, and I'm going to use the 511 medium for some large patio pots I have outside. Some will contain annuals, and others will hold my Japanese Maples and other trees, or roses. Either way, the larger pots get wheeled back inside the unheated garage at season's end. I'm waiting on pins and needles, too, for the nicer weather of spring to stay with us a while! I'd like nothing better than to get all the plant material out of the garage! Happy Gardening! Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Recipes Included...
...See More
Pruning Blueberry Bushes
Q
Comments (5)
Thanks for the info harvestman. I dont think I have ever mulched deep enough aruond my blueberry bushes. Im really going to work on getting that deeper. I built the bushes up on small mounds to allow more drainage since I live in clay country. Im sure some of my problem the last few years with the bushes has been not enough water. I use lots of compost and worm castings along with peat moss and cotton bur compost in the holes for plantings. I did miscalculate though it has 4 or 5 side shoots around the crown. It didnt have any new growth though last year, all the existing wood has bark. So any blueberry bush should receive shoot growth each year? I really need to get an irrigation system setup for my bushes. I have designed a pvc sytem that I hope to get in the ground this spring. It runs off a rain barrel. On another note my currants did receive any new growth either last year. All of there shoots are woody. HMM. thanks for you help,brandon
...See More
Non-Producing Blueberry Bush
Q
Comments (12)
Fruitnut, your right about Sweetcrisp. I thought this year was going to be a break out year for my Sweetcrisp because of the number of fruitbuds it had this season. Most of my branches had 7-10 buds and some more. I went ahead and thinned buds down to 5-6 per branch but I probably could have just left them. Every fruit bud seems to only produce 2-6 berries opposed to Emerald which can produce 10-12 berries per bud but my reasoning to thin buds was weight distribution. Last season when they ripend the weight of the fruit almost pulled some branches to the ground due to its thin branches. This year will it will do the same, probably more so since I have twice the amount of fruit buds as last year. Hopefully no branches will break with high winds this spring. I'm going to start training Sweetcrisp alittle different this year. After fruit harvest it's getting cut way back and all new growth will get pinched at 4-5 inches long. My plants have gotten so lanky the last two seasons and it wouldn't be a problem if it had baseball bat branches like Emerald but it's such a thin branched cultivar I think it needs more attention than most. Hopefully I can leave all the fruit buds on next season with no worries of weight problems. I was suprised at the size of Sweetcrisp berries as well. They were well above average in size so weight of ripening fruit will become an issue for out doors growers like my self. To the original poster, like fruitnut said, get one Emerald and one Jewel for production. They put on lbs of fruit and it's good quality as well. I actually prefer the flavor of Jewel over Emerald. Jewel had a stronger blueberry flavor for me but was alittle more watery than Emerald. That being said they are both great berries and a must have for Southern growers. The other 3 varieties fruitnut mentioned are all about quality fruit. Those were the best flavored berries for me last season. If you only get one or two more, make it Sweetcrisp!!!!!
...See More
building a berm for blueberry bushes
Q
Comments (6)
I built berms for my blueberries and keep the berms covered with wood chips. In heavy rainfall periods, the berms keep the plants alive. Personally, I'm not as optimistic about the strawberries mixed with blueberries. Strawberries are so prolific for me they are very difficult to keep from taking over an area. They even choke out grass. With something like blueberries, which are fairly non-competitive, it'd be easy for the strawberries to whomp em'. Be careful where you buy your topsoil. I bought a truckload once. Although it looked good and black, hardly anything would grow in it for a while. I thought maybe it was that manufactured sewage sludge topsoil, but the place I bought if from claimed the soil came from farm ground. I never did find out what was wrong with that soil.
...See More
Anthony
Original Author
11 years ago
Sunshine Blue.

What's the right growing mix? I'll have to buy it at the garden center when I get the barrel planters.

Thanks all.
Bradybb WA-Zone8
11 years ago
Pine bark mulch and peat moss,about 60/40 to 70/30 ratio is what I do.
The Sunshines will do okay on their own,but will produce more fruit if they have another Southern Highbush to accompany them. Brady
blueboy1977
11 years ago
Here is a 3 year old Sunshine Blue in mostly peat with some pine bark. This was my first attempt at potting blueberries. The potting soil has held up pretty well so far but after the next fruiting season Im going to attempt to root prune and repot with a little different potting soil. 70/20/10 pine bark, peat, perilite.

{{gwi:124996}}
riverman1
11 years ago
You wouldn't have to worry about them freezing out. As Brady mentioned,I have had plants freeze solid in pots and they come out in the spring just fine.

Having said that, however, I would plant them in the ground. Why? Because I grew BB in pots for several years and once I put them in the ground they really took off.....much faster growth, easier to care for, just healthier more robust plants. I put them into 3/4 peat and 1/4 native soil. My soil here is pretty good though, it's a silt loam and drains well. If you have a clay I wouldn't recommend it. If you had pine bark I would use mostly that and a bit of peat. I can't find pure pine bark here so I use lots of peat. I'm not a botanist or an expert, just a guy that likes to grow blueberries. I am still learning every year.

My plants on June 4, 2011

{{gwi:72468}}

Same plants, October 2012

{{gwi:72469}}

Different angle, 2011

{{gwi:124997}}

2012...

{{gwi:124998}}

Reka I planted this spring.....it was maybe 10 inches tall when I planted it. I clipped this plant back a couple times trying to make it branch. The plant is about waist high.

{{gwi:124999}}

This Reka is several years old and probably 4' wide, had lots of berries this summer.

{{gwi:125000}}
riverman1
11 years ago
Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I used my iphone today for convenience and the photo quality isn't the best.
Anthony
Original Author
11 years ago
Hey thanks. I think we'll stick with pots for at least a little while. If I find a spot they seem to love we may reconsider the ground (but we do have clay, so drainage is a problem).

I'll be sure to pick up some peat and pine bark when we get the containers.

Thanks again all.

small blueberry bush: barrel planter or in-ground

Comments (8)

Bradybb WA-Zone8

edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28

Related Discussions

Anthony
Original Author

Bradybb WA-Zone8

blueboy1977

riverman1

riverman1

Anthony
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

small blueberry bush: barrel planter or in-ground

Comments (8)

Bradybb WA-Zone8

edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28

Related Discussions

AnthonyOriginal Author

Bradybb WA-Zone8

blueboy1977

riverman1

riverman1

AnthonyOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Anthony
Original Author

Anthony
Original Author