Splitting Blueberry Rootball
blueboy1977
12 years ago
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12 years agoblueboy1977
12 years agoRelated Discussions
When to transplant southern highbush blueberries
Comments (4)Yes, dormant is the rule but most of mine never lose their leaves. Zone 9 CA is likely in the same boat. Plus during the dormant season the soil may be so cool their won't be much root growth. They can be potted up anytime since most of the rootball remains intake. It can be a little tougher to water properly because it is easier to over or under water. I try to keep the original rootball moist without keeping the new, rootless soil, too wet until new roots form. I'm moving to smaller containers just for weight reduction. My new size is 3 gallon actual media. So you can grow a big plant in even a small container. I have a Jewel right now with 5-8 lbs fruit on 3 gal media. A large container does allow longer watering interval but little other advantage....See MoreQuestions About Moving 25 year old Blueberry Bushes
Comments (18)Brandon, before I invest time in trying to find the bits and pieces of information I've picked up over the years, such as that peaches have been shown to increase in actual size after more aggressive pruning compared to less (because of less energy invested in fruit production), I'd like you to steer me to a single piece of research based on cutting back bearing wood on mature plants at transplanting as opposed to immature plants. Not that I'd be convinced if you found the research that it holds true for all species, because I feel certain it doesn't, but it will motivate me to go to the effort. It doesn't matter if wood stores energy if it doesn't share it with the roots. Check the literature for what you do with a spur-bound apple or pear tree. You cut back the spurs (sexually mature wood) to encourage vegetative (sexually immature) growth. I have the benefit of watching the results of the removal of such wood on a regular basis and it is a routine treatment of some of the trees I manage. You remove enough of the spur wood and the trees start growing more vigorously. Trees that have been declining in size have started growing again. The reason immature fruit trees grow proportionately faster than mature trees is because juvenile wood doesn't spare energy for fruit and flowers which is very expensive and it is well known that regardless of rootstock you can greatly control the size of most species of fruit trees by accelerating the beginning of fruit production. The greatest managment risk in commercially growing fully dwarf apples is having them fruit excessively when they are too small- they often permanently runt out. Plants runt out when inadequate energy is being sent to the roots. Vegetative wood generously feeds the roots while fruiting wood is very stingy. I transplant hundreds of bearing age fruit trees on semi-dwarfing rootstock annually, and one of my biggest problems is having peaches runt out- the treatment- aggressive pruning. It is also the way to get them to avoid the problem in the first place. I know that all, and I mean all, of Carl Whitcomb's research was based on work with a few species of very young plants, so I can't go there for researched information. Show me where to go, Brandon, for some actual research on mature plants and I'll continue this discussion, but as it stands, I just have seen too many instances where pruning back has stimulated growth on mature trees. As far as blueberry plants, I'm not so sure one way or the other. When I got out of hort-school I had all the confidence as you in the research I'd been stuffing my head with (and a good thing- it helped me disguise my inexperience). Actual experience has made me much more skeptical of sweeping assumptions based on very limited research. Much more comprehensive medical research than research we are discussing here is often contradicted by subsequent research. I'm sure this would happen more with hort research if it was pursued with similar aggression and funding....See MoreLast of the too low ph Blueberry Plants
Comments (9)Just went to home depot and got one of the cheaper probe type ph meters. I've been using a liquid ph meter and it is spot on. I've calibrated twice this week just to make sure at 4&7ph with calibrating buffer solutions. To test the ph on this bed I mixed equal parts soil and rain water then put the liquid ph meter in it. Just checked it with the probe and and it pegged out at 3.5, that's as low as it goes. Just for reference I checked one of my pots and it showed 4.5 Ph:-). I'm going to over haul that bed tonight. I will post back on this thread in a couple weeks with any progress made. Bam, this is the first time I've managed to drop the ph too low on a rabbit eye. I came close last year but caught it before it got too low. They might not respond quite like SHB in that respect. From what I can tell so far about low ph with SHB is chloratic leafs with some pink(depending on cultivar), stunted growth, smaller than normal leafs once they stunt and some leaf burn(depending on cultivar). All my potted SHB that were to low had all or some of these symptoms. As you can see the rabbiteye only has chloratic leafs but it's also stunnted because it hasn't grown much but no signs of leaf burn, small leafs or pink leafs. It's just a different animal! I don't recall how much sulfer I added to that bed at planting but when I noticed chloratic leafs I added more sulfer, iron sulfate and started using acidified water cause I thought the ph was getting too high. Instead I just drove it down even more! Lesson learned....See Moregiant miscanthus rootball from nursery - funky smell/other questio
Comments (4)The rootballs of large ornamental grasses are big and dense. What soil may be present in the nursery can is usually very tightly held withing the root system. I can't tell you about the odor but if the roots are not mushy, this is likely just fine. You can divide them with a saw - won't hurt or damage the plant at all. In fact, a saw is often recommended for dividing large OG's - it's about the only way you can do it easily. Your planting sounds like it is too deep. You want to dig planting holes no deeper than the depth of the rootball to be planted and even a slight bit less. And you don't need to cover the plant with soil - just to the top of the root crown or where the new growth emerges from the container. Often, overly deep planting or covering plants with excess soil will lead to rotting. Roots need to breathe and they do that best close to the soil surface. As long as your soil drains well, don't worry about the mud - that's often the situation with brand new plantings as water mixes with fresh, loose soil. You can mulch up to the base of the plant but not over it....See MoreUser
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12 years agoBradybb WA-Zone8
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