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California Gardening

Growing Blueberry Misty in SoCal

9 years ago

Hi all!

So ended up picking up a Blueberry Misty from the store (Costco) and looking for advice on how best to plant/care for success.

Searching online and reading the forums seems the best approach is:
1) Planting it into a container so I can control the PH/Soil
2) Choosing a location with lots of sun

Since I'm a minimalist (read: lazy/busy with a newborn) don't really have too much time to monitor it so want to plant it and have the sprinklers regularly water it w/o too much hassle.

My idea is to plant it into a 15 gallon container and then plant that into the ground next to my tomato bed. Planting it into the ground is so the sprinklers can easily water it w/o much worry.

I could plant it straight into the ground next to the tomatoes but to acidify that bed area would take a lot longer. Right now my PH is readying around 7 and I read Blueberry likes 5.

Some concerns:
1) The mature size of a Blueberry Misty is 5' H and 5' W so likely it will grow beyond the 15 gallon
2) Planting it into the ground could cause drainage issue but could mitigate with additional holes

Right now the plant is real small so it will be several years, also wondering if with regularly pruning you could "contain" it to "fit" in a 15 gallon (18" wide x 14" deep) container.

Or it would just be better to bury it straight into the ground and try to acidify my entire plant bed which is a 15' x 3' area (it's not raised) so the soil is mixed with typical hard red clay that is in SoCal. The bed has been amended a bit and successfully grow tomatoes in that area (although those are more tolerant than blueberries). Current PH of that area is a around 7.

Looking for advise on how best to do this.

Thanks!

Looking back I probably should have gotten more of a "dwarf" blueberry which may have been a better match. Owell!

Trying to see if I can get this to work.

Comments (10)

MrClint
9 years ago
'Misty' is an earlier variety that does well here in So Cal. It's a large plant with very tasty berries. You will need another variety or two for better cross pollination/fruit set. I recommend 'Sunshine Blue' as it stays small, is practically evergreen, tastes great, and will extend your harvest season.

I grow my BB in pots and follow the planting and growing directions at the Dave Wilson Nursery site.

Here's my 'Misty' in April, loaded with berries just starting to ripen, and covered with BirdBlock:

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Blueberries
iris_gal
9 years ago
This site has information. Yum. Love blueberries in yogurt.

Here is a link that might be useful: blueberries in pots
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All good info so far. I would also add that it wouldnt hurt to prune out some of those really thin branches and shoots. On young plants like that, I like to remove the really thin branches/shoots and leave only the the thicker ones. It makes watering easier, opens up the plant for air circulation and sun, lessons the chance of getting water on the leafs if watering during the day. If you do prune them be sure to sterilize your clippers with a bleach rag between every cut. The plants will respond very well to a good hair cut! For potting mix I use 70% pine bark mulch(not nuggets), 20% peat moss, 10% perilite and about 3 table spoons of sulfer(Im using 15 gallon pots). That with some good organic fert has worked very well so far for me. Last but not least, lots of rain water! You will run into problems using municiple tap water sooner rather than later. If you must use tap water you can either acidify it (I use sulfuric acid when I have to use tap water) or use Epsom Salts to counteract high ph tap water. Ive never used Epsom Salt but have read that it will work. Good luck.
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I am growing all my blueberries in large pots so I can control the soil pH and nutrients, and all are doing exceedingly well. Just too much effort to try to grow them in our soils. I am growing O'Neal, Jubilee, Emerald, Misty, Sunshine Blue, Sweetcrisp & Windsor. My best tasting are my Sweetcrisp, O'Neal and Emerald. We'll see how Windsor stands up next season to the above 3. I grow them using Dave Wilson Nursery's recommendations on their web site. Just make sure they do NOT dry out, or you'll kill them faster than you can say totally dead brown plant. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: DWN: How to Grow Blueberries in Containers
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I was told they can make it if you plant them in raised beds, same soil as azalas grow. Barbra
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MrClint
9 years ago
iris_gal, are you growing blueberries using the DWN recommendations as well? These instructions have worked very well for me, I harvest BB from April to late June.
iris_gal
9 years ago
Mr Clint ~ oops, I linked to the same site as yourself.

I am watching ~ our local nurseries didn't have 'Bountiful Blue' or 'Sunshine Blue' which Hoov has. I bought the 24 inch pots. Do 'Misty' and 'Sunshine Blue' produce at the same time? Overlap?
MrClint
9 years ago
iris_gal, no worries. The DWN guidelines are excellent. Folks would have a lot fewer BB problems if they followed those guidelines. Yes, there is a fair amount of overlap of the harvest. There can be a sweet spot in the season where you might bring in a lot of berries from a number of different bushes.
iris_gal
9 years ago
Mr Clint ~ those look soo good!!
kittymoonbeam
9 years ago
Blueberries are water hogs. My biggest challenge growing them was keeping the potting mix acidic ( local water was alkaline and as the potting soil became less acidic the plants yellowed and wouldn't take up the nutrients I fed them) I grew them from 1 gal to 15 gal plants and then after 3 years in 15 gal pots they deteriorated. I was watering the plants twice a day. An expensive way to get blueberries. But it was fun. Someone said brew up some strong coffee and do a simple ph test. That is what you want your soil to be like. Redwood compost helps to keep the mix acidic longer. Azalea potting mix is good for the small plants.
iris_gal
9 years ago
Kitty,
HoovB mentioned using soil sulfur to keep the soil acid.
"I've had them--6 or 7 years now, planted in the ground with camellia/azalea mix and a yearly small dose of soil sulfur."

Thanks for the tip-off about water.
MrClint
9 years ago
I use soil sulfur per the DWN instructions and feed the plants with organic acid loving plant fertilizer (Dr Earth). So far I haven't had to mess around with water pH at all.
beckysimpson1
3 years ago
I'm growing 'Oneal' blueberry which is a Southern Highbush and bears early. I want to get a 'Misty' as it is also Southern Highbush, and bears early.

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