Good report Scot. I bought those two bare root plants in the very early spring and put them in containers. So far, so good. One has a lot more leaves than the other, but both look healthy enough. I am hoping that they have developed enough roots that I can move them to the ground this fall. What is your fertilizer secret?

Something I have done has worked so far to keep the leaves nice and NOT showing signs of soil not being acidic enough. The last two years I did not have to water much because of rain, but this year I have watered about 10 times. The last two years I diluted Miracid to about half the suggested strength and put it on with a small watering in early May, mid-June, and late July. This year I did about the same, but I think I applied it 4 times to some plants based on crop load and leaf appearance. Within days the appearance of the plants improves after this fertilizer is applied. The leaf color gets darker.

Remember that most of my plants are in about 1.5 cubic feet of straight peat moss so they aren't getting much in the way of nutrients. The 3 or 4 applications of half-strength appears to be working so far, but I have had a couple of plants die also.

Scott,

I'd been wondering where the 'blueberry update' was!

Your comment about Duke made me wonder--do growing conditions affect blueberry flavor the same way that they affect tomato flavor? I never thought about that in terms of berries but it is a well-known phenomenon with tomatoes.

What do you do about water being alkaline? Our water tests with a pH around 8.2 and I can't imagine growing blueberries here and giving them that water after spending all the money to create them an acidic growing environment.

I really want to grow blueberries for Tim and Chris and think I'll try planting some in very large containers next spring, but I worry about keeping them alive long-term.

Also, do you cover the plants with bird netting or anything? I already have to fight the birds for every blackberry here, so assume it would be the same with blueberries?

Dawn

Dawn,

I have never heard anything specific about the growing conditions affecting the blueberry flavor, but I would have to guess yes based on this year's experiences. It is just a guess though. I fertilized once and watered a few times right during the middle of the Duke production, so I would lean towards that maybe causing the poor taste except that the Bluecrop that was overloaded got the same treatment as all others yet was the only bad tasting Bluecrop.

About the pH of the water, would you believe I have never had my water tested. I have asked the rural water people, but the information they gave me did not include pH level. What I did to test my growing situation before planting many was that I bought 7 plants of 3 varieties the first year and replanted them in larger pots (1.3 cubic feet, but only 10 inches deep) for the growing season. The soil mix was half peat moss and half native soil. I watered them every day until the water stood on the surface. When late July and August arrived, they started putting out new shoots and leaves. I had decided that if the new growth showed no signs of pH issues even after being in a pot and getting so much tap water, then I would not have an issue in the ground for at least a few years. Everything looked good so I put them in the ground that fall and planted more the next spring. All the ones after that got 100% peat moss, but the first ones were half/half. Only 3 out of 40 total plants have been unhealthy for any reason so far.

A couple of other things I should mention, though, are that my soil pH in a couple of home tests I did was a little under 6.5, and that some rabbiteyes that I put in pots 1.5 years ago are showing pH related issues this summer. Those rabbiteyes are in a half/half mix of potting soil and peat moss, and the pots are too small.

I don't really have to fight the birds for the blackberries here much so this might not be applicable to your place, but thus far I have not ever noticed birds or any other animal or insect touching a blueberry with the exception of the over-ripe ones that ants started to get to a little bit. I don't do anything to protect them except let the dog roam at night to keep the deer away. One winter they ate some of the tops off of a few plants, but no problem since even though I have seen them during the night in the area multiple times this year and last.

If you buy a couple of healthy two-yr old plants, they will be about 12 to 18 inches tall with a few good branches. If you pinch off any fruiting flowers the first year and the second year you have them, you might get 5 lbs per plant starting the third year. You will have to take really good care of them, though, and use a pot that is a couple feet across but not necessarily very deep. (If you can keep a loaded tomato plant healthy through harvest in a pot, you can easily do it with a blueberry plant.)

Scott,

Thanks for the blueberry info.

Dawn

Dawn and anyone else,

I should have thought to say this before now, but I also should add that I think the northern highbush varieties I mentioned should not be grown by people south of about I40 due to possible lack of adequate chilling hours.

just dig up this old past from last year, i'm guessing Duke taste worst than any other kind of blueberries?
I saw a bunch at lowe's and tempted to buy a few....

I won't extrapolate beyond my own experiences. For me, last year was the first large harvest I have had. Almost all of my Duke plants had huge crops for the size of the plant,and 1 Bluecrop did as well. After the first week of harvest, the Duke's didn't have much taste. The single overloaded Bluecrop was so bland I would not give them away. The other Bluecrops and the Bluerays were outstanding, and the Berkleys and Elliots were good, but the Elliots were a bit sour and hard to time the harvest for.

Before last year, I thought the Dukes were very good. Of the 5 varieties I have, I would rate them in order Blueray, Bluecrop, Berkley, Elliot, Duke. If you factor in that Duke blooms a bit later yet matures a bit earlier, I would move it up to only behind Blueray and Bluecrop. If I prune it well to reduce overcropping, it might still be a really good choice. I'll find out more this year because every plant I have is absolutely loaded with berries despite how much I pruned. It is a bit frightening to think they may all end up with poor taste or the plant hurt because of the crop size, but I have already removed hundreds (if not thousands) of blooms per plant both before and after budbreak. Fingers crossed!