Arrgh! Blueberry Blown

[BayViewPlot]

Went to me lottie to find my potted blueberry bush blown over and rolled down the hill, half destroying the rootball and upside-down for several days.

At least it was dormant.

t stake or dig it in a bit.

Thanks, feel better for the rant!

[shirlthegirl43]

Oh dear, hope it survives. Mine is still sitting by the back door waiting for me to work out what soil it should be planted in!

[Alison]

Acidic soil, Shirl, if you've not got that type naturally then you may be better in a pot - well not you obviously, your blueberry!

[SimonCole]

I think pH 4.5-ish is best.
Stake it BayViewPlot

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers folks, will buy some soil soon and pot it up

[shirley]

Have you all had good crops from your blueberries?. I was looking at catalogues and I must admit I am tempted. I will grow in a pot in garden. Any advise on variety????

[BayViewPlot]

Not much this year but first one in pots!

bought a couple more and planted them In the ground

hope for better next yr

good luck!

[pigletwillie]

My soil is just acid but not really enough. To get round this I plant blueberries in the ground surrounded by ericaceous compost and twice a year water with sulphate of iron to drop the ph level substantially.

They crop well and do not need the mothering that pot grown plants do and (sorry to remind you) dont get blown away.

[gojiberry]

To get a better crop of blueberries you need at least two varieties for cross polination. Mine were only first year and I had enough blueberries to keep me in muffins for about 3 months. Plants have almost doubled in size since and am expecting a lot bigger crop this year. I would recommend blueberries to anyone, especially if space is limited. But beware the birds love them as well.

gojilottie

[pigletwillie]

How strange, here in Leicester birds dont touch them, or blackcurrants. Show them a gooseberry or redcurrant though!

[Hazel at the Hill]

We must send all our gooseberry eating birds to you, but you appear to send them all back to scoff all the cherries!!

Bloody blackbirds have no concept of sharing!

[piskieinboots]

I've grown bluberry bushes in pots for a number of years, travelling around the country with me - I also use ericaceous compost, they reward me well

[shirley]

I've grown bluberry bushes in pots for a number of years, travelling around the country with me - I also use ericaceous compost, they reward me well

I have taken the plunge and ordered 2

[GeordieGem]

My blueberry is a first year planted early summer 2007, and it pruduced 2 blueberry's. Not great but at the same time I didn't expect any, so in a way it was a nice suprise.

I potted it in a pot using Erachatious (ahh i cant spell it) compost and it has doubled in size. I have read in several books/internet that the leaves turn bronze, however mine did this straight away and has remained red in colour ever since. Is this normal? there is not even a mm of green and all the pictures I have seen have green leaves.

Has any one elses had colour like this?

Gemma

[wellie]

Can't help you much there Gemma, but if you are, or you know someone who's a member of the RHS, you could send them a leaf and get their advice on the deficiencies that it's showing?

And here comes Wellie just showing off again? I don't think so.....
I sat down and eat my breakfast this morning before rushing out the door, thinking how absolutely gorgeous these Blueberries taste just lightly heated with these scotch pancakes and a drizzle of wicked maple syrup on it all. And that in any given supermarket, you'd pay at least £3 for the quantity I've got on my plate this morning, and just ONE Blueberry bush costs £9ish from a garden centre.

I couldn't begin to tell you how many blueberries that, or the other blueberry bush I've got have given me since I bought them two years ago, and for the price of a bag of Ericaceous Compost and a pot (make sure you pay good attention to drainage material for the pot!) your Blueberry bush will completely shower you with fruit that you can enjoy for next to no money at all. And I kid you not, even with the two plants I have at present (Earliblue and Bluecrop, me thinks) when we've moved over to live in France, I intend to get many, many more of these plants, because they've paid for themselves in actual fruit, over and over and over again. And the fruit freezes superbly well for use 'out of season', like now.
Honestly, guess what? I can't recommend them highly enough!....