Help a Noob :-) Blueberry Advise

[mjd42]

Hi All,

First time gardener, absolute novice, making this up as I go along :-).

I was gifted some veg seeds, some equipment which included 3 blueberry plants (as a kit) a few weeks ago by a friend, and I have no idea what to do with them.

So far I have kept them on the south facing kitchen window sill, kept them watered using rain water etc, and they have started to leaf and I notice today there was 3 little flowers on one of them. But, I have now have no idea what what do with them and when.

The note that came with them when I was given them said that one was an early season, one was a mid season and one a late season. Not sure if that means they will all grow but fruit at different times, or if I need to manage them differently etc. Sorry, I am a real novice, this is my first efforts at growing anything. (But my potatoes are chitting nicely).

I was also given 3 larger pots for them, approx 3 litre pots and a bag of ericaceous soil, which after reading I now know what that is and why it is needed for blueberries.

I live in Gloucestershire (for weather wise) and we seem to be getting some warmer but still quite wet weather. I am not sure if I should be putting these into larger pots now and leaving them outside in a sheltered by sunny area, or if I need to leave them where they are for longer.... and how long. How do I know when they need to go outside/replanting into larger pots to allow them to grow and bush out etc.

Thanking you in advance for any advice on what to do next, when and what to look out for.

A very grateful noob.

Matt

[ameno]

Repot them now, and put them put outside now. Although it may be best to bring them in for the night if frost is forecast. Blueberries in general are fairly hardy, and should certainly be absolutely fine left outside over winter where you live, however since yours are in leaf rather earlier than usual (likely because they've been kept on your warm windowsill) the new leaves may be more tender to frosts.

[Plot70]

I have got blueberries.
One bush did several years in an inside out car tire and later I moved it and another I bought cheap to an outside 6 foot by 3 foot bed built of Victorian bricks on an old concrete slab.
I initially filled it with ericaceous compost and have since topped up with rosemary clippings and the odd bit of fir chippings and rotten fruit.
They crop every year. They need lots of rain water.
Watch out for blackbirds. There is something they furiously dig for that moves into the compost. You may need to add some thorny clippings from time to time to prevent root exposure. The blackbirds take a few fruits but keep everything else away.
A sacrificial raspberry cane or two helps with easier perching level with the fruit.

[mjd42]

Repot them now, and put them put outside now. Although it may be best to bring them in for the night if frost is forecast. Blueberries in general are fairly hardy, and should certainly be absolutely fine left outside over winter where you live, however since yours are in leaf rather earlier than usual (likely because they've been kept on your warm windowsill) the new leaves may be more tender to frosts.

Hiya,

Thank you.

I will repot them today and move them out side.

I hav looked at the forecast and we have a week of up to 15 degrees, and lows of 3 to 4 degrees with one night of 0 degrees, so would it be best to move them outside and then bring them in over night for a few weeks until the night warm up a little more to get them used to being outside?

Matt

[mjd42]

I have got blueberries.
One bush did several years in an inside out car tire and later I moved it and another I bought cheap to an outside 6 foot by 3 foot bed built of Victorian bricks on an old concrete slab.
I initially filled it with ericaceous compost and have since topped up with rosemary clippings and the odd bit of fir chippings and rotten fruit.
They crop every year. They need lots of rain water.
Watch out for blackbirds. There is something they furiously dig for that moves into the compost. You may need to add some thorny clippings from time to time to prevent root exposure. The blackbirds take a few fruits but keep everything else away.
A sacrificial raspberry cane or two helps with easier perching level with the fruit.

That's good to know thank you. I will report them after work and hope for the best.

We have 2 blackbirds that frequent our garden and I think they are setting up a new in a large pyracantha bush we have, we also have some other smaller birds like Robins, Dynnocks, and several tits, so I think I may be surrounding them with some mesh or something similar when they start fruiting :-).

Thanks for the tip own the clippings, I can take some off the pyracantha bush.

Matt

[greenishfing]

I originally got three blueberry plants like yours which fruit at different times. They are now quite large and give me plenty fruit, but not enough for jam. They live, in pots, close to a big water butt that catches the rain from a greenhouse roof. I agree with all the other advice you've been given but there are times when my blackbirds do beat me to the fruit. One of my blackbirds is the opposite of timid though and squawks at me and holds his ground if I even attempt to scare him out of my cherry tree.

[Plot70]

I found with netting that the unripe fruit catches in the net and gets pulled off.
You would need to build quite a big netted structure to make it worth while. You have to allow space for the wind rock and growth.
The sacrificial raspberry crop has been best for me so far.

[peanut]

I've noticed that the birds, mainly Blackbirds seem to go for the very earliest of all my berries and then move on as more or a wider selection becomes available. They don't seem to strip a bush, just take the first few from each.

[ameno]

Hiya,

Thank you.

I will repot them today and move them out side.

I hav looked at the forecast and we have a week of up to 15 degrees, and lows of 3 to 4 degrees with one night of 0 degrees, so would it be best to move them outside and then bring them in over night for a few weeks until the night warm up a little more to get them used to being outside?

Matt

No, just leave them outside somewhere sheltered, but take them in overnight if 0c or less is forecast.
Being indoors isn't good for them. There's too much warmth and not enough light, meaning they put on lots of long, soft growth which will easily damaged later on.

[greenishfing]

I've noticed that the birds, mainly Blackbirds seem to go for the very earliest of all my berries and then move on as more or a wider selection becomes available. They don't seem to strip a bush, just take the first few from each.

I wish my blackbirds would actually eat a whole strawberry rather than a bite from every fruit.

[Rightyhoe]

Hi Matt , you are right in saying that early mid and late season means when they fruit , all need the same treatment.
If you ever want info.on a particular plant Google ( for example ) Blueberries RHS gardening . Lots of useful stuff there.

[Plot70]

I find that the blackbirds take more fruit if the weather is hot. They need the moisture content if there chicks get thirsty.
It would be interesting to see if anyone has found anything that could be put out for them.
The adults can drink from water at feeders but the chicks can't.

[peanut]

I find that the blackbirds take more fruit if the weather is hot. They need the moisture content if there chicks get thirsty.
It would be interesting to see if anyone has found anything that could be put out for them.
The adults can drink from water at feeders but the chicks can't.

Soak sultanas, they plump up beautifully and the Blackbirds love them for themselves and their chicks.

[Plot70]

That is a good idea. Any grape based fruit should be OK.
All that is needed is an attractive perch for the adult blackbird.
Blackbirds guard berries of various kinds at different times of year. If the sultanas are placed close enough to the fruit bush it should fall within the guarded zone and be protected from pigeons.

[mjd42]

Thank you to everyone that has replayed with advise.

I have repotted them and they are outside in a sunny but sheltered area, currently getting rained on. I am keeping an eye on the weather each evening and will bring them in overnight if the temp is forecast to drop low during the night, and then back out in the morning.

Hopefully the should be ok and have time to get hardier.

I will keep an eye on them so when they start to show signs of fruiting (if I don't kill them first) I will surround them with some mesh to keep the blackbirds off, they get enough from me in seed, they can't have my fruit as well :-). I like the ideas of sultanas, so I will offer them some to keep their mitts of my blue/straw/rasp berries :-)

Matt