Blueberries from seed

[Welsh Wizard]

I am carrying out a little experiment: Blueberries from seed! I already grow several varieties of blueberry and enjoy eating the little beauties: now its time to expand the collection! So a bit of a longterm project is called for: a handful of tasty Tescos finest Chilean origin, Birgitta variety blueberries have been deseeded (very fiddly, a suprising amount of tiny seeds in each blueberry), the seeds have been cleaned with a papertowel and the seeds planted in peat based seedling compost, misted with water and sealed in a clear plastic bag. They are now outside the back door getting used to life in Oxford and increasing their chilled hours to break dormancy before being brought back inside to a sunny windowsill to see if they sprout. I will monitor to see how many seedlings I get....

Yes I know cuttings would be easier, and blueberry cuttings take nicely, but its an experiment.... plus in one sowing I might get dozens of plants to munch from (albeit in about 5 years time.....). And I was bored and it was better than watching Eastenders

Any thoughts?

[evie451]

oooh this sounds very enterprising Welshwizard very interested to see how this comes out......i have wondered how i could increase my stock of bushes, this sounds interesting as well as taking cuttings. Have you done cuttings then? when is the best time and what age do the bushes have to be?

Well i read somewhere that boredom is a great thing! apparently it forces us to find things to do and be creative.....certainly worked in your case!

[FB.]

I would have thought that taking 12" cuttings in autumn would be a good way to try to propagate them.
If that fails (some people say it will fail), you could try "layering" - tie a branch to the ground and cover with a mound of soil.
...or, if yours has multiple stems near ground level, cover the bases of the stems with soil, to encourage roots to grow into the soil. Therefore, each stem will have it's own roots and the stems can be cut off and planted individually in autumn.

[Welsh Wizard]

According to the RHS:

"Blueberries can be propagated from cuttings. Evergreen species tend to grow better from semi-ripe cuttings (taken in late June - early July). Deciduous species grow well either from semi-ripe or from softwood cuttings (taken in late spring). Select shoots that are 10-15cm (4-6in) long, and tear them off the main stem with a ‘heel’ of older wood attached at the base. Remove the lower leaves, and dip the base and heel in a hormone rooting powder or liquid. Insert the cuttings into a mix of 25% soil-free ericaceous compost, and 75% sharp sand. Place in a heated propagator with a bottom heat of 20°C, in a partially shaded position. Rooting should take about four weeks."

Personally I just prune a bit off, dip in rooting powder and put in a pot of compost. Seems to work for me....the frustrating part is the wait for the cutting to grow big enough to give fruit! However the seeds are a bit of fun and I am interested to see if they germinate and what the seedling blueberries look like.

Welsh

[Hermit]

I got quite a few blueberry seeds from the states, not planted em yet, there a mix i got of ebay, it says to plant in spagham moss. Heres some for sale now.
50 X BLUEBERRY / BLUEBERRIE FRUIT SEEDS!! on eBay, also Vegetables Fruits, Plants Seeds Bulbs, Garden Plants, Home Garden (end time 17-Apr-09 22:52:39 BST)

75 Highbush Blueberry Seeds Blueberries Free Ship USA on eBay, also Plants, Seeds Bulbs, Gardening Plants, Yard, Garden Outdoor Living, Home Garden (end time 21-Apr-09 03:58:13 BST)

[veggiechicken]

I know this is an old thread but I wondered whether WelshWizard had grown any blueberries from seed, or anyone else.
I'm just about to try the same thing with Morrison's Star Blueberries from Chile. Any encouragement would be appreciated!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

VC, never grown Blueberries from seed but I know you can buy Blueberry seeds from Plant World Seeds, perhaps there is info on their website?

Just checked their website and there is some info.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks FF. Just had a look at PWS. Had to stop myself from ordering Wonderberries and other interesting seeds. I'll give my blueberries a go - nothing to lose and everything to gain, eventually!

[BroadRipple]

love that you're doing this VC, sounds like the kind of bonkers er i mean creative thing i would do...in fact, do do. let me know if you succeed, really hope you do.
does anyone know which fruit plants you can grow from seed and which are better from grafts/cuttings etc? i mean, i know apples etc v unlikely to grow well/productively from a seed, but what about pomegranates? might a supermarket seed result in anything worth the effort? for what it's worth I have a metre-high loquat in a pot, from a seed, but I keep seeing them in gardens so suspect this isn't difficult - and no fruit. curses.

[veggiechicken]

Bonkers? me??? But of course!
I know that its easier to grow blueberries from cuttings but if you can grow them from seed, I'll give it a whirl. I've seen a pomegranate bush grown from seed, but don't think its ever fruited. Attractive bush though.
Physalis (cape gooseberries) are very easy from seed. I grow them in the greenhouse and they are perennial. They fruit throughout the year too.
I'd like to grow loquats, having seen them in gardens, but keep missing out on buying the fruit as it seems to be so seasonal.
Last year, I sowed rhubarb seeds (Glaskins perpetual). Some of the itsy bitsy little plants have leaves now. Don't you just love their determination to grow.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

VC, don't waste your money on Wonderberries, ain't nothing wonderful about them - bland, bland, bland You've just reminded me that I've got spare rhubarb seeds so I'll pop them into the seed parcel. I've seen dwarf pomegranate plants for sale (but you need deep pockets to buy one but they do fruit), so can you get dwarf pomegranates on sale? What does a dwarf pomegranate look like? Okay I'm away to Google Waitrose, to see if they sell anything.

I thought Waitrose might sell something more unusual but nope. Good luck VC, I'm still trying to grow Dragon Fruit (I got the seeds off a Grape, so someone may have a few lurking around)

[daylily]

I just bought one for £1.99. I do not know, how long it takes to fruit, but must be sooner then the seedlings. Do enjoy them though!

[stella]

As many of you grow blueberries can you tell me do you grow them in pots or have a bed full of the special soil they need?

[veggiechicken]

I have 4 small blueberries, they stayed in the pots they were in when bought for a couple of years while I decided what to do with them. Last year I planted them in the soil (which is slightly acidic) as I wanted a fruiting hedge. The autumn leaves are very attractive. There were a few fruits last year but I hope for better things this year. I can see flower buds (I think!) on them now. I shan't be giving them any special treatment. its like it or lump it.

[daylily]

I do them in pots.