growing blueberries

[buzzingtalk]

HI, I want to grow some blueberries, I've been doing a bit of reading but can't decide what is best.

I have to grow everything in pots as I have no grass to plant stuff in, I've read blueberries are OK for pots. How big do they get however, whats your average pot size in litres/inches acoss? I also read you need to have 2 (not a problem, more berries for me!!!) to pollinate each other...

I live in Norwich, Norfolk and they would be against a wall that gets some sun but not loads. It is a very well sheltered place though.

Anyone else grow blueberries?

[denise]

I do. I have 2 both in pots. One is only tiny rescued from Aldi last year, pot only 4" and plant only 6" at the moment. The productive one is in a pot which is only 12" high and diameter, plant stands 2 1/2ft high both planted in Ericaus (sp) compost. The big one produced enough berries to add to breakfast cereals fro hubby and I for about 8 weeks.
The birds like them, a blackbird came past me, within touching distance, picked it's own berry and ate it and went for another until I had different ideas and moved just enough to make it fly of, the cheek of it!! Covered the bush with a sheet after that. It had beautiful red leaves earlier, mainly fallen now.

[jojo2910]

I agree with everything Denise says. Blueberries work best in pairs, apparently they are far less productive if they do not have a friend. Ours are in 32cm pots and are about a foot higher than that. We have the space so used large pots.

This is our second year and would have had a bumper crop if it wasn't for the birds taking every one (along with all our currants) when we went away for the weekend. I'll be taking precautions next year.

[realfood]

You are correct when you say pairs, but it needs to be two different varieties that flower about the same time.

[BeatTheSeasons]

I grew three in pots and they were very productive. Until this year when they did nothing and I don't know why.

They need a special soil - can't remember if it's acid or alkaline - but I bought bags of ericacious compost to grow them in.

PS homegrown blueberries taste amazing and nothing like the tasteless pap you buy in the shops.

[Dottie]

I have 5 pots of blueberries, which I planted up in ericaceous compost a couple of years ago. No need to replace the compost in future years, if you use ericaceous plant food. It's also worth mulching with pine needles if you happen to have some.

[Mrs T]

I've got three in pots (ericaceous compost topped with pine needles!!) I bought them as a set from one of the mail order places... they were on special offer... the three together are meant to support with pollination and produce at slightly different times to secure a longer harvest... I only got them in the spring this year, the plants do look healthy but there's been no sign of fruit or flower yet... am hoping for great things next year??!!

[northepaul]

I've got three in pots (ericaceous compost topped with pine needles!!) I bought them as a set from one of the mail order places... they were on special offer... the three together are meant to support with pollination and produce at slightly different times to secure a longer harvest... I only got them in the spring this year, the plants do look healthy but there's been no sign of fruit or flower yet... am hoping for great things next year??!!

Depends how big they were when you bought them as to when you will get flowers/fruit. If there were in 1lt pots, (quite small) it will take approx 3 years before they're big enough to produce a ddecent quantity. Mine are 5 years old and I got just over 1kg of fruit from both mine.

[Croila]

Oh no, I didn't realise you need two different varieties to pollinate each other! I ordered a "Blueberry Bluecrop" from Suttons a couple of weeks ago and should get it sometime in November. So ... I guess I should be looking for another variety to stick in a pot right next to it, then? (It won't be going in the ground, but in a pot.)

[FB.]

Oh no, I didn't realise you need two different varieties to pollinate each other! I ordered a "Blueberry Bluecrop" from Suttons a couple of weeks ago and should get it sometime in November. So ... I guess I should be looking for another variety to stick in a pot right next to it, then? (It won't be going in the ground, but in a pot.)

I have three blueberry plants, but in most years, at least one of them flowers long before or long after the others. But they all get pollinated.
Blueberries are partially-self-fertile, but pollination with another varieity may increase the fruit set - especially in bad years.
However, I suspect that with blueberries, there must also be some pollination incompatibility between certain varieties; that is the case with any type of plant that is not full-self-fertile.
I say: just grow your blueberry. If you find that it flowers but doesn't fruit, then worry about it.
Blueberries are getting quite common nowadays. It may be that someone nearby has a blueberry that will pollinate yours.

[FB.]

I grew three in pots and they were very productive. Until this year when they did nothing and I don't know why.

They need a special soil - can't remember if it's acid or alkaline - but I bought bags of ericacious compost to grow them in.

PS homegrown blueberries taste amazing and nothing like the tasteless pap you buy in the shops.

I suspect that your blueberries struggled due to the severe drought we suffered this year. Mine didn't like it and they aborted quite a lot of fruit.
Blueberries like moist acid soil - most moist soils will naturally become slightly acid by absorbing atmospheric gases: like "acid rain".
Basically, find a spot that stays moist all-year-round and they'll love it.
I now grow mine as follows:

I selected a partially-shaded location (helps keep the ground cooler and moister in our hot/dry/sunny/windy climate).
I dug out a pit about 18 inches deep. I lined the pit with old plastic sacks, coming halfway up the sides (prevents water draining away in our shallow, light, sandy soil). I don't recommend the lining all the way up to ground level or they will might literally drown/suffocate if in standing water for days on end. By having the top several inches of the sides not lined, plus the minor cracks between the sacks, thre is just enough drainage to prevent them sitting in standing water.

[Mrs T]

Depends how big they were when you bought them as to when you will get flowers/fruit. If there were in 1lt pots, (quite small) it will take approx 3 years before they're big enough to produce a ddecent quantity. Mine are 5 years old and I got just over 1kg of fruit from both mine.

Thanks northpaul... I think they were only quite small (and cheap!!!) so clearly I will have to be patient

[Croila]

I say: just grow your blueberry. If you find that it flowers but doesn't fruit, then worry about it.
Blueberries are getting quite common nowadays. It may be that someone nearby has a blueberry that will pollinate yours.

Thank you for this advice, I really appreciate it. Well, I've just gone an ordered some more blueberries in pots, so I'm going to have a wee collection of four all standing together. We do really love eating them, so I figure it's actually a cost-saving exercise!

About someone else nearby perhaps having blueberries to pollinate mine, I'm just wondering, how "nearby" is "nearby"? Are we talking about miles or yards? I'm not aware of my immediate neighbours having any, but then again, I don't know how far pollen can travel?

[FB.]

About someone else nearby perhaps having blueberries to pollinate mine, I'm just wondering, how "nearby" is "nearby"? Are we talking about miles or yards? I'm not aware of my immediate neighbours having any, but then again, I don't know how far pollen can travel?

Pollination happens when a bee or other insect carries pollen from one flower to the next.
With fruit trees, a tree in next door's garden is almost certain to be a pollinator for a tree in your garden.
Quite likely, trees in the same street will also pollinate each other, as bees wander from one to the next.
It has been known for a single, self-sterile, mature fruit tree to be maybe ten miles from any similar tree, yet still get fully pollinated almost every year.
It all depends on where the bees fly - and most plants produce far more flowers than they could ever turn into mature fruits (that's why many fruit trees drop excess fruits).

Also, bees send out scouts. The scouts report the location of flowers worth harvesting.
The closer the flowers to the hive/nest, the more likely the bees will visit.
The larger the number of flowers, the more likely the bees will visit.
The bees will also favour flowers located in sunny, windless areas and will avoid flowers in shadier places and will avoid having to fly through or into turbulent air.
A small number of flowers that are located a long distance from the bees nest are just not worth their effort to travel the long distance - a young fruit tree often doesn't get visited by the bees because it has too few flowers: the bees will be much more interested in a big old tree that is loaded with blossom.

[Croila]

FB, thank you so much for that explanation! I only started gardening this year and am shockingly ignorant of basic things like that. I've heard people mention pollinating and always meant to look it up and find out exactly what it meant, but never got round to it. I mean, I knew bees do stuff with pollen, but I didn't know they went round loads of plants like that.

Dunno how I missed that out in school?!

Thank you for taking the time to explain though, much appreciated