Blueberry Question

[esrikandan]

My second Blueberry is still in it's original pot. I decided to leave it in there as it was flowering when I bought it. However I think it really needs to be repotted now except it is now full of fruit.

If I repot it now will it shed all it's fruit and so should I wait until autumn to repot?

[FB.]

I would wait until autumn, after the leaves have fallen.

If you disturb the rootball during summer, you may destroy all the fine water-absorbing roots just when it really needs them to pull up water on the hot days of summer.
It could result in loss of all the fruit and all the leaves - possibly a near-death experience for the plant that could take years to recover.

If you are able to re-pot into a larger pot without much disturbance to the existing rootball, that woud be OK.

[FB.]

....oh....forgot to say.....

If you re-pot your blueberry, remember to use ericaceous compost.

Blueberries also prefer rainwater (which is slightly acidic) and dislike tap water (which can be slightly alkaline in some parts of the country due to minerals in the water - think limescale).
Tap water that has been allowed to stand for a few days apparently absorbs some CO2 from the atmosphere which makes it more acidic and more suitable for blueberries.

[esrikandan]

Thanks everyone! I guess I'll leave it in it's pot for now. I've got the container, got the ericasious compost, but don't want to upset the plant for now.

I guess it's not really complaining - the leaves are lush and it's covered in fruit. Just get's blown over quite easily in the wind which was bothering me.

[Hillwalker]

Just gets blown over quite easily in the wind which was bothering me.

You could always put the plant with existing container into the larger one and fill with the compost or aggregate to get more stability. Then pot on later in the year.

[northepaul]

It was suggested that I add a little vinegar to water to make it more acidic