Blueberry spacing and what to grow them in

[Alison]

Interesting how birds are different, the ones round me don't eat blueberries or raspberries but go mental for the strawberries.

[BUFFS]

Interesting how birds are different, the ones round me don't eat blueberries or raspberries but go mental for the strawberries.

my local birds didn't touch my blueberries until this year when we had a bumper crop and the birds found that they liked the taste, stripped 3 large plants virtually overnight but they wont get any next year I will net them as soon as they show they are pollinated..

[KevinM67]

Cheers for all of the advice on here - I want to plant a few blueberry plants in Spring, my challenge is to increase the acidity of the sòil without spending cash.

I've already 'baggsied' the work's 10ft christmas tree when the festivities are over, eat loads of citrus fruit over the coming months and save all of my spent ground coffee.

[muddled]

I don't know whether to add on to this thread or start another.....apologies if I am hijacking

If blueberries need more than one plant to produce fruit, will early and late varieties flower at the same time? And specifically, which will go well with pink lemonade so I get the best crop from both please?

[Kristen]

If blueberries need more than one plant to produce fruit, will early and late varieties flower at the same time?

Interesting question Unlike, say, Apples I've never seen a Pollination Group Chart for Blueberries so I presume they all flower at the same time. RHS says to plant three different varieties for highest yield as with most fruit even if self fertile they set more fruit (and some would say better flavour) if they cross pollinate with different varieties.

[Alison]

I have three different varieties (no idea which now though) and they do pretty much flower at the same time but seem to ripen over a period. Not sure if this is true for all of them though so not necessarily much help.

[buzzingtalk]

Mine are still in pots...I'm too scared to plant them direct. I just moved cities and now have clay soil (booo) but I want them in the ground as theft seems a lot more likely in London, particularly of 5ft very healthy blueberry plants...am thinking of sinking them in the ground in their pots? with new ericaceous soil and an acidic mulch on top. They are going in a mixed fruit bed of strawbs and rasps (massive bed) so i can't acidify the soil is it won't suit everything else.

Has anyone else buried theirs?

And blueberries are fantastic - mine got going in the second year and i have 2 each of early, mid and late season which gives me a constant drip and drab of fruit. this year i'm taking hardwood cuttings and will propogate more plants

[the big lebowski]

hi all,i too would like to grow some blueberry bushes in pots would 25 liter pots be big enough ? any advice welcome

[pigletwillie]

As for ericaceous compost, its very expensive, just water in sequestered iron and the ph will come down.

[Penellype]

hi all,i too would like to grow some blueberry bushes in pots would 25 liter pots be big enough ? any advice welcome

I have 2 plants one of which I think is in a 25l pot (the other pot is bigger). My book on container gardening says that pots should be at least 18" deep for blueberries - my 25l pot is not as much as 18" deep, but the other one, a huge bucket-like pot I begged from the local garden centre, is. I've had the plant in the smaller pot 2 years (Dixie) and the one in the bigger one 3 years (Bluecrop), so they are not the same size, which makes it hard to tell if the smaller pot is big enough.

[KevinM67]

Was in Poundland yesterday, and they had 'Patriot' blueberry plants.

Although they may take a year or two longer to fruit than your usual plant purchase - for a quid., that's great value.

[the big lebowski]

thanks for the replys I`ll check the depths of the pots and may order a couple of 50 l pots if not deep enough,cheers

[KevinM67]

I thought I would give this thread a little bump.

The company below are selling a mixture of 5 x 2 year old plants for £13.75 - although delivery is about £9.00


Blueberries - Scotplants Direct

Is it a good deal - or should I give it a body-swerve ??

[stevejohnson53]

Nice! Just ordered 2 of the blueberry mixes, 10 bushes for just over £36 including P&P

happy bunny

thanks Kevin for heads up

[DannyK]

Info on blueberries

Bought three plants from these people five years ago. Doing well but need potting up

Their site has quite a bit of useful info.

They say to avoid Top Hat and those crummy overpriced (my words) 9cm sold by the usual culprits as they can take up to five years to fruit.
Kb Results - Trehane Nursery