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#1
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Blueberry growing!
Hello I'm new here,
I'm a chilli grower and I thought I should also grow Blueberries as buying them from the supermarket is expensive and they don't have as much of their useful nutrients and vitamins as opposed to being freshly picked and eaten straight. I'm interested in growing the variety 'Sunshine Blue' as it's compact and is suited for container growth but other varieties such as 'Bluecrop' also catch my eye. I'll be buying online from Blackmoor Nurseries. Do Blueberries crop in their first year? They advertise the plants in 1l pots as 1 year old so they would have a thick main branch? Any help regarding Blueberry growing and more specifically Blueberry growing, would be great. Thanks |
#3
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Blueberry growing!
Try the Agroforestry Research Trust for info & supply. Very useful
organisation when it comes to growing less than usual www.agroforestry.co.uk Blueberries, Cranberries and other Vacciniums Blueberries, Cranberries and other Vacciniums by Jennifer Trehane Timber Press, 2004. ISBN 1-88192-615-9. 256 pp. £22.50. You can probably find it cheaper scrounging around on Amazon, ebay, abe books & suchlike. JW Charlie Pridham wrote: In article , says... Hello I'm new here, I'm a chilli grower and I thought I should also grow Blueberries as buying them from the supermarket is expensive and they don't have as much of their useful nutrients and vitamins as opposed to being freshly picked and eaten straight. I'm interested in growing the variety 'Sunshine Blue' as it's compact and is suited for container growth but other varieties such as 'Bluecrop' also catch my eye. I'll be buying online from Blackmoor Nurseries. Do Blueberries crop in their first year? They advertise the plants in 1l pots as 1 year old so they would have a thick main branch? Any help regarding Blueberry growing and more specifically Blueberry growing, would be great. Thanks Test your soil, they need acid soil or you will have to grow them in containers -- Gemini Bioscapes Plants & more on Ebay http://tinyurl.com/hi6g |
#4
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Quote:
I bought one-year blueberries cheap from a DIY shop, and they fruited fine the first year I had them and they had a thick main branch. If you live in a hard water area, they don't like tap water, and they need a lot of water, so you'll have to collect a lot of rainwater for them. You supposedly get a better fruit set if you have two varieties, because cross-pollination is better, but I get a good fruit set from the two seemingly same variety bushes I have. I grow (compact) chillies in quite small containers, only about 3 litres. I think suitable containers for growing blueberries would rather larger, be more like 25 or 50 litres. |
#5
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Blueberry growing!
Willeh
You will get a little fruit of a bush in its early years, but it is only a small plant in a 1l pot. When fully grown they can get up to 4-5ft tall. Sunshine blue is an evergreen kind and produces in m garden, smaller berries than bluecrop. I have an acid soil but have found that the best method is to mix 1 part top soil, 1 part B&Q soil improver, 1 part peat (has to be peat rather than peat free) and 1 part grit sand. This produces an acid soil, which is moisture retentive yet drains. Blueberries dislike drying out - infact they die. Equally if the roots are permanently wet they die also. As well as Blackmoor, the Dorset Blueberry Company is worth checking out. As mentioned in another post Jenny Trehane wrote the bookon Blueberries and it is her fmaily that runs Dorset Blueberry Co. Blueberries in tubs are fine so long as you can keep them watered. An alternative solution is to bury the pot to reduce evaporation. Good luck Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
#6
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Blueberry growing!
cliff_the_gardener wrote:
Willeh You will get a little fruit of a bush in its early years, but it is only a small plant in a 1l pot. When fully grown they can get up to 4-5ft tall. Sunshine blue is an evergreen kind and produces in m garden, smaller berries than bluecrop. I have an acid soil but have found that the best method is to mix 1 part top soil, 1 part B&Q soil improver, 1 part peat (has to be peat rather than peat free) and 1 part grit sand. This produces an acid soil, which is moisture retentive yet drains. Blueberries dislike drying out - infact they die. Equally if the roots are permanently wet they die also. As well as Blackmoor, the Dorset Blueberry Company is worth checking out. As mentioned in another post Jenny Trehane wrote the bookon Blueberries and it is her fmaily that runs Dorset Blueberry Co. Blueberries in tubs are fine so long as you can keep them watered. An alternative solution is to bury the pot to reduce evaporation. Being bone idle, I planted a blueberry in good old solid Sussex clay (pH was about 6 or 6.5, if I remember correctly). It grew well and fruited every year for about 7 years (late 80s to early 90s). Then it slowly started to fruit poorly, and eventually died. But I never saw signs of chlorosis at any time. -- Jeff (cut "thetape" to reply) |
#7
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Thank you for the replies everyone. My Sunshine Blue has arrived and I chose it due to its higher pH tolerance and that it's perfect if container grown. Also, Sunshine Blues in 1l pots are actually 2 years old therefore I may get fruit this year!
A question, is it okay to use apple cider vinegar to lower pH in the soil? Diluted of course. |
#8
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Blueberry growing!
In article ,
says... Thank you for the replies everyone. My Sunshine Blue has arrived and I chose it due to its higher pH tolerance and that it's perfect if container grown. Also, Sunshine Blues in 1l pots are actually 2 years old therefore I may get fruit this year! A question, is it okay to use apple cider vinegar to lower pH in the soil? Diluted of course. If they are going in pots or containers I would buy or make ericaceous soil mix and not muck about trying to change existing soil. I would also add extra grit to make sure the drainage was good. -- Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and Lapageria rosea |
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