Take a quick trip to the nursery and discover a good selection of blueberry plants. Now is a great time to buy and plant. Once established, blueberry plants will provide nutritious fruit for years to come. For some, getting blueberry plants off to a good start might be challenging. Poor soil or a gardener’s physical limitation can make growing blueberries difficult. Not so, if you grow them in containers. Here’s what to do:
RESEARCH VARIETIES FIRST: Before you go to the nursery to buy blueberry plants, do a little research. It is best to choose varieties of blueberries that will perform well in containers. ‘NorthSky,’ ‘Sunshine Blue’ and ‘Patriot’ are good for container growing. The dwarf Bushel and Berry series of blueberry plants are bred to be small and do well in containers, also. Please keep in mind that blueberry yield will be best if you have at least two different varieties growing near each other, even if the plant label says self-fertile. Besides, who can have too many blueberries? The standard, northern high bush blueberries will do well if planted in extra-large containers.
CONTAINER SIZE MATTERS: Dwarf blueberries should be planted in a container at least 18 inches wide and about as deep. Northern high bush blueberries need a container at least 24 inches deep and about 18 inches deep or so. This means a 15- to 20-gallon nursery container. Half wine barrels are excellent for blueberries.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SOIL: Blueberries are extremely picky about soil. This means go for the gold when it comes to the planting mix. The cost of planting a blueberry into good soil might exceed the cost of the plant. Blueberries demand an acid, well-draining planting medium. You can make your own mix by combining equal parts of peat moss, acid planting mix and mini fir bark, or fir sawdust. There are excellent pre made planter mixes created for blueberries, also. This type of soil gives the plants the acid soil pH that blueberries favor, which is 4.3 to 5.5. It also drains well.
FERTILIZE: Blueberries need an acid type fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Acidic fertilizers help keep ideal pH conditions for blueberries. Cottonseed meal and blood meal are excellent natural fertilizers that blueberries love. Use them with coffee grounds first in early spring as buds begin to open, then again late spring. There are also some excellent premixed fertilizers tailored for acid-loving plants that are available. Whether you are growing in the ground or in containers, now is the time to fertilize blueberries. At this time, blueberries are putting on new growth and actively taking up nutrients. Summer or fall applications will do no good.
FULL SUN: Blueberries need at least six hours of sunlight a day. On the foggy coast, even more. Well-tended bushes will always look good with less sun, but fruit yield will be low and flavor quality mild.
WATER: Never allow blueberries to dry out during the summer fruiting months. Plants should be soaked at least once a week on the coast, more often if grown inland.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
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