Blueberries

[jyoutz]

Rare to see honeybees in our blueberry patch. Their flowers are too long and tubular for them to reach. Mostly pollinated by bumblebee and carpenter bees. The later cheat usually by piercing the side of the flower to reach the nectar with less pollination. Bumblebees are better cold weather pollinators.

Some Yellowjackets and wasps on over ripe fruit.

Birds, other than turkeys, usually not too bad. Occasional squirrel.

Most years I have lots of problems with wasps eating my raspberries. The only thing I can do is pick early morning before they show up.

 

[LHF2019]

I'm sure the deer will nibble them but not an issue. Grew up with 8 plants. Only covered when starting to turn to protect from birds. We would put down a layer of sawdust every year. Wife and I just put in 6 couple years ago. Sucks not having lots to eat yet. Once established want to remove about a 3rd of the plant to keep production high. You want to prune when cold for extended amount of time which anymore is tough to do. Rotate your pruning so you’re not limiting your supply. And most of all enjoy them.

 

[paulsharvey]

Didn't make it all the way through the replies; but bed them well with pine bark mulch to keep weeds and sprouts from coming up. Avoid watering too late or over night, as that can lead to mold problems.

 

[Torvy]

We have lots of home-grown pine bark!

 

[Alan46]

We have lots of Doug Fir chips, is that any good?

 

[jyoutz]

We have lots of Doug Fir chips, is that any good?

Blueberries love acid soil, so pine needles would be better than bark, but I would think that any conifer tree residues would add a bit of acid. And then it could be unnecessary if your soil is already on the acid side. I can grow raspberries but not blueberries because my soil is a bit alkaline due to calcium.

 

[Alan46]

Blueberries love acid soil, so pine needles would be better than bark, but I would think that any conifer tree residues would add a bit of acid. And then it could be unnecessary if your soil is already on the acid side. I can grow raspberries but not blueberries because my soil is a bit alkaline due to calcium.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[DarkBlack]

The ol’ pine tree , chicken or the egg theory.
Did the pine tree make the soil acidic, or do pine trees simply thrive in acidic soil, like blueberries do?

Do Pine Needles Acidify Soil - Garden Myths

Do Pine Needles Acidify Soil? Are pine needles acidic? Are green or dry pine needles better for acidifying soil? Find out more about this garden myth.

www.gardenmyths.com

 

[DarkBlack]

I added sulfur to my land before I planted my bushes

 

[Smokeydog]

I sprinkle some sulpher too. Pine bark Beatles killed the pines around my patch 20 years ago.

 

[jyoutz]

The ol’ pine tree , chicken or the egg theory.
Did the pine tree make the soil acidic, or do pine trees simply thrive in acidic soil, like blueberries do?

Do Pine Needles Acidify Soil - Garden Myths

Do Pine Needles Acidify Soil? Are pine needles acidic? Are green or dry pine needles better for acidifying soil? Find out more about this garden myth.

www.gardenmyths.com

Pines have a high tolerance for different soil ph. We have the same species of pines growing on alkaline limestone soil, and semi-acidic soil. Pine needles are mildly acidic. Ultimately blueberries need acidic or at least neutral soil to thrive. It’s hard to continually amend soil ph, so they are best suited for locations that have those native properties.

 

[Torvy]

Our soil runs 5.5-6.0 or so.

 

[jyoutz]

Our soil runs 5.5-6.0 or so.

Slightly acidic. They can benefit from occasional use of sulfur, but should grow ok in your soil.

 

[ponytug]

New world record blueberry, 20.4gm/0.7oz

Behemoth blueberry grown in Australia verified as heaviest ever

The world's heaviest blueberry ever, weighing 20.4 g, has been grown at an Australian farm.

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

 

[paulsharvey]

New world record blueberry, 20.4gm/0.7oz

Behemoth blueberry grown in Australia verified as heaviest ever

The world's heaviest blueberry ever, weighing 20.4 g, has been grown at an Australian farm.

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

I've heard 2nd hand accounts of grape sized blueberries on the IFAS experimental farms.

 

[DarkBlack]

When you need to take bites out of it, it’s a really big blueberry

 

[Threepoint]

New world record blueberry, 20.4gm/0.7oz

Behemoth blueberry grown in Australia verified as heaviest ever

The world's heaviest blueberry ever, weighing 20.4 g, has been grown at an Australian farm.

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

What a hoot! I saw an article on this on the BBC website today. According to the grower:

"It's a different experience, eating a berry that is that large.

"We see it more as people who are consuming them as snacks, more than maybe the traditional uses in breakfasts and baking. But certainly, the flavour and the firmness is there - it's got a really nice crunch to it and a high level of blueberry aromatics."
Australian farm grows world's biggest blueberry

 

[Rustyiron]

I always thought that blueberries like "dry feet", we've got acres of wild high bush blueberries that grow in what's basically a peat bog and 90% of the time there's standing water and we wear knee high boots to pick.
Walking through and among them is very difficult and we've never looked for or come to the end of them.
The berries small, 3/8-1/2 is about the max. We've planted some of the hybrid big berry variety in the yard and garden for convenience. Our wild berries are a 15 minute ride away in the utv on the far side of our land and ever since a close encounter with a black bear my wife won't go alone.

We pick in the area center left side of the picture. Everything to the left of the river is our back line.

 

[Threepoint]

Love those wild blueberries! The Costcos in our area occasionally have seasonal wild blueberries, I think from Canada. Small, like those in Maine that Rustyrion describes. Seem to be sweeter than the larger Kirkland cultivated blueberries that are available at Costco year-round.

 

[kenacp]

Mine are at my place in Mississippi. Have about 20 plants. Never seen a bird eat any,nor the deer(heavy population). Mulch with pine straw.Usually get about five gallons. Last year we had a hard freeze around March 15. The bushes already bloomed, and we only got two pints! Let the little sprouts come up. Very easy to propagate. Have about 25 started in pots. Check out U tube.