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Blueberries

17 years ago

I've seen several seed magazines that show dwarf blueberry plants and wondered if I put it in a pot so I could use more acidic soil than my yard has, (maybe bagged soil) do you think I could grow a couple plants? I know when I tried in my Payson house the plant seemed to do OK, but of course, no berries.

Thanks,

Heather

Featured Answer

ocimum_nate

17 years ago

I have to tell you blueberies can be tricky even if you have them in a pot with acidic potting soil watering them with our tap water has a detrimental effect on the pH and can cause them to decline and not produce. To do well I think you would have to water them with rain water or distilled water. Especially if you live in Payson. I lived there most of my life. Actually the problem is not just in Payson it is pretty much that way all over the intermountain region. For some reason everyone wants to grow blueberries including my daughter so I tried it two summers ago and the plant has been going down hill since. Despite additional iron chelate, acidifiers, growing in a pot with acidic soil etc.
I honestly would try to grow other more rewarding berries for our area.

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Comments (8)

songbirdmommy
17 years ago
I think it is "WoCo" who has had some luck with blueberries down in the Cedar City area. Maybe he shed some light for you.
Mightbe that Cedar is alot cooler than here most days.
I think he saidhis Ph was naturally real low... Highly unusual for UT!
Forgive me if I am wrong and it is not Woco, but it is someone down near Cedar.
I would love to grow blueberries here, and I am going to try this year.
I am yanking out two blue spruces that have seen better days, where one is now, I am going to amend the ground like crazy & plant some blueberries and just pray it will work.
If they do not thrive, atleast I will have tried & gained experience.
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Your biggest issue is not which variety to grow, but finding or building good soil. While there are pockets of good acidic loamy soils in MTN, it is more typically thin, neutral, clay/chert on limestone bedrock, or if you are up on the Highland Rim, acidic clay/chert. If you have the thin limey soils, then raised beds may be needed. The acidic red clay on the Rim will need lots of organic soil amendments. A soil test is essential. The one variety that has done best for me so far is Ozark Blue. Mine are just coming into good production, or would have been, if not for the big Easter freeze. I do have scattered berries on most varieties, but lost most of the crop on just about everything. Oneal is a good early variety. It needs more acid soil than most, but flowers over a long period, so spring frosts usually only get some of the earlier blooms. Others doing really well are, Legacy, Sierra, Blueray and Aurora. Blueray is probably the most heat tolerant northern highbush. Aurora is very late ripening and also suffered the least damage from the freeze. Star is a newer variety that a friend with a big blueberry farm near Lebanon really likes. It blooms late, but ripens really early. Aurora, Ozark Blue, and Oneal probably have the best fall colors, although most varieties are really good in that area. If you get a chance, go visit Kelly's Berry Farm just north of Lebanon. After many years of growing many varieties, they now grow mostly Ozark Blue, Oneal, and Blueray, along with some of the old rabbiteye standards, Tifblue and Climax. Unfortunately, they will not have any blueberries this year due to the freeze. They do still have some strawberries, although it is getting late in the season. They also should have a good blackberry crop by summer. Avoid the shade as much as possible. I just moved some bushes that got some partial shade. They just did not grow much or produce well at all, but the same varieties out in full sun were doing great. ~kiwinut
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linda_utah
17 years ago
About 10 years ago I tried growing several varieties of blueberries here in Vernal. We built a raised planter out of D logs & filled it with a mixture of a little native soil, lots of sand, & lots of peat moss. I planted four blueberry plants and they all grew beautifully. I couldn't figure out what was happening to the berries, though, as they disappeared with regularity. One day I pulled into my driveway just in time to catch a robin cheerfully downing blueberries. I have no idea how it kept from choking on the berries!

So, it can be done! Just do some research and give it some thought and some work & I'll bet you have blueberries growing at your house. A bird net would probably be a good idea, though. We never did get to eat any of our berries, but that's ok.

I think we must have had that planting mix on the really acidic side, as when we decided to turn that planter into an herb garden, it took some remixing to get the soil to where the herbs did well. But, the herb garden has done very well for a long time, and I'm really pleased with it. I'm glad I tried the blueberry experiment first, though.
lovestogarden
11 years ago
Hey Songbirdmommy, were you able to grow blueberries?
Stormygale
10 years ago
I have grown blueberries since 1985. You should acidify your water down to at least ph6 (vinegar works). Use pine sawdust, peatmoss and composted horse manure (1 year old) in equal amounts. Buy plants in 3 quart containers at Lowes or Home Depot or nursery. Plants spread their roots in the top foot of soil. Wood chips make a good base and mulch. Watch your leaves as they will indicate problems. USU Extension service has information on blueberry growing. (http://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/htm/fruits-and-nuts/blueberries) 15 to 25 gallon black nursery pots work for plants older than 3 years (3 qt=2year). Start with 6" of wood chips in the bottom.

This post was edited by Stormygale on Tue, Jun 4, 13 at 1:18
Stormygale
10 years ago
Deleted

This post was edited by Stormygale on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 21:59
Stormygale
10 years ago
Deleted

This post was edited by Stormygale on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 22:00
Stormygale
3 years ago
I bought another home near downtown SLC.

As usual, I have Blueberries growing again.

There is netting to discourage the birds.

There are huge amounts of composting worms in the acidic bedding (1,000 per cubic foot!).

pH in Utah is critical; never let get to 7!!!

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