Dwarf Blueberries

[gogrowth]

I just received the Dwarf Blueberries I ordered. One is a Northblue Dwarf, and the other is a Northsky Dwarf.

I read about the person having trouble keeping their Dwarf Blueberries alive in past post.

I also bought some Blueberry Fertilizer and it says to mix one cup fertilizer to the soil you are planting the Blueberrry in.

I'm going to plant these in large pots, so I plan to mix the fertilizer with the soil in each pot.

I have two choices of pots to use. One has openings at the bottom for drainage and the other has a snap on bottom that keeps some water in the bottom of the pot.


Also I have read that Blueberries have shallow roots. If this is true could I cover a few inches of the bottom of a 13 inch deep pot with packing peanuts to save potting mix or just fill the whole pot with soil?


My question is, does my planting plan sound alright, and which pot should I use?

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Ron

[Newt]

Hi Ron,

My mouth was watering as I was reading about your blueberries. I just love them and often make home made blueberry syrup for blueberry pancakes! Yum.

I have two choices of pots to use. One has openings at the bottom for drainage and the other has a snap on bottom that keeps some water in the bottom of the pot.

I prefer the ones with the drainage holes in the bottom. You'll need to lift them up so they don't stain the surface you have them on and they will also drain better. You can use flat rocks, bricks or pot feet.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...h+Images&gbv=2

Also I have read that Blueberries have shallow roots. If this is true could I cover a few inches of the bottom of a 13 inch deep pot with packing peanuts to save potting mix or just fill the whole pot with soil?

I've done just that same thing. If you have any landscape fabric, old fiberglass screen or any other type of screen, you could place that on top of the 'peanuts' to help stop the soil from running through. I wouldn't add more then 3" of 'peanuts'.

Newt

[gogrowth]

on the Blueberries. I will give it a try and hope they don't die.

I've also read that you should pinch off the first blooms to help with plant growth.
Assuming mine make it that long, is that a good idea?

What other things should a first time Blueberry grower know?

Thanks
Ron

[Newt]

Pinching off the first season's flowers will allow the plants to put more energy into establishing their root systems and give you larger fruit when they blossom again as the stems will have matured a bit and be thicker. That can be a good thing for these dwarf varieties, especially in containers. I like this UK site.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...berry_care.asp

Since growing in containers is a little trickier, you might want to hold on to this site so you can id any potential problems early on.
http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/e-2011.htm

Newt

[gogrowth]

for your help. I bookmarked the two Blueberry websites you sent me for future reference. They are planted now, so I will see how they do.

Thanks
Ron

[Newt]

Ron, you are so very welcome! I'd love an update after you munch on your first berries! Of course you can always write if you have any problems.

Newt