I've had blueberry plants for about 5 years now and I'm learning as I go. When I research pruning, it seems you are supposed to remove about 10-20% of the oldest canes each year. I also saw where if a cane is "woody" and over 1" in diameter, you should remove it. For one bush in particular, many of the canes/branches are branching off one base (in the first photo you can see it's the right half of the base.)

1) Do I need to remove that base since it is old and thick? Or is it OK to keep it like a "trunk" and just remove any off shoots that are over 1" diameter, keeping thinner/newer canes that have sprouted somewhere above?

2) When new canes sprout from existing canes, should I remove them and only keep canes that sprout directly from the ground? In the third photo, would you keep these canes since they are sprouting close to the ground?

3) Is there anything I can do to encourage new canes to sprout from the ground?

Thank you for any help/advice. I picked the last of our blueberries tonight and I'd like to prune the bushes soon in hopes they might have new growth before fall.

Planted this in a large container with proper soil and fertilizer in late April. I feel like it hasn’t grown at all it’s basically the same as the day I planted it is there be something else I should be doing? I make sure it’s watered and it get sun pretty much all afternoon. Thanks in advance

Hello! I'd like to start by apologizing for my ignorance - I'm pretty new to planting in general and this is on me of the first plants I'm trying to bring up from seed.

I live in Maryland, zone 7b, and I wanted to plant this lowbush blueberry for nostalgia reasons. I realize our climate isn't ideal for this variety but I've largely kept the plant inside.

I planted the seeds back in March after cold stratifying in the fridge. Several seeds germinated but keep dying after moving to pots. I still have some in their starter pods that look pretty healthy? but they're staying absolutely miniscule.

I have one in a pot now and it's been hanging in there, but hardly showing any growth and now it's beginning to wilt. I've never seen a plant grow so slowly in my life and I'm not sure what the issue could be. I'd particularly like to save the one in the picture as it seems to have survived the longest in its pot. This one germinated around 12 weeks ago and has been in the pot for about 6.

Among the different individual plants, I have tried: varied amounts of sunlight, adjusting soil pH, leaving the plants inside or outside, using plastic wrap to retain moisture, and keeping them under a grow light. I'm really just not sure what else to try at this point, the little babies just keep giving on me 😭

The seeds are Vaccinium angustifolium - Lowbush Blueberry Seeds from Trade Winds Fruit.

Any thoughts? Thank you!!

Hi all,

I recently got my hands on a BlueBerry Plant : "Berry Land Number One/Berryland Blue No.1". It's a zero-chill, heat-tolerant blueberry variety specifically bred to thrive in India's tropical and subtropical climates. It can withstand temperatures exceeding 40°C. It will arrive in a couple of weeks. I love blueberries and this is the first time I have something that can grow in this weather. I am super excited.

I do understand that it requires highly acidic soil with an ideal pH maintained strictly between 4.5 and 5.2. As you can see in the picture, current pH is around 7. I just got the growbag and soil (clayish soil+cocopeat+vermicompost+perlite) ready today.

I plan on adding elemental sulphur (at least something like this(https://amzn.in/d/0jhWcTpe). I do understand that it will take a couple of months for the pH to go down.

My research:

From my preliminary calculations, to lower the pH of 1.5 sq ft(1.5ft of diameter and height of the grow bag) of clayish soil from 7 to 5, I will need approximately 110 to 150 grams of elemental sulfur.

Because clay soils are "buffered" and resist pH changes, they require up to 50% more sulfur than sandy soils.

____

I am pretty sure, the plant I receive will be a sapling. So, I have a couple of questions:

• Will it survive in the soil with a pH of 7?
• Should I plant elsewhere till the pH of the soil in growbag comes down to avoid root burn? (I can make do by buying already acidic soil for a smaller pot https://amzn.in/d/0eTrKNdW)
• Is my research correct?
• To lower the pH of the soil, is the elemental sulphur enough? I have plenty of Sphagnum Peat Moss. Should I mix that into the soil too?
• Is there a better way to lower the pH?
• Finally, Is there any really good pH meter that you would recommend? This is the best I have found : https://amzn.in/d/00ARwyh7.

Thanks in advance.

____________

Thanks everyone for the help.

The approach I will be trying out:

I do not want to take a risk.

Will be planting the blueberry sapling in a smaller grow bag with already acidic soil(https://amzn.in/d/0eTrKNdW)

Will get the soil in the bigger growbag prepped to lower the pH level. Will mix Elemental Sulphur and Sphagnum Peat Moss and let it sit for a few months to a year. Before I move the plant into the bigger grow bag.

I was considering growing my own berries, specifically of the dwarf variety, like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, so I not only don't have to go to the store as much but also get tastier varieties for my baking. I wanted to start with blueberries to get a good idea and the hang of the process and see where I go from there. I'm considering getting three different types cause I heard they only grow fruit once a year. I live in Boynton Beach, Florida, and made this post to ask if anyone has any advice on the best way to grow berries and help them prosper.

What does ot mean!

Im in GA and I got a second blueberry bush but from a different company than my firat one and I was gonna put them in the ground but then we got hit with extreme heat and storms so had to wait a few weeks. My bush started to shows of dying but while it was in the same put I had been watering it, I kept it out the rain so it didnt drown, and giving it fertilizer. So I grabbed one of my grow bags and made some acidic soil and pitted it hoping it would recover but when I took it out the pot I discovered it o ly had a thin layer of soil up top and the rest was peats and bark which explains it dying. Part seems dead but theres still some green and the branches r still bendy. Can it recover? The roots were hard to tell.

I got this Blueberry bush from Home Depot a few years ago and it’s been basically ignored since then. It’s turned into more of a tree than a bush?

Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this? I have gotten like 3 berries off of it since it got planted. It’s supposed to be one of those varieties that does well in pots but I fear I’ve lost the trajectory.

I have several dozen wild blueberry bushes along my driveway and a couple hundred more throughout the woods. A couple different types. The ones I’m concerned about are the ones closest to my house. More than enough to get a couple hundred pounds a year. My problem is they are very small and there’s not very many of them. They taste great but the bushes are definitely underperforming by a lot. These bushes have been here for a very long time without any type of care or maintenance. My great grandmother actually used to bring my grandmother to this exact piece of property I bought and put my house on to pick blueberries when she was a little girl. They are over 100 years old at this point. What can I do to maximize the size and yield? I want someone to explain it to me like I’m 5 😂 I included a picture of where the bushes are so you can see the area surrounding it. I’m located in zone 5B if that matters. My parents house also has wild blueberry bushes everywhere that aren’t cared for and every bush is loaded with nice sized berries and some even put out blueberries the size of pennies. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Zone 6b, cultivar is Darrow. It’s making a surge return after last winter but recently started showing these on leaves. A blueray and a perpetua next to it also have this but to a lesser extent.

What am I looking at? Anything to be worried about?

Edit: images - my brain just left them out when posting

Hey so I just bought my blueberry plants a few weeks ago from Walmart and the branches are dying and leaves are turning yellow/brown and dying. I’ve never had these plants before so idk what it is that is killing them. Willing to try anything but would prefer to start more on the natural side as I’m trying to cut toxins out where I can.

Thanks so much for the help!

My blueberries are producing way more berries then they have leaves for! I cut a lot of canes hoping that it would lower the plants demand. It takes a long time to ripen to be good and then the birds get it.

Instead of trimming canes, should I pinch flower buds to allow the plant to devote more sugars to what’s left or should I keep trimming canes?

Hi!

I originally ordered two Polaris blueberry bushes, but after planting them I realized the nursery had accidentally sent me one Patriot instead.

The problem is that I don't know which one is which!
Based on the photos, can you help me identify which bush is Polaris and which is Patriot?

Both bushes are planted in the same type of soil and receive the same amount of sun and water. This is their third summer in my garden.

Thank you!

recovering from leaf scorch that i think stems from too much fertilizer. ive been keeping it shaded in the afternoon and keeping the roots damp. I’m wondering if this is fungus coming up? my other blueberry plant (I think) has leaf rot fungus so I’ve been spraying it with fungicide every week. I’m wondering if I should also spray this bush to be safe, or let it recover from the burns first.

first two photos are brown dots on the stem that I think might be fungus. the rest of the photos are just general photos of the leaf burn.

I have 4 blueberry bushes (different varieties) - 2 are on their third season and 2 are on their second. They appear to be healthy, receive adequate sunlight, and are fertilized accordingly.

Last year and the year prior I had a pretty decent yield, but this year I have less than 6 blueberries between all 4 bushes.

Any thoughts on what’s going on? Located in coastal Massachusetts.

Anyone else have their plants picked clean by birds? I can not figure out how to stop them. I really would love to avoid chemicals. Are nets/fencing really the only way?

I feel bad because they’re just hungry, but I want my blueberries too!

Would love some ideas/to hear what’s worked for you.

Hi all, a bought this little blueberry plant a few weeks ago and its already starting to get some berries. I was ecstatic to see them and checked on them every day, when one day they went from the standard green to this?? Any advice would be very appreciated!! My plant already has more flowers forming and id really like to solve this issue before it affects any other fruit!!

So I have well water that tested at about a pH of 7.5 with a TDS of 400, and my soil tested at about a pH of 7. I have since added about 1.5lb of sulfur prills to the soil for my six blueberry plants. My concern is will my well water beat back any acidification from the sulfur? Or do I need to acidify my water to a pH of ~5ish before watering my blueberries. I have plenty of agricultural grade sulfuric acid, but it's just a pain to constantly have to water from a jug rather than the garden hose.

first time berry grower this year, planted this jersey bush in spring and its been doing lovely so far and growing like crazy.

This week however it looks like it has some problems!

Should I be concerned with the coloring of the stems? Also it appears I've got insect damage but i don't see any insects.

Has been really hot and humid this week so maybe that has a role to play?

I really want to have a nice bush !!! is there anything I should do to help it?

Hey everyone! Glad I found you all here. I can't wait to look, listen and learn. Ive got 6 blueberry bushes that are quite large. Some up to 6 feet+ tall and 8 feet wide. Besides the bird barrier I need to make around these, what general maintenance tips can you give me? Pruning this winter, fertilizers, etc. I inherited these with my house from 5 years ago and haven't done anything but enjoy the harvest. I even made wine from more than 5 gallon bags full of berries last year. Let's just say it didn't last long...

Ive got some "burnout" looking clusters this year. Its been my only issue I can point out this year.

Thank you!

This bush has not provided a single flower as of yet. So I can only surmise that the blueberry-looking orb is a flower bud? I can’t seem to find this explanation online.

Are there any local vendors selling blueberries in Sudbury, ON yet?

Greetings to the blueberry community.

I am seeking advice on why 2 of my blueberries died all of the sudden. Both were growing nicely, had loads and loads of fruits and then from one day to another they just shriveled up and died. I was watering them regularly, but not too much, they are planted in an acidic substrate and I did pull one of the blueberries from the ground to expect the roots (I was suspecting some critter munching on the roots, but found NOTHING).

Now I am at a loss and dont really know what to do. I have 2 more blueberry bushes, that are still alive and kicking and I am really scared that they will die too.

ideas?

BTW, zone 7a central Europe.