Can someone tell me what I did RIGHT with my blueberries?

I've got 3 blueberry bushes that were here when we moved in about 7 years ago. One of the bushes has been a heavy producer every year; the other 2 only get a few berries--so few that I leave them for the birds. I've tried to keep all 3 clear of dead wood every spring, but do little else. This year, the other 2 bushes are suddenly so heavy with fruit that the branches are hanging low. Do blueberries take a certain number of years to settle in and produce? Will they now be consistent producers (provided I look after them with pruning in the spring)? And what do I advise my friend, who is having the same problem, to do? Is it just a matter of waiting for her, until her newer bushes settle in?

Here's a link to Paul James on HGTV about growing blueberries

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/landscaping/article/0,1000141,HGTV_32659_5896963,00.html

There are a couple of other links on this page that you might like to explore.

It might be the rain - but that does not explain the neighbor.. I am interested in this as well - I put my first blueberry bushes in this year. They have not grown much.
-joe-

There is a saying about perennials:

First year they sleep
Second year they creep
Third year they leap

My blueberries are in their second year, so next summer I hope the birds leave me enough to enjoy some myself :)

There are also blueberries that grow best in Northern climates, and blueberries that grow best in Southern climates. I'm in NC where "Rabbiteye" blueberries grow best. I think "Highbush" are recommended for the North.

speaking of sayings... I never had gotten this one right - so everything has gotten 10-10-10 for as long as I can remember

is it roots, flowers fruit or roots fruit flowers...

anyway, I did hear that about blueberries, I also understand that the more varieties you have the better. And that they do not like dry feet because the roots are close to the surface. as far as fertilizer...

-joe-

Hmmm... I seem to remember that the first number is for the leaves - keeps them green, the second is for fruits/flowers/stems and the third number is for the roots.

But I could be wrong :)

I always add a pinch of micro-nutrients to my soil mix to cover all the stuff that's not in the fertilizer bag.

I dunno - I always thought blueberries were NOT effectively self-pollinating and it was best to have more than one variety.

you do need more than one for any real results and more than one variety is best.

Hmmm....well, I appreciate everyone's input, but I'm still not sure what I did or didn't do that paid off this year. When we bought the house, the previous owner told me that she had 3 different varieties, but not when she put them in. They were here almost 10 years, so the bushes could be anywhere between 7 and 17 years old. I guess I'll cross my fingers that next year goes as well, and maybe I'll actually start fertilizing all of them and watering them, to increase my chances of a good year. Like I said, I pretty much ignore them except for the pruning, and one has been fine with that. Maybe the other 2 are more temperamental, and will appreciate the extra attention!

Blueberries need a pollinator to produce. Texas A&M hort recommends at least three different varieties in a plot.

A one year old bush will produce berries, only a few, but some. Each season it will steadily produce more and more. The ones we sell in 5 gal. pots are about three years old and are loaded by early spring.

Not familiar with your climate but here they need moist soil and lots of sun. Has the shade pattern changed over your bushes? Sounds like the two that are now producing weren’t getting enough sun before.

Ah, lizardskeep, I think you've hit on it! Towards the end of last summer, our neighbor cut down an enormous pine tree quite near the blueberry bushes, which has had a big impact on the garden on that side of the yard. The heavily producing bush is on the other side of the yard from the "barely producers", in an always sunny location. Thanks so much!

patterntracy - yes I think you have found your culprit. When I gardened in South Florida I lived next to a home that had a clump of pine trees.

Each year when I planted my beans the ones closest to the trees were so much shorter than the ones at the other end of the row. It was NOT the lack of sunlight that was the problem - it was the pine trees' roots. Another neighbor told me that pine trees give off something from their roots that prohibit some things from growing under them.