I bought 2 blueberry plants in April (different types) and I have them in containers. They look healthy, very green and bushy but about 5 blueberries on each plant. I wasn't too worried about them since they look healthy until I went to the garden centre yesterday and their blueberry plants - smaller than mine - had hundreds of berries on them!! They told me I can feed them but it won't make a difference this year, but to do it next year and they should bloom more.
I was just wondering if anyone can suggest anything that might help this year? Is there anything I can try?!
Blueberry blooming advice?
I pick the flowers off my blueberry plants the first year I put them in the ground anyway, so they will put energy into the root system. Your bushes are probably fine. You could give them an acidic mix fertilizer to be sure your soil is providing what they need, but it would be unlikely they will produce more blossoms if they are basically done with that part of their life cycle at the moment.
There are blueberries that grow best in the North, and there are other blueberries that grow best in the South. Whenever I've seen blueberries in local nurseries, they have been the wrong type. I purchased mine from Edible Landscaping.
http://www.ediblelandscaping.com/plants.php
I also purchased some from another source the year before and they have yet to bloom.
Something to remember about perennials: First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap. The ones I purchased from Edible Landscaping are producing for the first time and this is their third year.
You'll need to cover them with netting, otherwise the birds will eat them.
They like very acid soil.
And that's all I know about blueberries, other than they are yummy, and we are thinking of replacing our strawberries with more blueberries.
Ugh!! Great photo!! Makes me so jealous!! Thanks for the info though, guess I thought because I bought older plants I would get berries this summer. I am not sure what type they are though. Perhaps feeding them might have helped as they have produced a few blossoms and a handful of berries, but I maybe even got them too late to have made a difference with that. Hopefully next year.... maybe the one after....!
Honeybee is right about the appropriate varieties being very important. In your shoes I'd first make that determination. They bloom from old wood so whatever size plant you have this year is all that can possibly fruit next year. Immediately after fruiting is the time to do any pruning and possibly a moderate feeding for developing new branches so the growth has time to harden before winter. I only feed mine once a year in late winter and they are difficult to keep a manageable size. I've been picking for about 10 days now and that's a couple weeks later than normal.
I will check the type. I got them at Home Depot but a lot of the stuff at our home depot seems to be locally grown (not sure if this applies to these). Here are the plants:
and the second one:
They are different types, I know one said spring bloomer and one said summer bloomer. I think I probably bought them too late to actually have made a difference to them myself this year... but I didn't know that at the time and I think they look pretty healthy so hopefully the type is appropriate and they will do well in the future now I know what to do!!
I love your bamboo fence. Attractive, functional and cheap. I've got scads of bamboo and need to get busy doing more with it.
I didn't get too many flowers/berries this year either. I'm fairly sure it's because my soil isn't acidic enough. I will start acidifying correctly as soon as the harvest is done. These berries are SO delicious - I want more of them!
gmum - I just thought of something else about blueberries. Some plants need another blueberry to bloom at the same time to provide cross-pollination. Not one with the same "name"
Thanks twiggy, I got free bamboo from a local ad on Craigslist and it's lashed together, I'll attach a full photo.
My blueberries are "Jersey" and "Blue Jay" (I checked earlier, I hope I remembered right). I have about 5 berries on each plant, so enough to taste and know that I'd like to keep them!!
I should add, it's not very perfectly engineered!! But it works, and it looks like of natural that way....