I’ve always wanted to own a blueberry bush. The fruit is delicious, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is high in antioxidants. Last year I checked the prices of 2 year old bushes at the local nursery. They wanted over $40 for the plant. No way I planned to pay that, so I tried an experiment. I put some blueberries in the blender, poured off everything but the seeds, and then planted them. Sadly nothing grew.
This year I went out and bought a sicky blueberry shrub at Lowes for $10 on sale. I drilled holes in a giant planter, mixed some soil, organic matter, and acidic plant fertilizer together. The blueberry bush came in a box with the roots wrapped in peat. I decided not to unwrap it. Messing with roots while transplanting usually kills my plants. So I just buried the entire thing straight from the box. On top I put a layer of pine needles to act as a mulch, while increasing the acidity of the planter.
Below is a picture 4 months after planting. I had just returned from a trip to Disney World and my garden was a mess.
Below is the same plant after I removed the weeds. Quite a difference?
After 30 days that tiny sprout of new growth is now taller than the entire plant.
Supposedly blueberries wont bare fruit until the 3rd year. In the meantime, should I get any suckers this year or next, I have a spare planter to fill.
You do realize that blueberries are not self pollinating – you need two different bushes of two different varieties before you’ll get any blueberries.
I knew they required two bushes to pollinate, but I didn’t know they require different varieties. I was under the belief that almost all the blueberries in N.J. were of the same type. I guess I will have to get another bush next year for sure. Thanks for the advice.
I have a blueberry bush (cost me £2.50) but I didn’t realise I need a second for pollination. No wonder I haven’t had any fruit!
The blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants are going well. I’ve had a handful of fruit this year.
After further research, it seems most, but not all, blueberries require another species of blueberies nearby. If you get blossoms but no berries, then you definately need another species. I saved the identifier tag, so I’ll soon start my plant shopping. I think fall would be the best time to plant the bush anyway.
The final word on blueberry pollination. My variety of blueberry is called “Bluecrop”. They seem to be self pollinating. Some claim they will grow bigger fruit from cross pollination, others claim cross pollination had little affect. Since I like blueberries, there will be no harm in acquiring an additional variety.
Before the school year ended I planted some goya in a pot outside my classroom as a class project. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon)
Last time I checked the pot a few weeks ago it looked like your first picture.
You picked a good one, if the variety is true to name (lowes isn’t good for that). I almost got that one this spring, but it has a reputation of being hard to propagate. If you want more info on it, check this university report – http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/bbvarbul.htm .
forgot to mention – some growers plant two different small ones in each location. That almost guarantees pollination. I’m trying that with the bush cherries and dwarf bush hazelnuts. It will be years before I find out how that works.