Blueberries blooming

[duajones]

I have read that this variety has large berries that ripen in July. Will I be waiting that long or is the plant ahead of schedule?

[hill60]

You won't have to wait until July. I would think sometime in the next month maybe.

Around where I live zone7, July/August is when the farms are harvesting them. I think you've pushed the zone for them so what ever is working for you don't change it.

Just don't tell your plants they are not supposed to grow in Texas Z9.

Hill60

[feldon30]

Yeah the general harvest time on Blueberries is late June, early July. Your plants are a bit confused.

[Tormato]

From what I've read, the key is "chill hours".

www.raintreenursery.com/chill_hours.cfm

Sunshine Blue is one of the best for low chill hours (150).
If you ever look for a companion variety, which may aid in fruit production, I've heard O'Neal is the best tasting of the southern varieties

Tormato

[duajones]

I have read about the chill hours but still didnt know what to expect from the plant. I will say that I probably didnt use a big enough container (3-3.5 gallons maybe) and that its a good thing that this variety is more forgiving when it comes to overall soil (ph etc.) I am pleasantly surprised that it is fruiting despite its advertisement. It is absolutely loaded with fruit and is still flowering as well so I should get a decent sample of fruit to taste. Now I just hope that it tastes good. The plan now is to move it to a larger container once harvest is over and use an acid loving type potting mix. I have read that you should prune after maybe the 3rd year but it is a little lanky at this point although it looks healthy overall.

Any advice on pruning etc. would be greatly appreciated at this point. All I have done so far is just water it occasionally and feed it fish emulsion and a couple of applications of granular fert meant for azaleas and other acid loving plants

[mvan]

Good info from UGA:

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/l106-w.html
(includes some pruning diagrams)

Hope that helps . . .

Matt

[Tormato]

duajones,

When it comes time to picking, make sure they are fully ripe (completely blue). Otherwise, they might be very tart tasting. If Sunshine Blue is like northern varieties, an unripe berry will have a bit of a red/purple color to it.

Gary

[duajones]

Thanks for the info guys

[duajones]

I have been sampling blueberries from the plant for around a week now. Have experienced some tart tasting ones that werent completely ripe as well as ones that were. I am not real impressed as they arent great by no means but are edible and ok. Now, I am wondering if they improve in the coming years. This is first fruitset for this plant and I plan to transplant to a larger pot as well as prune before next season. Any suggestions would be appreciated

[Worth1]

Blue berries like many other fruits taste better grown in poor well drained soil.

Worth

[duajones]

This particular plant is growing in a container versus the ground. A little different from most from what I have read. I didnt expect a whole lot and am happy that I am at least harvesting edible fruit. Hoping that future harvests result in a little better tasting fruit

[grapenut]

I plant my BB's in 15-20 gallon pots in a place that gets full morning sun and afternoon shade and they do very well. i can't plant in the ground because I have pure clay and very wet springs which tend to drowned the plants.
the flavor of a BB is mostly determined by the variety...can't stand Duke, Large early berries with no flavor, thank God most variety's are very flavorful and if you get a mix of the right variety's you can get a season to last from june to early September

[Tormato]

Early September? With Aurora, I'm hoping to make it to October. Also hoping it tastes good. My best tasting last year were my "natives".

Tormato

[grapenut]

Originally Posted by Tormato

Early September? With Aurora, I'm hoping to make it to October. Also hoping it tastes good. My best tasting last year were my "natives".

Tormato

My bad, I forgot about the Aurora's I got last year.