Blueberries: Wonderful fruit & Great Ornamentals
Blueberries: Pages: 236 to 238 in your Master Gardener Handbook This slide presentation and the aforementioned pages were prepared by: Dr. Bernadine Strik, Professor Extension Berry Crops Specialist Oregon State University
Relative ripening time of blueberry cultivars in the Willamette Valley
Duke Early Sweet, good flavor Large fruit Susceptible to root rot
Spartan Early Excellent flavor Very large fruit Large bush
Reka Early to mid-season Good flavor Large fruit Will overcrop if not pruned correctly Vigorous plant
Blueray Mid-season Excellent flavor Large fruit Erect bush Tolerant of hotter temperatures
Chandler Mid-season Very good flavor Very large fruit Long fruiting season Sensitive to pseudomonas (bacterial blight)
Bluecrop Mid-season Very good flavor Large fruit Erect bush Can over-crop if not pruned hard enough
Legacy Mid-season Excellent flavor Medium to large fruit High yield Vigorous bush Needs trellising
Jersey Late Mid-season Sweet Small-medium fruit Vigorous bush High yield
Darrow Mid- to late-season Excellent flavor Very large fruit Erect bush Lower yield in cold areas Sensitive to pseudomonas
Half-high blueberries Cultivars include: Polaris, Chippewa Northcountry Northsky, Northblue, Northland Hardy to -45 o F 1 to 4 high compact growth habit Yields range from: 1 to 7 lb/bush Great ornamentals or for containter growing
Rabbiteye blueberries Cultivars include: Pink Lemonade, Pink Sorbet, Jelly Bean Sunshine Blue, Perpetua Great ornamentals or for containter growing
Planting Requirements: Soil ph of 4.5 to 5.5 Incorporate organic matter (and N if needed for breakdown of organic matter) Good drainage (raised beds good)
Planting: Plant 2- or 3-year-old plants in fall or spring 3 to 4 in row 8 to 10 between rows Surface mulch Prune off blossoms in year 1
Surface mulching: Blueberry plant Blueberry roots
Growth in year one after planting two-year-old plants
Care of Established Plants:
Old, twiggy growth is dull in color Pruning: Wood Age One-year-old wood (last year s growth) is productive and bright colored
Pruning: One-year-old wood Fruit buds - will break in spring to produce a blossom cluster with no leaf growth Leaf/vegetative buds - will break in spring to produce a leafy shoot without flowers
Pruning: Bloom Dormant Budbreak Plant Development Ripening
Pruning:
Pruning: Before: After: Remove/prune: Damaged or diseased wood Short thin whips at base Wood that is too low For more info see: A Grower s Guide to Pruning Highbush Blueberries)
Harvest: Fruit will increase in size by about 20% after they first turn blue Pick fruit about every 5 days Fruit stores well in the fridge
Common Problems in the Home Garden ph Problems lime induced iron deficiency
Common Problems in the Home Garden Weeds Blueberry plants are not good competitors with weeds Control weeds by hoeing shallowly Mulch will help somewhat
Common Problems in the Home Garden Birds Scare devices have limited usefulness Birds will peck or take whole fruit Plots can be netted
Common Problems in the Home Garden Diseases Botrytis gray mold Affects blossoms, not fruit Weather related Pseudomonas bacterial blight Only affects 1-year-old wood Evident in spring Control with copper sprays
Common Problems in the Home Garden Normal growth -- NOT disease! Dead fruiting truss Black tip stage Dead inflorescence from last year
Common Problems in the Home Garden Diseases Mummy berry Disease spreads through fruit mummies. Pick up or bury these Anthracnose fruit rot Orange fungal growth on fruit Difficult to control
Common Problems in the Home Garden Diseases Poor drainage Plants are sensitive to Phytophthora root rot Improve drainage
Common Problems in the Home Garden Insects Control scale insects with applications of dormant oil in the winter Scale
Insects Spotted wing drosophila Eggs laid in developing fruit Late season crops most affected http://spottedwing. org/
Native Blueberries: (also called huckleberries ) Vaccinium parvifolium V. ovatum Evergreen huckleberry Can be grown as a hedge
Native Blueberries: (also called huckleberries ) Vaccinium membranaceum