Author Topic: Best performing blueberry varieties  (Read 2743 times)

Plantinyum

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Best performing blueberry varieties
« on: November 24, 2020, 12:23:48 AM »
Hi, which are your best performing blueberries ? I'm looking for reviews on taste, production ,fruit size etc.
What do u do to acidify the soil? I have several bushes planted in pure pine forest top soil which are doing great, but i'm considering of planting more and changing the soil is a huge chore for me. So what would u recommend for amending clayish type soil? Would the plants be okay just planted in such soil which has been ammended with acidifying fertilizers ?
Also I have the following varieties ; bluecropp, darrow and two unknown , others I should consider ?
Thanks very much !!!☺☺😀
« Last Edit: November 24, 2020, 12:27:14 AM by Plantinyum »

Triloba Tracker

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2020, 10:08:23 AM »
The only way i know to lower soil pH reliably is applying granulated elemental sulfur.
I think a lot of the stuff you read, such as pine straw, peat moss, etc doesn't actually work.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2020, 12:15:30 PM »
The only way i know to lower soil pH reliably is applying granulated elemental sulfur.
I think a lot of the stuff you read, such as pine straw, peat moss, etc doesn't actually work.
thanks ,so this route should be then..I have watered mine with coffee also ,didnt hurt thought do not know how much it helped .

Daintree

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2020, 10:13:58 PM »
Our soil here is very alkaline, and there is nothing other than sulfur that will help, and you have to keep adding it all the time. The soil will always revert to its natural pH.  There is a blueberry farm here, and they have to add TONS of sulfur every year, and always will.
If you can, plant them in pots. Then you have total control over the mix. Mine are planted in 20 gallon pots in peat moss and bark, and do great.

Carolyn

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2020, 12:25:55 AM »
Our soil here is very alkaline, and there is nothing other than sulfur that will help, and you have to keep adding it all the time. The soil will always revert to its natural pH.  There is a blueberry farm here, and they have to add TONS of sulfur every year, and always will.
If you can, plant them in pots. Then you have total control over the mix. Mine are planted in 20 gallon pots in peat moss and bark, and do great.

Carolyn
thanks Carolyn ! Do u take them in a basement or something for the winter when growing in pots, or do u just let the pot freeze ?

Daintree

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2020, 03:53:45 PM »
I just let them freeze, unless it gets REALLY cold, like low single digits. Then I toss them in the greenhouse.
And they are plastic pots, not clay, so they dont break.

Carolyn

Muni

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2020, 09:54:25 PM »
Pine needles help lower the ph. Commercially, the O'neal variety is good. If you want something beyond the usual, the Portuguese ones (Vaccinium cylindraceum and Vaccinium padifolium) are wonderful.
Allow yourself to know, if you wish, that this is a multi dimensional communication.
See what happens.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2020, 03:55:30 AM »
Pine needles help lower the ph. Commercially, the O'neal variety is good. If you want something beyond the usual, the Portuguese ones (Vaccinium cylindraceum and Vaccinium padifolium) are wonderful.
thanks ,I will try to locate those plants in the nurseries around me, especially interested in cylindraceum and padifolium.

shiro

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2020, 06:05:00 AM »
Well my idea is different but as I haven't tested it yet I can't say if it will work.

But in the idea it is necessary to find the right rootstock, arbutus unedo is part of the family ericaceae unfortunately the genus is quite distant.
But in this family several species could have a potential as rootstock of which some blueberries are more tolerant to limestone.
Afterwards you should also experiment with direct planting because clay soils can sometimes allow the cultivation of heather soil plants.

It is always better to consider adapting your crops rather than adapting your soil, or make a huge hole and fill it with heather soil.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2020, 08:12:08 AM »
Well my idea is different but as I haven't tested it yet I can't say if it will work.

But in the idea it is necessary to find the right rootstock, arbutus unedo is part of the family ericaceae unfortunately the genus is quite distant.
But in this family several species could have a potential as rootstock of which some blueberries are more tolerant to limestone.
Afterwards you should also experiment with direct planting because clay soils can sometimes allow the cultivation of heather soil plants.

It is always better to consider adapting your crops rather than adapting your soil, or make a huge hole and fill it with heather soil.

I wondered if amelanchier could be used for grafting blueberry onto, since its more tolerant of alkaline soils ,but searched it and its in the rose family ,so I think this is not possible.
For my plants I did just that, digged a trench ,lined the sides of it with nylon to isolate it from the other soil, and filled with pine forest top soil mixed with perlite. The blueberries I planted in spring grew huge, some I planted in august ant those had already stopped growing for the season . Al of them have set flower buds for the spring.
The smallest ones are wild blueberries ,which I planted just like the others . I have top dressed them with spruce needles.







« Last Edit: December 20, 2020, 08:16:09 AM by Plantinyum »

shiro

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2020, 08:51:08 AM »
Plantynium

I don't want to shatter your dreams, but yes, you're right, it's impossible.

You're dealing with 2 different botanical families: saskatoon = rosaceae (family of pear and apple), while the blueberry is part of the ericaceae family (family of arbutus unedo and rhododendron).
So in this case don't even think about experimenting.
But you can try a graft by approach of arbutus unedo and blueberry planted in the same hole and observed if the symbiosis of the two can allow the blueberry to support the soil if it is too calcareous.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2020, 12:48:23 PM »
Plantynium

I don't want to shatter your dreams, but yes, you're right, it's impossible.

You're dealing with 2 different botanical families: saskatoon = rosaceae (family of pear and apple), while the blueberry is part of the ericaceae family (family of arbutus unedo and rhododendron).
So in this case don't even think about experimenting.
But you can try a graft by approach of arbutus unedo and blueberry planted in the same hole and observed if the symbiosis of the two can allow the blueberry to support the soil if it is too calcareous.
no, I am not going to experiment, it just came to mind since they are relatively similar in appearance and I've seen people refer to amelanchier as canadian blueberry or something similar .....but now I got myself wondering if it can be grafted onto apple ..haha I juess it would need some kind of interstock.....

shiro

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2020, 01:18:44 PM »
You've got it all figured out, in fact you'll have to use interstock.

But tell me, do you only have access to apple rootstock ?

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2020, 03:07:27 PM »
You've got it all figured out, in fact you'll have to use interstock.

But tell me, do you only have access to apple rootstock ?
not only apple , I can find a wild rootstock for cherries, pears, apples , plums , for almost any temperate fruiting plant we have here ......I am so focused on apple rootstock since I have a established tree in my yard . Shiro , do u know what is the best interstock for grafting ammelanchier on apple.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2020, 03:11:47 PM »
You've got it all figured out, in fact you'll have to use interstock.

But tell me, do you only have access to apple rootstock ?
not only apple , I have various wild growing rootstocks , for almost any type of fruit tree thats native to my climate. Shiro , do u know what is the best interstock for grafting serviceberry on apple, maybe hawthorn ??

shiro

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2020, 05:15:42 PM »
Here are some possibilities
1) apple tree + interstock cydolus rudenkova + interstock pear + saskatoon tree.
2) apple tree + medlar interstock + pear interstock (doyenne du comice) + saskatoon tree.
3) ( can be ) apple tree + interstock malus florentina ( malosorbus ) + saskatoon tree.
These are just examples then it depends on the compatibility of each variety.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2020, 06:15:26 PM »
Here are some possibilities
1) apple tree + interstock cydolus rudenkova + interstock pear + saskatoon tree.
2) apple tree + medlar interstock + pear interstock (doyenne du comice) + saskatoon tree.
3) ( can be ) apple tree + interstock malus florentina ( malosorbus ) + saskatoon tree.
These are just examples then it depends on the compatibility of each variety.
thanks , it sure is quite complicated of a process...I think I wont bother

shiro

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #17 on: December 20, 2020, 06:26:02 PM »
It's not really complicated if you use the whip and tongue graft technique.
You can make the assembly in only one time for the first two and then wait one year to graft the final variety (saskatoon tree).


Immature_Ackee

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2021, 10:01:28 AM »
I have tried a lot of varieties in coastal zone 9b, in containers. My experience was that sharpblue was the heaviest producer (just prolific) but flavor was ok-good not great like Misty, O’Neal or Southmoon.  The berries also had a tendency to eviscerate (?) on picking, which made them not keep as long, but good for freezing and baking or smoothies. At least 2.5:1 more berries than any other variety I grew. I can’t say that result is typical. 

Razz is a fun novelty but a shy producer for me.
I can’t get my Pink Lemonade to do much.

Seanny

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #19 on: April 10, 2021, 03:30:36 PM »
O’Neal from my small plant wasn’t good.
It’s much bigger now so I hope it’s good in a month.

I tasted Southmoon from a friend’s plant last year.
It was the best ever.

This year it’s 1/2 the height and has 10x the flowers of my O’Neal.
I can’t find it around here.

I bought a small Misty.
Hope it’s as good as many have said.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #20 on: April 10, 2021, 04:50:21 PM »
Nice replies , I will keep my eyes open for those varieties, recently I bought one chandler and one pink lemonade blueberries, plants are small and do not have flower buds so tasting for me will hopefully be next year  ..

My wild blueberries/ billberries have alot of flower buds in their second year ,hopefully they get better and better .
Anyone growing those ? In my experience they are harder to grow in a yard setting compared to regular heigh bush blueberries . They seem to like very aerated soil and do not like compaction.

BQ McFry

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2021, 09:36:02 PM »
I planted three rabbit eye style bushes in PH 6.0 soil, in a spot that gets morning and afternoon shade with midday sun. They grew leisurely for 3 years but I was not giving them much care. This spring I began adding mulch and watering regularly, and they're covered with berries. I think this will be the first year I begin pruning them back in the winter.

My dad has a row of rabbit eye along his property line fence about 100 miles northeast of me, deeper into zone 7b. I'm not sure how old they are, but they're tall enough that I can't reach all of the branches.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2021, 09:38:51 PM by BQ McFry »

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #22 on: May 10, 2021, 07:15:56 AM »
An update on my blueberries coming later today !!!

Seanny

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #23 on: May 13, 2021, 11:40:02 PM »
I ate a few O’Neal from my bush.
Flavor was ok.
Texture was too mushy.

Plantinyum

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Re: Best performing blueberry varieties
« Reply #24 on: May 14, 2021, 04:19:59 AM »
Mine are just now in peak flowering mode. Bluecrops despite my initial expectations of them having freeze damaged flower buds , are having alot of flowers. Other varieties like darrow and some unknowns have shown alot more damaje and have only a few flowers here and there.
It seems to that they are flowering too late...but maybe its becouse the last year when I bought the bluecrops in feb they were already flowering , but that might be that they were growing in a greenhouse in the nursery....
All of my plants are very young so I hope with aging they wont be experiencing any cold damage whatsoever.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2021, 04:22:35 AM by Plantinyum »