Even through the drought we had? Or did you get rain last summer.
In Frederick County Maryland we get heaps of rain in spring and fall. Summer can have dry spells, but after a wet spring, bloobs are settled in and can handle a dry summer no problem.
2 Likes
Gotta have patience. Put them in the ground ASAP and thenā¦ waitā¦
1 Like
Everybodies area is different. My soil is great for Bluberries. These Bluberries from Fedco look twice the size than when I planted them last year. Just dug a hole and no fertilizer.
6 Likes
Matt,
After 5 years, I think I gave them ample time. Actually it was not their fault. I needed to water them and my town water was the main culprit 
1 Like
I made pictures of my blueberry patch today. I grow it this way for three years and it seems to be successful. We have both water and soil are being too alkaline for the blueberries, so they grow in the trench filled with pit moss. They do not require much attention. I do not water them. I add soil acidifier and fertilizer. Recently I discovered that they need to be sprayed with fungicide too. Excuse the dog she is looking for the snakes who like to live under the leaves in the blueberry patch.
Pink Lemonade is unproductive and I will replace it next year.
11 Likes
My Climax rabbiteye is getting HUGE. It has rained a ton this spring, and I am seeing explosive lush growth on my trees over the past couple weeks. I am amazed.
Climax has doubled in size and is spreading out all over the place just like the catalog description said it would.
I recently put down a fresh sprinkling of soil acidifier. I am mulching these things with pine bark all the time. Some of these bushes are in their 3rd leaf. Sleep, creep, then leap!
Climax rabbiteye blueberry:
5 Likes
My blueberries are also larger this season mostly as a result of so much rain. It is amazing how much bigger all my fruit is this season. My Orient pears are a good 1/3 larger than this time last year.
2 Likes
Climax has been doing absolutely wonderful in its 3rd year now for me. Cottonseed and Hollytone three times a year and only water they get is in the rain that falls. Massive amounts of fruit this year and great growth. Good news. I was hoping your other rabbiteyes would step up Matt. I know how much you like that Ochlockonee rabbiteye. I will get some of those in the fall. Most likely to replace my Oneals which are sucking.
Iām not sure why I added two pink blueberries this last fall. Probably because they are Rabbiteyes and my other Rabbiteyes are doing amazing. Anyways, my pink lemonades are struggling. I havenāt heard from a single person about them actually performing above average or even average. I hate average in most all things, but maybe give it another spring. I donāt know?
They are growing fine, they just do not make much berries and the ones that they have are small and dry.
1 Like
Interesting and you have had it 4-5 years now I believe?
I bought the large bush already and it will be its third year in the same location. Last year there were very few berries on it and I hoped that this year it will be better. But it set the same small amount again. The other cultivars are a lot more productive and larger too. I have very limited space in this pit moss bed, so I want as much production from it as possible otherwise I would keep it for fun.
I was out like I am every day yesterday, and during my visit to the four plant blueberry patch, I noticed the Blueray has a few leaves that have turned completely brown, and drooping. Today Iāve noticed the same issue with some leaves on the other three plants.
Is this just a case of heat stress? Itās went from seasonable and wet over most of May to hot, dry and a bit windy the last week or so. I donāt think itās fertilizer burn as that was done about a month ago with some Hollytone. Most of that has been diluted down by a bunch of rain since then.
One of the smaller branches has the brown leaves, but also is drooping a bit. Again is all this just heat related? Iāve watered the bushes yesterday and today. Theyāve been doing great since they got planted the first of May.
1 Like
Nice! What plant is those from?
1 Like
Rabbiteyes (Climax and Premier). They are absolutely destroying my Northerns, (Bluecrop and Bluerays) and Southern High Bush varietes. Itās the 3rd year for all of them and Rabbiteyes are outperforming all by 10-15x as much. Probably time for me to pull out last 4 Northerns and 4 Southern HBs and replace with more Climax and Premier Rabbiteyes. My experiment with finding the best blueberries to plant in my location is pretty much complete. 
6 Likes
Seems like your location is right in the wheelhouse for rabbiteyes, NHB, and SHB, not so much. But, I donāt know if Iād pull them out just yet. Whatād you do with all those berries?
My four NHB are doing OK, even tho the Blueray has some brown wilty leaves in a couple places. I assume itās heat related, as it hasnāt spread. The rest of the plant seems OK.
I fertilized them about a month ago with some Hollytone, would it fine to give them another dose in a few weeks? Iād assume thatād it be it for the rest of the year.
1 Like
Hollytone is fairly mild stuff,so that should be fine.I usually fertilize Blueberries til about August. Brady
2 Likes
My college kids are home for summer so the berries go fast. We went and picked some more this am. I finished fertilizing a few weeks ago and that will be it till next spring. I donāt like to accelerate a lot of new growth as it gets into July/August. Iāll let them rest up for the summer after a very productive spring. But as someone mentioned above Hollytone wonāt hurt or burn any of them. Just have to make sure new wood hardens up before first frost.
I guess Iāll see what the Northerns do next year. Itās just nothing close to the RBs so far. It must be a PH deal. They just seem so anti-vigorous. Your bit of wilting most likely is heat related and probably struggling a bit through its first years, although all 4 of my Bluerays died after their first summer. I just have the underperforming Bluecrop northerns left, but I guess at least they are still alive. 
I makesure and pinched all the berries the first 2 years. It seems to have helped RBs at least.
2 Likes