Don’t take this as rude when I say this, but with proper pH management most weeds will not grow. I have a few acid loving types that come up occasionally, but after two years of light weeding and eliminating weed seed bed, I haven’t had issues. I mulch only in the square I’ve created around the blueberry (approximately 3’x3’) and the weeds do not grow up through the fabric where it isn’t mulched. I like the fabric for stopping large gaps of weeds; mulch is great for moisture and making an easy breakdown layer for blueberry carpet roots to grow in. The gator fabric is much thicker than most fabrics, but I also have drippers to deal with less water penetration. My biggest issue is during summer. The grass/weeds try to go over the paper at the side margins. But as Winter approaches in PA, anything on the paper dies and recedes. These trends may not work for a southern climate, but here in the North I’ve trialed many methods. The paper with mulch by far crushes just mulch and any other treatments. I’ll also say I worked my *** off to get everything started, weeding, prepping, planting, etc. You have to start “weedless”, close to pH soil, and be attentive for most alternative methods to work. But you will get rewarded, I’ll say that much. The yields/growth you get without weed competition is impressive in blueberries. Also to @Barkslip point, my blueberries are all in raised beds. I have one row I was lazy on and planted direct in ground. It shows massively the difference in growth on raised beds vs. flat ground.
When something’s working…you keep doing it. I wouldn’t try to talk someone into changing.
I would as a generality say gardening of any type in a raised bed gets better results for just about any crop. Although I know rabbiteye blueberry gardens in NC planted in the vegetable garden…then just mowed with a lawn mower after several years, and the garden moved a few feet over the slope. And I know a small u-pick in Somerset KY that also mows right up to highbush plants that are 6 feet tall and about as wide. And they crop great…in both instances enough for the birds and plenty still for personal use and sale.
In central KY where pH is often 6.5 or higher, I suggest raised beds for blueberries, azaleas, etc… It is easier than lowering the pH for the small homeowner planting. Commercially, might be a different solution needed.
I have one other anecdotal story: A friend just east of Charlotte NC had me build him some raised beds…been nearly 20 years ago, because he couldn’t grow any garden in his soil he said. So, I built him some fine beds with timbers on a slope, and put good sifted topsoil behind the timbers for him to grow things in.
Then during the project, I took my cheap pH probe and took a closer look at his “garden” that wasn’t working. Instantly the pH registered 4.5.
I suggested he might want to try some blueberries in his old garden spot, now that he had new beds for his beans and tomatoes!
Dustin, Very impressive! You are a busy man!
Would you share some advice RE fertilization, measuring soil pH, favorite varieties?
I have ~15 plants for home production. I’m growing them in pots* so I have to give them all they need.
I’ve gotten plenty of fruit after I put up bird net. My most conspicuous challenges are the summer inferno and keeping containers sufficiently moist. Next season - shade cloth in summer and drips.
Questions:
What is your fertilization scheme - is it all foliar applications?
–I fertilize in Mar with 2 oz. 15:9:12 osmocote/bush.
Do you have recommendations for measuring soil pH?
–chemistry, cheap probes, expensive probes?
What are your favorite varieties?
– love Misty and Duke and throw Chippewa to the birds, never tasted Rabbiteyes.
*I am growing them in fabric pots, Rootmaker 7 or 15 gal, soilless mix 3:1:1 pine bark, peat, grit with added osmocote 15:9:12, Micromax, wollatonite and sulfur. Last year I top dressed with some clay to help retain water. Half the bushes are old (8 yrs+, in pots last 4 yrs), half are 2 years or younger.
I’m in Zone 7, in the Coastal Plain in VA. The local undergrowth is wild blueberries and huckleberries, but to get fruit I have to protect from voles, deer, birds, squirrels, rabbits… hence the pots on a gravel pad and bird net. Varieties: Blue Joy, Elliott, Chippewa, Misty, Blue Ray, Duke, Northland, Chandler, Jersey, Misty.
Despite the nasties (rabbits, voles, birds, etc) that go after the bushes, my first recommendation is always IN-GROUND. Find a way by all means necessary to grow in-ground, I know people will disagree with me here given many do pot culture, but for blueberries it’s just not great for yield. I grow out young blueberries and by July for lack of better words, I’m getting my *** kicked by the heat, as you’ve stated happens to you. I find it incredibly hard to keep them moist without an auto drip line on them. I actually lost 50 >1yr old’s learning this lesson the hard way.
As for soil testing, a quick measure is nice with a Sonkir digital soil meter. I probe the field with this for problem areas and use visual cues to see if I need to do further testing. Then, I’ll move to indicator solutions or if big issues I’ll send off a sample to local U. Rough pH measures work for blueberries if you aren’t skimping on other things.
I start each year with a dressing of prilled Urea and some micronutrients from a local fertilizer supplier. From there I move entirely to foliar feeds with a backpack blast sprayer; usually once/twice a week depending on time of season, fruit load, etc. End of season, I’ll throw down another local micronutrient (4-2-4) fertilizer to help bushes recover and store up for next year’s harvest.
My personal favorite is Chandler, it produces monster berries and they’re very tasty for fresh eating. I saw you already have them so kudos! I also like Herbert, which is similar but has finer flavor. I’m a sucker for the pink blueberries too, both Pink Lemonade and Pink Popcorn. They are just so unique out of the cultivars I have that they really set themselves apart. For sheer numbers, Bluecrop (Blueray is a close cousin) is hands down my choice. I also abhor Duke, I got suckered early on into buying this cultivar. If it was up to me I’d rip them out of my orchard, but the significant other won’t let me destroy old bushes. Hope my babbling helps, feel free to pm me if you’d like more specifics. Unfortunately my local competition is on this website, so I can’t hand over my entire regime. 
here’s a good publication on blueberry fertilization Nutrient Management for Blueberries in Oregon | OSU Extension Catalog | Oregon State University
for pot culture in general I found it wasn’t worth it without drip, it took too much of my time watering and one missed day might set plants back by weeks or months. I use mostly “spot spitter” brand emitters now
For a home grower, it’s very depressing to grow Blue Berries. So far my 7 plants, planted in July are still alive but not very good looking.
I am not going to follow those guidelines. What I learn here, I am going to apply, if it works, fine, if not too bad, try something else.
I moved a number of blueberry plants a decade or more ago from North Carolina to Kentucky.
Including my first Rabbiteyes. Placed then on the north side of my mother’s garage.
Over half of them are still there, and still alive–although crops are small due to shading.
They get no supplemental water in pots size 3 to 10 gallon.
Now, I have numerous other blueberry plants, also in containers, I’ve bought or collected since then. They reside under trees in partial/dappled shade. Again, crops might not be large, but I’ve kept the plants alive with minimal care. (Now, we have had 3 summers in a row now with above average rainfall and below average temperatures…and the same looks to be the case in 2021.) (Undoubtedly this has helped with keeping them alive through neglect.)
If the plant appears to be badly rootbound, I move it to a larger pot. Apply both acid fertilizer and /or a little sulphur annually, plus some slow release in the spring. Young plants not yet bearing I may also hit with some high nitrogen fertilizer one time…just not heavy enough to burn them.
My soil or media is often recycled soil, but may include whatever was cheap in a bag from a store…the under $2 a 40 pound or one cubic foot type bag.
I am not trying to sell berries…and I’m not trying to maximize harvest. I have a “collection” --and learn first hand about the various blueberries. (Then, sometimes I have opportunity to recommend or plant edibles in the yard of a client–I have first hand experience on what to recommend.)
I have grown blueberries in-ground, but for friends and clients.
Growing them in containers can be an effort, but I disagree it’s impossible. I have been doing it over 7 years. Yields are impressive. I use 20 and 30 gallon grow bags. I keep them moist by adding DE the size of perlite. This has helped a lot. It can give you a day or two extra on watering. So if you water every other day you can now water every 3rd or 4th day.
Cara’s Choice. A compact plant whose berries are superior to any other blueberry I have tried.
Looking very good Drew…wish I could look in the future and see something like that.
This post was very encouraging, seeing all the different blueberry groups having pretty nice looking tree’s.
Does DE raise the P/H a bit? In all my container growing I use Turface, which is processed at much higher temps than others and supposed to last longer. I repot/uppot at 3 years max.
It is said to, but I have not had an issue with it. It’s not like lime, it is mostly silica which is neutral. Still 7.0 is a lot higher.
A good substitute for DE, it may be basic though since it is clay. Also the pours in the clay are too small for roots to enter. With DE the roots grow into the DE, and they suck the water out. I root cuttings in pure DE, works amazingly well. Here I rooted a fig cutting in pure DE, and I’m transferring now to soil.
See the DE stuck to the roots? Leave them alone! Roots have grown into the DE.
Also DE holds more water than Turface. But it still works really well, not sure with blueberries though becasue it’s made of clay it could be 8.0?
Yes I repot about every 3 years too.
Still I wish I could put them all in raised beds, I don’t have the room. I have 8 in raised beds, and 3 in containers…
Here is Legacy in a raised bed. Notice the DE. I mound them as high as possible because bed soil is 100% organic, it will compost with time.
Photo was taken in December, Legacy is slow to lose it’s leaves. The plant is dormant. I just trasferred this from a root pouch to the raised bed. It was in the pot 2 years. You can see it grew well in the container. I just transferred it This was on 12-08-2017. Man does time fly!
I need to prune out the larger branches this spring. Here it is now. On the left is Cara’s Choice in a container. I leave them out all winter. Don’t do this with plastic pots!
Why do you like Caras Chioce berries?
The wow factor, way better than most blueberries. Firmness is excellent, but not like Sweetcrisp, which I would for sure grow if I lived in a warmer area. It does poorly here. Overall it is the flavor, which is very subjective. A very close second is Ka-Bluey… Silly name but the berries are extremely good. Both Ka-Bluey and Cara’s have a high brix so are sweet. Both with a touch of tartness, but fully ripe it’s a perfect balance. Out of all I grow Toro is my least favorite. Favor is just OK, it does produce a lot of berries, and is a beautiful looking blueberry with more rounded leaves than most. here is a photo of Toro from last summer.(07-18-2020). Berries are very sweet.
Drew, DE or Turface is just a smaller part of the whole medium. I submerged the Turface in rainwater before I mix my medium with micro,s but still that’s not a big deal. The way I fertilize my tree’s overall is pretty good. I am more worried about drainage.
Yes it is a small part. I would not with blueberries but with other plants to get the full benefit of DE you need to make it 30% of your mix. As mentioned in the strawberry study. I only use a 9% mix. If I had endless finances for my garden I would make my mixes 30% DE.
I was talking to my brother and they planted some blueberries directly in the ground in central WI and i highly doubt the soil is right so it will be interesting to see if they do anything. Lowering soil pH is about impossible …you almost have to start with the right soil (low pH). I plant my blueberries in pots of pure peatmoss and then just bury those in the ground. So far so good and they have rooted into the soil around them because i can not lift them out anymore. I had a bumper crop this year. My only issue is my well water is as hard as rock (with a pH to match). I’m putting in a reverse osmosis unit right now.
That is exactly what I do here. I tried direct planting and it was so stressful to the plants. I do believe you have to start with the right pH. I decided raised beds are easier. Your method was a better approach, my attempt in ground failed. Good job!
All this blueberry talk makes me miss fresh berries!. So for a second I’m going back to July 14th 2020 berry harvest
Well at least I can enjoy frozen and dried berries now.
These dried strawberries are tasting pretty fine!
how to prune for best production? or it is fertilizing schedule? or about ph? any advice thank you!
I personally pruned 1/3 off of each mature blueberry plant of mine today. 12 bushes total. Took off 2-3 large stems from each.
What varieties you grow? Mostly rabbiteye?