O’Neal is SHB. I think Reka is actually NHB, but a cultivar bred in New Zealand. They both ripen about the same time, a few weeks before my earliest Rabbiteyes (Climax and Premier). It’s a little extra effort to remove suckers from below the grafts, but I don’t think they would ever fruit for me ungrafted without a lot of soil amendment and extra TLC. Much easier just to graft. I did whip and tongue grafts and almost all of them took. I think they both taste a bit better than most rabbiteyes, but it might just be that they’re always the first blueberries of the season when you’re really looking forward to them.
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Here are my O’Neal blueberries grafted to Tifblue rootstock. They have been ripening over the past two weeks, and none of my rabbiteyes have ripened yet.
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I just picked a quart of O’Neal and nearly the same of several other varieties. O’Neal is very good, but IMO one of my other plants has slightly better flavor. I wont be able to fully compare all varieties for a few more years, but already 2 are showing excellent flavor while others are mediocre. Also, O’Neal is doing very well here in the southern edge of Tennessee. I amended the soil with lots of organics which it seems to need.
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My Reka bush (also grafted to Tifblue) has much.milder tasting fruit than O’Neal, but I like them both. The Reka started ripening a week before O’Neal.
I’m actually lookinig tto make an order, do these varieties look good to you all? I’m not sure which rabbit eyes to get. ATL area, looking for plants that taste great but I don’t have to baby if possible (don’t have to be top producers either).
Rabbit eye:
Ohlocknee
Premier, tophat or brightwell? I’d get yadkin but the site i’m ordering from doesn’t offer it.
SHB:
Oneal
Suzi blue
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I’m located (Alabama) in a similar zone as you are. Most of the rabbiteye should grow well at your location. I currently have Alapaha, Climax, Titan, and Pink Lemonade. I don’t currently have any southern highbush but these two have done well for me in the past. Millennia and Oneal. Oneal blooms a little early and sometimes not all the blooms survive. Millennia pretty much grew like the rabbiteye.
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Rabbiteye varieties will get very sweet but they need to hang on the plant longer. I cover mine with a net while ripening to keep birds out. I think all varieties of blueberries require extra care the first 1-2 years after planting. The roots are shallow and regular watering will get them growing faster.
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Dan Finch blueberry nursery, in NC, has had the largest offering of blueberry varieties I’ve seen.
Plants have been sort of hit-or-miss… Some big, with hefty roots, others small and weak with not much in the way of a rootball.
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Mr. Finch passed away last year. His wife has kept the nursery going since and plans to for a while. She will likely sell it after that as she’s getting older and is tending the nursery just out of memory and respect for her husband more than anything else.
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I was thinking of buying from Bottoms Nursery in GA cus they also have muscadines I want to snag. Thanks for informing me of this one, they do have a nice selection. Sorry to hear of his passing, RIP.
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