How fast does a blueberry bush grow

Northland 4 x 4 ft Excellent to good 3 to 12 lbs Medium, mild flavored berries. Northsky 2 x 3 ft Good to fair 1 to 5 lbs Medium, sky-blue berries. Sweet and mild. Patriot 4. Ripen early to mid-season. Polaris 4 x 4 ft Very good to good 3 to 8 lbs Medium, firm, crisp berries. Intense flavor. Cloud 5 x 4 ft Very good to good 2 to 7 lbs Medium, dark blue, firm berries.

Sweet flavor, crisp texture. Superior 5 x 4 ft Very good to good 3 to 8 lbs Medium, sweet-tart berries. Ripen late. Planting Blueberries grow best in full sun. Choose a sunny location Avoid areas surrounded by trees. Trees provide too much shade, compete with plants for water and nutrients, and interfere with air movement around plants.

Poor air movement increases danger of spring frost injury to blossoms and favors disease development. Space blueberry plants about 3 feet apart. If the variety you purchase is listed as growing larger than that, then space them a little further apart. Plant young blueberry bushes in late April or early May. Dig the holes large enough to accommodate all the roots and deep enough so you can cover the uppermost roots with 3 to 4 inches of soil. Pack the soil firmly around the roots, then mulch the planting with 2 to 4 inches of sawdust, peat moss, oak leaf or pine needle mulch.

These types of mulch are acidic and will help maintain a low soil pH. Mulch also helps maintain soil moisture, prevents weeds, and reduces soil temperature in the summer. Replenish mulch as needed.

Water thoroughly after planting to ensure moisture reaches the deepest roots. Water the plant frequently and deeply, enough to keep the soil moist but not saturated. Staking and support Generally no support is required.

Do not use wire as it may cut into the stem. Managing pests and diseases Insects and wildlife cause minimal damage to blueberries. Find help identifying common pest problems: Use the online diagnostic tools What insect is this? Visit Ask a Master Gardener to share pictures and get advice. Insects Spotted wing drosophila is an invasive fruit fly that lays its eggs in ripe fruit, leading to soft, damaged berries.

Wildlife In the late fall and winter, rabbits and deer enjoy nibbling on the stems of blueberry bushes. Diseases Diseases are unlikely to cause significant problems on home grown blueberry plants. Cankers Examine the plants for cankers that first appear as small, discolored areas on the stems. Cankers usually occur close to the ground but may be higher on the stem. Stems are usually girdled in one season by cankers. Girdled stems die and leaves turn brown. Cut out affected parts several inches below the cankered area.

How to keep your blueberry bushes healthy and productive. Weeding and caring for young plants. Nutrient-related challenges Blueberry plants in soil with a pH above 5. Signs of pH problems: Chlorosis, or yellow discoloring of the leaves, is usually the first sign of a soil pH problem.

Slowed growth. Poor fruit production and general plant failure. Soil amendments don't work quickly enough to fix this in one season. Soil pH problems must be corrected to improve blueberry plant health. To amend soil pH: Keep the plants mulched with a few inches of oak leaf or pine needle mulch to help maintain soil acidity.

Use a fertilizer that includes elemental sulfur, such as ammonium sulfate Soil pH is easiest to amend with sulfur a year before the blueberries are planted. Acclimation is the gradual physiological process by which a blueberry plant adjusts to colder winter temperatures. Falling temperature and shorter days kick off acclimation. The length of the acclimation phase depends on the climate and the cultivar.

Once plants are dormant, they require a period of cold temperature before they will grow normally. While rabbiteye blueberry blooms relatively late, southern highbush blooms early in late winter or spring, after chilling is satisfied, making these poorly adapted to the Pacific Northwest.

After chilling is satisfied, the plants enter a deacclimation phase. After this phase is over, bud break occurs once temperatures are warm enough. Cold hardiness increases from the beginning to the end of the acclimation phase in autumn.

Once plants are dormant, they are at their maximum cold hardiness. During the deacclimation phase in late winter to spring, cold hardiness decreases. The level of damage depends on the stage of plant development, how rapidly temperatures change during a cold event, and how cold it gets. Blueberry cold hardiness varies tremendously across species and cultivars. The overall level of cold hardiness varies among plant parts.

The wood is more cold hardy than the buds. Also, flower buds are less cold hardy than vegetative buds. Cultural practices that promote late fall growth can affect cold hardiness. Excessive or late fertilization with nitrogen encourages late-season growth that is susceptible to early fall frosts.

In warm regions, plants may not enter dormancy. Floral buds near the tip of 1-year-old shoots open first, followed by the buds below. Timing and duration of bloom vary by cultivar and prevailing weather conditions. The flowers of highbush blueberry are urn-shaped and consist of:. Rabbiteye and southern highbush cultivars need a pollinator for good fruit production. Flowers need a large number of visits from bees or other pollinators for good fruit and seed set.

Fruit set may be lower in regions that get a lot of rain or cold weather during bloom, which reduces bee activity. The development of pink and then blue color starts at the end of the second phase of berry growth. Sugars increase and acids decrease during phase three.

Berry weight is dependent on cultivar, crop load severe pruning will increase berry size , stage of development berries increase in size after turning fully blue , and the number of seeds per berry in most cultivars.

Berry firmness is mainly affected by cultivar but is also impacted by ripeness, cultural practices and weather. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use the energy of sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to make carbohydrates. Inorganic salts, chlorophyll the green pigment in plants and other catalysts are important in this process. Many of these organic salts and catalysts are taken up as nutrients from the soil. In blueberries, photosynthesis may be limited by light, temperature, and water.

For maximum production of carbohydrates, none of these factors is limited. Water initially moves into the root by osmosis, because the dissolved chemical components of the root cells are higher than that of the surrounding environment. This creates a root pressure that extends into the xylem cells, or water pipes of the plant.

Another threat to your blueberry bushes is a late spring frost. If you get a cold snap after your blueberry bush breaks dormancy in the spring, you will lose all of the flowers on the bush, leading to no fruit that year. This is frustrating if you live in a warm climate, but it is how the blueberry bush protects itself. If the bush flowers too early during a mild winter, a late spring frost can kill all of the flowers and destroy any chance of a blueberry harvest that year.

Before purchasing blueberry bushes, make sure that your climate gets enough chilling hours in the winter to produce fruit, while also staying warm enough to keep the tree alive. Always check the catalog to find the Plant Hardiness Zones where a variety of blueberry bush can grow.

For a detailed list of blueberry bushes, including information on USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, height, and width, check out my article on blueberry bushes. Remember that the roots of a blueberry bush are shallow, so avoid letting the soil dry out. If you have trouble with dry soil, check out my article on how to treat dry soil. This improves drainage to prevent root rot and other over watering problems.

For more information, check out my article on over watering your plants. At this point, you know how big a blueberry bush will get, in terms of both height and width. You also know what to look out for when choosing a blueberry bush variety that is right for your climate.

You can also check out my article on where to plant blueberry bushes. I hope you found this article helpful — if so, please share it with someone else who can use the information. Hi, I'm Jon. Let's solve your gardening problems, spend more time growing, and get the best harvest every year!

Some vines tolerate shade, while others thrive in full sun all day. There are even some sun-loving vines with dazzling flowers to add beauty to your home. Each year the plants look healthy and we see new growth but there are very few berries. We fertilize in the spring. They get plenty of sun but are close to our fence. The neighbor's pine tree overhangs that area but not the actual,bushes. Are we being impatient or are we doing something wrong?

At our last house we planted small bushes and got a good crop every year. Hi, Marcia. Are you getting blossoms on your plants?

Often, when blueberries are not fruiting, it is due to lack of pollination. Perhaps it has been poor weather and the busy bees have not come out? Blueberries are very susceptible to late spring frosts, too. Also, while blueberries are self-fertile they do much better when there is another variety that blooms about the same time. There could be other issues, such as acidic soil pH which needs to be below 5. Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, Pruning, and Harvesting Blueberries.

By The Editors. Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow. When to Plant Blueberry Bushes Blueberries can be planted in spring or also in late fall in all but coldest regions. If available, 1- to 3-year-old plants are a good choice. These can be bought in containers or bare-root. In either case, be sure to buy from a reputable nursery or website. Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site Select a sunny, sheltered spot.

While blueberries are tolerant of shade, better crops are obtained in the sun. At the same time, they should not be exposed to harsh, drying winds. This will bolster berry production and quality. The blueberry is a shallow-rooted plant. Blueberries thrive in soil that is acidic. The soil pH should ideally be between 4. Soil can be acidified by mixing a small amount of granulated sulfur into the soil several months before planting.

Peat moss, as well as pine bark or needles, are also good additions that will help acidify your soil. Mix organic matter into the soil before you set your blueberry bushes. See more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. The rootball should be just below the surface one-quarter to one-half inch.

Dig holes about 20 inches deep and 18 inches wide or about twice as wide and twice as deep as the roots of the plant. Space bushes 4—5 feet apart in a row, with at least 8 feet between rows. Prepare a planting mixture of 2 parts loam and one part oak leaf mold, peat moss, aged sawdust, or compost, and place a layer of this mixture in the bottom of the hole.

Set the bush in the hole with the rootball just below the surface and its roots spread out. Pack the hole tightly with soil. Apply fertilizer one month after planting, not at the time of planting. Can You Grow Blueberries in a Container?

Use a potting mix designed for acid-loving plants such as azaleas or rhododendrons, or mix sandy soil with peat moss and compost. Plant the bush in the container and water well.

Add mulch on top of the soil to keep in moisture. Place the pot in a sunny spot. Keep soil moist. In northern regions, overwinter the blueberry container in a protected area or cover the container with straw or wrap it in burlap. These pink berries can be planted in nearly every climate. How to Care for Blueberry Bushes Mulch to keep shallow blueberry root systems moist, which is essential.

Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of woodchips, saw dust, or pine needles around the bush after planting, but leave a gap around the trunk of the bush to allow for proper air flow. Read more about mulching. Blueberries need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. One year after planting, apply 1 ounce of fertilizer per bush in the spring at blooming time, and increase the rate by 1 ounce each year thereafter to a maximum of 8 ounces for mature bushes.

Do not allow the bush to produce fruit for the first year or two after planting.