Edible landscape plants are quickly becoming the hottest thing in gardening. We are seeing a real trend with homeowners who are moving away from the traditional ornamental landscaping and opting for plants that provide food as well as beauty. Blueberry bushes, with their antioxidant-rich berries and spectacular fall foliage, are becoming one of the most sought after plants in residential landscapes today.
Fall foliage of wild low bush blueberries.
Until the 20th century, blueberries could only be found in the wild. They first became available commercially in 1916 and have since then become readily available for anyone who wants to grow them.
Planting blueberry bushes is breeze.
Blueberry bushes can be purchased bare root or already potted up from garden centers, big box stores, or online retailers. If your blueberry bush is bare root, its a good idea to soak it for about an hour prior to planting.
The first step in planting blueberries is to choose your location. Blueberries require full sun. They will not produce fruit unless they are receiving six to eight hours of sunshine each day.
Blueberries thrive in acidic soil. They are happiest in sandy- loamy soil. If you have clay soil, you can build a raised bed or you can plant in pots and containers.
Planting blueberry bushes in containers is a great way to control the pH of the soil.
Acidic soil is important to the fruit production of your blueberry bush. What good is a blueberry bush that doesn’t produce berries? Adding elemental sulfur is one way to make your soil more acidic. It can be found at most gardening centers in pellet form. Just mix it into your soil. Sulfur is not water soluble so there is no need to worry about the rain washing it away. (An added bonus: If you have pets, sulfur helps repel fleas from your yard.) If your soil was not very acidic to begin with, a top dressing of sulfur around your blueberry bush every couple years will help it greatly.
You can also work some shredded oak leaves or pine needles into your soil to help lower the pH. Aged saw dust, coffee grounds, vinegar/water solution and “rhododendron food” make good fertilizers.
Now its time to choose your blueberry plant.
In the wild, blueberry bushes thrive in the northeastern corner of the United States and upward into Canada. All blueberries require a certain number of hours where the temperature falls between 33-45 degrees Fahrenheit or they will not produce berries the following season. Blueberries have since been cultivated to grow in a much wider variety of climates based on their chilling requirements. Here are the different types and what they mean to you:
Low Bush
Low bush blueberries were the most commonly found wild variety. They have the longest chilling requirements and can usually be grown in zones 3-7. If you are not sure which zone you are in, click here to find out. They are creeping plants that grow about a foot or so high. Plant them about 2 feet apart. They should be cut to the ground every 2-3 years. They will not produce fruit the year after cutting (so plan ahead if you want a continuous supply of berries). Low bush blueberries are commonly found canned and packaged at the supermarket. The berries tend to be a bit smaller than other varieties, but very sweet.
Blueberries from the grocery store are usually low bush varieties.
High Bush
High bush blueberries are the most common “garden” varieties. Northern high bush varieties grow in zones 4-7. Southern high bush varieties grow in zones 5-9. Southern high Bush varieties tend to have have smaller berries than the Northern high bush varieties, but they are much more heat tolerant. High bush blueberry plants grow to an average height of 6-8 feet. Sometimes they will grow as high as 12 feet. When planting, space them 3-4 feet apart. Stems become unproductive after 6 years and should be pruned off.
High bush blueberries.
Half- High
Half-high’s are a cross between high bush and low bush. They grow in zones 3-7 and reach a height of 2-4 ft.
Rabbit Eye
Rabbit eye blueberries get their name because the berry turns a pink shade (like a rabbit’s eye) before ripening to blue. Rabbit eye are low chill varieties suited for zones 7-9. They can be grown in colder zones, but because of their low chilling requirements they are apt to produce berries early. You might loose a crop to spring frost. Rabbit eye blueberries are more tolerable of drought and poor soil conditions than the other varieties. Surprising to most people, they are actually taller than the high bush varieties. Rabbit eye, if left alone, can reach heights of 20 feet!
Pink Lemonade Blueberries are a rabbit eye variety that do not turn blue when ripe.
You will also find that blueberry plants are categorized by season. This gives us an general idea of when to expect berries.
- Early Season (June)
- Mid Season (July)
- Late Season (August)
When planting blueberry bushes, its often helpful to add some peat moss to the hole before placing your blueberry plant. This helps with drainage and adds a little acidic boost.
Blueberry plants have shallow root systems. They like a good supply of water (1-2 inches per week) but it should drain well. Blueberries hate wet feet. Soil should be moist, but well draining. Blueberry leaves are a bit on the leathery side. They don’t appear to dry out when your plant is thirsty. You are more likely to notice branches drying out.
Your plant should require little to no pruning for the first 3 years. Then you may begin pruning to shape or control your plant. (Low bush varieties that need to be cut back every 2-3 years are the exception, of course).
Young plants may begin to fruit, but a blueberry bush will not be fully productive until it is 6-8 years old. Pinch off all flowers until your plant is 2 1/2 feet high. Allowing fruit will slow the growth of your blueberry bush.
Mature plants that are “over flowering” tend to produce smaller berries. Pinch off some flowers for larger fruit. Most blueberry bushes will continue to produce fruit for about 20 years.
A low bush blueberry plant.
Ripe blueberries are fully blue. Once they are blue wait a couple days before picking them. They will fill with water and swell about 35% larger. Give the branch a gentle shake. Only the ripe berries will fall into your hand.
Blueberries plants are a favorite of rabbits and deer. Click here to read about how to keep deer and rabbits from ruining your plants. A cage or net will help protect them from critters and hungry birds.
I live in northern Massachusetts & have 6 TALL (6 foot’) wild blueberry bushes. The size is small but the taste is so sweet! I use sewing netting to keep the birds away. It’s usually used for kids’ costumes & decorating. This fabric is 60″ wide, in lots of colors, and cheap. I paid $0.15 a yard on sale. Clothes pins & gravity hold it in place on the ends of the branches.. It’s EASY to slip aside to get at the berries, & then re-pin it.. No cage required. And it can be used for several seasons if you’re careful about the final removal. I prune the dead branches & keep it reachable in height for next year once all the berries are done, Picking in July gives me quiet time to myself. And there’s nothing better than hot blueberry muffins in January during a raging blizzard.
Hi Mike, enjoy your shows. We just had a wind storm that broke off my bluberry plant (that was so healthy looking) right at the base.. I have it in some water for now.. but would like to see if I can root it. It is late in the season, but thought I might put some rootone on it and shove it in my compost pile.. what do you think? In Wa state we don’t get much rain all year, but this is our wet season. if I Put them on the top of the hill of compost.. that should be plenty of drainage. comments?
Great write up on planting bluebarries.
I have some questions: How long do the cutting take to root? I cut them in the middle of June.
Do you transplant them into pots or just put them in the ground where you plan to put them?
Thank you,
Pete
Pete,
If you take cuttings now they should be rooted in about 6 weeks. In most cases plants grow better in the ground and are really easier to care for.
Hi Mike!
I’ve been subscribing to your emails for years! You used my video on netted cages to keep birds off of your blueberries! It was a fun surprise!
Thanks for supplying me with lots of good information!
Lisa
Lisa,
First of all, thank you so much for being a long time subscriber. We’ll give Amber the credit for using your video, she did that post. It’s always nice to find really useful things that we can share with our subscribers, content that is really relevant.
Guys I love your stuff I spred your advise around a lot. But I am 80 now and have a n ice garden again this year…so far I dont propegate but I am going to start. Some time ago I loaned your free book and never got it back since then the party has moved. Could you allow another copy for an old soil man. I am very pleased with your blueberry help, I planted 3 dry root plants 3 years ago and they are now starting to look like something. Thanks again
Walt,
The free book is an Ebook, you can download another copy by just entering your Email address.
Is it too late to take cuttings from a rabbit eye blueberry that is leafing and has some flowers. I’m in Raleigh nc and the weather is 75F?
James,
It’s too early, you have to wait until June. http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Thanks Mike for your quick reply. You were thinking softwood and I was thinking hardwood cuttings. I’ll wait till June or so.
I really do appreciate all the work you do. I’m still looking for the hydrangea that you talked about. The local supplier has his stock two weeks behind because of the cold weather we recently had.
Thanks Mike. You were thinking softwood and I was thinking hardwood cutting. I’ll wait till June . Thanks also for your hard work for the back yard gardener.
Thanks Mike. The funny thing was that you were thinking softwood cutting and I was thinking hardwood. I’ll wait till June.
Thank you especially for all the hard work and dedication you give to the backyard gardener.
Do you need 2 berry bushes or can you just plant 1?
Sam,
They do cross pollinate but are also self pollinating. So one will fruit, but two or more will fruit better.
As growth pushed the heritage blueberry farms out of suburban Seattle area, I managed to purchase some of the bushes. I have two bushes that are now more than 150 years old. From another farm I picked up several bushes that are more than 60 years old. All are still bearing strong. With pruning, good compost and soil, they produce equal or better than the newer bushes that are 6-10 years old. I’ve seen other comments of bearing for 20 years, but the older bushes support new growth from throughout the much larger root ball.
Mark,
Good info to have, thanks for sharing it with us.
We lost our bushes in the mid 1980’s. Not sure why. They were planted before 1950. Don’t know when because my grandparents purchased thehouse in 1950 and the bushes were already there. They were 40 plus years old and producing! I don’t understand why so many resources say they last 20 years or so when clearly some folks claim 40 50 60 yrs, etc
Thanks for all your passionate info mike
Thanks Otto.
I purchased one of your systems last year I have several plants in propagation boxes and in the ground. I was wondering when I need to transplant them into pots I checked some last week and while they have leaves on them there does not seam to be any roots I did see some little white spots any help would be appreciated
thanks
Horace
Horace,
Don’t transplant until the cuttings are well rooted. Do as many cuttings as you can as softwood cuttings starting in June throughout the summer. The harder the wood the longer it takes to root.
Here in coastal Southern California we are blessed with several recently-developed blueberry cultivars that do not require cold winter themperatures to produce copious amounts of fruit. These variaties have made California one of the biggest blueberry-producing states in the U.S.
I have planted many here with great success. The main problem is that squirrels, grasshoppers, and other pests love to eat the plants.
Thanks for the info on blueberries. Could you do a segment on the actual pruning of highbush blueberries. I have about a dozen plants and have had them for a few years and have no idea how to prune. they are tall and leggy and surely need a good pruning!
thanks!
Good info Mike!
We have spent two hours online searching for rooted Blueberry cuttings and the sum total
of all wholesale nurseries are between $5.95 and up up up.
Also they ask for a minimum order of 100.
Do you have any sources for Blueberry root cuttings you could help us with?
Thanks
no answer Mike?
I have wholesale sources, actually two of my customers sell a lot of blueberries, I’ve bought hundreds from them. But those sources are only available to those who have my system. It’s just one of the many perks that my customers get. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Yeah, yeah I know, people get mad when I say that. But . . . selling that system is how we pay our bills. It is our only source of income and if it weren’t for that I’d be writing and creating all of this content for free on a daily basis. I’m generous guy, but I have to make a living like everybody else.
Amber/Mike,
It’s Japanese Beetles that almost wiped out my plants last summer. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Peter (who is getting healthier, BTW)
Peter,
You have to work on controlling the Japanese beetles. Just do a search with the search bar to the right and you’ll find info.
Great article on blueberries Mike!
We have some Peach Sorbet and some Pink Lemonade Blueberry bushes in our back yard. We also have a few dozen Apache Blackberry bushes we planted last fall. The Apaches are coming in like gangbusters. They seem to love the sandy soil here in coastal South Carolina.
What I love about the Apache Blackberry bush is that they stand erect. No vines and having to build a trellis.
By the way, we purchased your “Small Plants, Big Profits” months back. It’s an excellent course with lots of great information. Keep up the great work!
If you ever start an affiliate program, be sure to let us know 😉
Heather
Good advice in the article, but one warning for anyone planning to take cuttings of blueberries for sale – please do check your local laws regarding the sale of fruiting plants. In many jurisdictions there are national or State restrictions on the propogation, growing-on, or sale of commercially important plants like raspberry, currents, apples, and yes, blueberries. Commonly to do so legally you will need to arrange to be inspected.
It’s probably wise for regulators to do this but it is a nuisance, and people should be aware of this if they are not just growing blueberries for their own use.
Gareth makes a great point which is why I sell my “Small Plants, Big Profits from Home System” so you know everything you need to know about growing and selling plants. Some people try and do it without the information the eventually buy the information and kick themselves for not being informed first.
It’s a great little business that you can do from home. But the more you know the better you’ll do at it.
i have about 6 Blueberry bushes that are struggling here in the higher elevation but got high hopes, also have Goji berries and they are wonderful growers here and had hundreds and hundreds of berries last season. They are quite different but sweet and great antioxidant values. Sold 2 plants but alot of the people here in my area are not too interested in purchasing plants, what a shame. I’m in the foothills in nevada and still trying to get a little business going so i’m needing a little luck. happy summer everyone. Margie Miller.
Margie,
I’ve been teaching this online for about 15 years now and I’ve seen an area where people won’t buy plants. I’ve had people tell me that, yet right down the road another grower is selling plants like crazy. If you have my system, http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm, you’ll discover all the ways that our growers sell plants like crazy.
I have grown blueberries for about 15 years but always in acidic soil and they have given me plenty of fruit. We sold our house and moved to a place that has room for the bushes but does not have the acidic soil. I love the help about the elemental sulpher AND about growing them in pots. Thanks a lot!
Blueberries grow great in large pots or containers , I use a mix of 50% peat and 50% pine bark (small) . In the winter make sure they are not in the wide open catching the wind
When growing blue berries or trying to make more how do you do that?by seed or can you use the cut and root with them
Thank you
Chauncy,
Seeds won’t give a true clone of the parent plant. Cuttings are better. http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
I have about 75 blueberry plants that are about 35 years old. They produce about 800# of blueberries per season. The secret to longevity is in the pruning. If you prune out one third of the old stems each year you will have rejuvenated the plant in three years. I have Blue Ray and Bluecrop varieties and both do well in our southern Indiana clay soil that has been amended with elemental sulfur. I mulch with leaves each fall..
Grant,
Thank you for sharing your expert advice!
Thanks Amber, for a very good article on Blue Berries. I’ve never tried them because thought it would be too difficult. You answered lot’s of questions for me. Thanks