Any advice on how to over-winter newly potted blueberries?

Hi. I tried searching the forums with no luck, so if this has been asked and answered here many times before, my apologies!

I planted a couple of bare-root blueberries earlier this year (during the Summer) and received a couple of dwarf plants in small pots about two weeks ago. I re-potted those into somewhat larger containers. We are about to get frost and I'm wondering what to do about these for the Winter. I'm in zone 5a. I don't worry about the blueberry plants that I have in the ground. They're very hardy. The ones in the pots have me worried though, as I'm sure they'll freeze solid, roots and all in those pots. I guess the ones in the ground are freezing too as I'm sure that at least most of their roots are above the frost line, but I just don't know for sure what to do. Any advice from those more experienced in this would be appreciated!

You could wrap them up or the best method would be to bring them inside for the winter. Its what I do with my lemon, kumquat, and miracle tree

Maine is the biggest supplier of blueberries so you know they can take. Bury the pots and all in a trench and after a big freeze lay some pine branches or similar material on top for winter protection. Don't bring them inside they need a dormant season.

Do not bring them indoors. I am in zone 5, grow my blueberries in pots, do not cover them or bury them and do not have winter losses from the cold. They can get too dry if you have a long windy cold spell without snow cover and the pot is exposed but that is not too likely. Probably the best thing you could do would be to sink the pots in the ground a bit. A 1-2" layer of mulch over the roots doesn't hurt, especially if it is acid. I use peat or peat mixed with clean sand in a 50/50 ratio.

Mittsy gives good advice except I don't think it necessary to cover them. There are some bb's that may be sensitive to the cold, but I doubt you would have bought them for MA.

I agree with mittsy. We have received a lot of bare-root stock which we were unable to plant properly so we planted them in a temporary spot "heeled in" - that is, bury the roots well in a trench, and cover well and mulch. The plants can be at an angle and planted close together. Water well. Natural rain should be enough through the winter.

This way, you don't have to worry about them till Spring. Your containers may be OK, but could dry out or freeze the roots (maybe). Well, that's our experience anyway.

Hey, good luck! I just prepared a spot (dug in "green manure" and sulphur) for transplanting some blueberries in the Spring. I have been dreaming in blue!

Root freezing, in my opinion, is not much of a concern for the northern types. The roots of all of mine in pots freeze as I do not sink the pots in the ground. I started a bunch of blueberry plants from seed and left them out all winter in 4" pots last year. I'm sure they all froze solid, but did not have losses from the freezing. I lose the little ones when they get too dry during the growing season, but they are all very cold hardy.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I'll try putting them in as sheltered a spot as I can find outside and hope for the best. I might get a chance to try to dig a trench for them, but with our clay and rock soil --- easier said than done. (Am also considering just "planting" them, pots and all into a much larger pot that had Summer squash in it until recently.)

I followed krowten advice on northern hardy blueberries that I potted up in large pots last spring. I left them out with no protection whatever and I am happy to report that they are leafing out and look great.

Since this just popped up in my watched threads, I'd like to report that mine also seem to have survived. One of them looks really good -- and the other is at least still alive!