Blueberry saplings

Have two small blueberry saplings which have made it through the nasty Ohio winter. One is even flowering. Would like to transplant them, but when and how? Thanx. Susan

Susan, I assume that these are in the ground and that you are dividing an existing plant. Blueberries can be very tolerant of transplanting, so I do it whenever I have the time to do it properly. That means gently feeling in the soil to trace out the stem back to the roots, then using a sharp shovel to sever any root to the main plant. Remove the plant with as little disturbance to the roots as possible and immediately transplant to the new location. Use lots of peat in the new hole/pot. I always water immediately, then make sure to not let the plant get too dry during its first growing season.

The key is to have good, acid soil for the new plant. I routinely will use just peat, peat and perlite, or peat and sand, as the planting medium. My early failures with blueberries were from trying to start them out in local soils.

If they are in pots, then just move the root ball from a smaller pot to a larger pot and fill the extra space with one of the mixes above. Don't overwater, but don't let wilt.

Great advice! The two plants were purchased last spring and I just planted them in a poor location. They have survived the first year in good shape. I just want to move them to a more convenient location. Thanks so much for your advice. Susan

Susan, Just dig them up, being sure to not disturb the roots any more than necessary. The acid soil is the key to success. Otherwise, they are tolerant plants.

Have already dug my holes, lined them with pine needles and just a hint of seasoned horse manure. As soon as the rain quits I shall "do the deed" and hope that they will do well. Thanks for your help. S

Blueberries are a challenge for me. I have only four plants alive and have replaced a couple of them because their predecessors died. The one big plant, that has survived for three or more years, is not blooming this year. I have used miracid sparingly, have even sprinkled aluminum sulfide on the ground around them, but I must be doing something wrong (big surprise).

Also, one of the new plants I planted last year that looked healthy last year, leaved out this spring and now all the leaves seem to be gone.

Dude,

Blueberries have shallow roots and need acid conditions. A soil test measuring pH should be done to determine if acid conditions are present. I am a personal advocate of amending the soil with peat moss (as indicated above) which works very well for me but some also advocate adding plain sulfur to the soil. Plain sulfur will make the soil more acid as well, but works slowly.

Before starting the peat regimen, I tried to grow blueberries and found the plants languished and slowly died. My advice is to check your soil to learn what you are dealing with.

Thanks Krowten, I will do a test of the soil. Where is a good place to obtain a soil test kit?

Most garden centers have them. A couple of years ago, I purchased a cheap meter to use for pH. It was under $12 and works pretty good. Might not be as accurate as a formal lab test, but we are not building rockets after all. It has multiple functions, such as measuring light intensity and moisture, but I use it mainly for pH.

I should mention that each spring, I add an inch of peat as a kind of mulch to the plants. The past two years, I've switched to a mix of peat and sand or a peat mixed with something that reduces the compaction that occurs with peat. I've been using a mix of peat and sifted pine bark with some sand with good success.

You might also want to experiment with growing blueberries from seed. It takes years to get producing plants, of course, but if there are local conditions that are a bit unusual for some reason, your own seedling might be better adapted through a survival of the fittest approach. However, blueberries are very tolerant plants, as long as they have the acid conditions.

I think you were probably on the right approach when using the aluminum sulfide and miracid, but probably did not do enough with them. After your testing, I would add an immediate, generous layer of peat to the plants and water well. Blueberries do most of their growing in the spring and that is when you want to make sure that they are happy (Great technical gardening term there - "happy")

Thanks once more, Krowten. I have a to do list for today that includes a ph meter and large bag of peat.

Blueberries require good drainage. Is it possible that your soil does not have good drainage? Raised beds in clay or poor draining soil can help solve this problem.

I think drainage may have been a contributor since we have been up to our ears in wet this spring. The four plants I have are in the ground--not in raised beds. I think the advice to test soil and add peat helped since the plant that had lost its leaves has come back.

Thanks for all the info.

Salsadude

Don't forget - drainage, drainage and drainage is really important. Since the roots are shallow (and pretty widespread), I depend on bagged pine mulch (finings) every early Spring to keep reasonable moisture in my well drained area. I use about 1-2 inches deep and about 3' radius from my 4 foot high bushes. Bagged pine bark is fine too but you probably need to use more to make up for the air between pieces of bark.

I'd better clarify - the mulch in the photo of my dog waiting for ripe blueberries is some shredded hardwood (for cosmetic reasons) It's on top of the pine mulch.