Urgent! Should I cover my blueberries tonight?

Grosse Pointe Shores, MI(Zone 6a)

It has been unseasonably warm here in Michigan and my blueberries are starting to bud out. Now, it's going to be in the upper 20s here tonight, and I'm worried about losing the buds.

I've got a couple plants in containers that I should be able to move into the garage. However, I've got 10 plants in the ground that I'm really worried about.

I planted them in August, 2010 and this is the first year they have any buds to speak of...I don't want to lose them!

Please help! I only have bedsheets that I could drape over them, if you think I need to do it. Here is a shot of how far they've progressed:

Thanks in advance,
Katherine

Thumbnail by koshki
Arcade, NY(Zone 5a)

I'm in zone 5 New York State. I'm going to cover my blueberry bushes tonight with a 32 gallon plastic trash can. its not worth it to take a chance. its 28 degrees already. I might see 18 for a low tonight.

Grosse Pointe Shores, MI(Zone 6a)

Oh, trash cans would have been an easy solution! Unfortunately I don't have 10 empty ones!

My daughter and I hung bedsheets over them. Looks like Halloween! I hope it helps...now I'm worried that the branches will break.

Calgary, AB(Zone 3a)

The only buds you need to worry about are flower buds, if you are concerned with fruit production which do not happen for a few months. If you are talking about leaf buds you are fine, they are tough plants and they should be fine. Since blueberries have late season berries, the earlier the leave out the better. This coming from someone who has picked wild blueberries in Zone 2 for many years (actually some years falls into Zone 1---that's really cold in the winter)

Grosse Pointe Shores, MI(Zone 6a)

Thanks everyone! Well, more than half the sheets popped off the plants anyway, so they were on their own after all. I will have to come up with a more effective method in the future.

Joanna, I don't know if you had the unseasonably warm weather like we did last week, but it's been so warm here that our plants are about 5 weeks ahead of schedule. The flower buds on my plants have really grown, but they have not actually flowered, if that makes sense. I wasn't sure how tender they would be. The TV weather guys kept making such a big deal about us having a "killing freeze" that I got nervous. It probably didn't even get below freezing here last night after all.

Thanks again!

Arcade, NY(Zone 5a)

it went down to 14 degrees here.

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