Blueberry Runners

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JackJJ Louisville, KY(Zone 7a) May 28, 2015

Hi All,

This is my first post. I have eight year-old blueberry plants; I have attached several photos. They are about seven feet tall, at which point I prune them.

My question is: What should I do about/with these runners? They come out as much as four feet from the base of the bush. They come off of a "woody" root (or perhaps it's an underground branch of some kind). As you can see from the photos, I mulch heavily with pine needles.

Specifically, I have two questions: Should they be removed for the health and production of the mother bush? And, can they be transplanted and when is a good time to do this? Thanks for any replies.

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Post #10082581
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weeding Peachtree City, GA(Zone 8a) May 28, 2015

If they are runners they can be removed by digging them up and replanting.
For canes you need to leave six to seven vigorous two- to five-year-old canes and two or three one-year-old canes per bush. Mature blueberry bushes should have six to 10 healthy canes varying in age from one to six years old."
When a cane gets to 6 years of age it is recommended to remove it as fruit production is low for this cane.

Post #10082658
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pollengarden Pueblo, CO(Zone 5b) Jun 01, 2015

RE: transplanting suckers:
Use healthy vigorous furthest out. Drive a shovel down between the sucker and the mother to cut the main root. Do this 6 inches to a foot from the sucker. Then wait at least two weeks for sucker and mother to form replacement roots. Avoid excessive digging in the the root zone of the mother plant.

Post #10085793
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