Planting blueberries

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blackbird70 Huntersville, NC Apr 16, 2008

I just bought 3 good-sized blueberry bushes (1.5 to 2 ft tall and wide) to plant, and I've been reading up on their preferred conditions. Do I really have to pick off all the lovely flowers and cut back the branches by 1/2? I've read this a couple of places, but not everywhere. I'm hoping someone will tell me it's not such a big deal and I can leave at least some of the flowers so we can eat a few berries this year. But I definitely don't want to sacrifice long term health of the bush. Sigh...I am not a patient person...

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bettydee La Grange, TX(Zone 8b) Apr 16, 2008

Gardening is all about patience. Plants need time to establish themselves and depending on the care that could take weeks or months. Summer will be here in no time at all and that can be a very stressful time for a plant especially if you get very hot weather. Adding the stress of having to carry some fruit is not the best thing for them. Consider the long term benefits of giving the plants a year to get established and to put out some vegetative growth.

I remember reading a suggestion that a grower spend 4 - 6 months preparing the soil as the pH needs to be between 4.0 - 5.5. Not many soils are that acidic.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8207.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG359

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LTilton Glen Ellyn, IL(Zone 5b) Apr 17, 2008

You could try experimenting - let one bush go and prune the others. Then you can see for yourself how much they benefit from it.

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mauryhillfarm Vashon, WA(Zone 8b) Apr 17, 2008

When I planted my blueberries, I did pick all the flowers off the first year, so the plant could focus on roots, not fruits. I did not prune except for a few damaged branches. I have heard to wait a few years to let the plant get established before pruning. I mixed a little moistened peat into the planting hole, and fertilized with an organic blueberry mix for several years in the spring, also mulching yearly in the fall. I did not have to worry much about PH since my soil is already naturally acidic, though other regions of the country may require more meticulous attention to PH.

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