Don't Make These 7 Mistakes In The Blueberry Growing Process

[@josephmandarino2199]

I have ten blueberry bushes planted along my driveway. I dug out the soil where they were, and planted them in a mix of peat moss, small pine bark chips, sulfur, and regular topsoil. Every spring I sprinkle more sulfur on top of the soil, and put a fresh layer of pine bark chips. I sprinkle some epsom salt (magnesium) at the start of the season and while the berries are growing, as well as some holly-tone. I get TWO FIVE GALLON HOME DEPOT PAILS of blueberries from those ten bushes.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@Trust_but_Verify]

Do you trim off old branches? How frequent do you water them?

[@josephmandarino2199]

@@Trust_but_Verify I only prune out wood which died over the winter. I water them if it hasn't rained in awhile or in July if it's really hot. I don't really do much for them.

[@richtomlinson7090]

My father would mulch with a mixture of Oak leaves and Pine needles. He would also use some other amendments but the area was very moist from the property above and well drained acid soil. He would freeze the extra that he couldn't eat right away.

[@DominicGordonKentucky]

What zone? 8:59

[@diytwoincollege7079]

I grow a ton of blueberries on my bushes. The birds and squirrels Love them! I may have eaten 3 in 6 years.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Bummer. We have a dog that keeps away the squirrels and cats keep away the birds. Try some netting.

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

Me too with my raspberries. 😆

[@kathrynlu7272]

thanks for providing food for them. consider it your contribution to wildlife.

[@BritInvLvr]

You’re so generous. :)

[@liyakhan9968]

😂😂😂

[@keegancrue7432]

I have a blueberry farm in south central arkansas. Every bush I’ve planted (1800+ bushes) started as new bushes. I’ve noticed on some of your plants, specifically the potted plant, the dead or dying leaves. I suggest you remove all the leaves that have died as well as any dead stems. Leaving them on the bush causes the bush to become susceptible to disease. Other than that, you’ve got the right idea. Sphagnum Peat Moss from Canada is a must. I’d also recommend shredded pine bark mulch between 3-4” in depth around and throughout the base of each plant. This will help with retaining moisture and will prevent weeds from competing. Hope this helps.

[@jcmc8220]

I love this kind of comments! Thank you!

[@sandyshore8787]

My husband and I got 2 blueberry plants for the very first time this past March., for container growing. Both self pollinating. We live in Florida Zone 9a . We repotted one, a Northern high bush, and just used a high quality potting soil with composted materials in it and regular peat moss. It is still green and has many small blueberries on it. Can I repot it while it is fruiting , so it doesn’t get ruined, or will it go into shock? Or should I just amend the soil? I’m not sure how to fertilize. Many channels say use Espoma Organic Fertilizer. But people say raccoons go after the chicken manure in organics. And use Espoma soil acidifier, which I see has sulphur in it. On this channel it says just use sulphur. The other plant is a bush variety from Bushel and Berry, Peach Sorbet variety, and I didn’t replant it because it came in a decent size pot a few weeks ago. But now it seems root bound. It also has a lot of tiny berries coming out. Can I repot that now too using a low acid potting soil, like one for hydrangeas and azaleas? One video recommended that, saying she has used it in containers for years. I’d appreciate some help. I don’t know anything, and each video says something different. Thank you.

[@keegancrue7432]

You can repot while it is fruiting but I would suggest that you repot and prune after the harvest of those bushes. It could put them into shock if you try to repot while it is in the stages of budding, flowering and fruiting. If you can wait, that is what I would do. If the plant has been in one pot too long it could also become root bound. Breaking the rootball up to free it from being root-bound will cause shock. Lucky most varietals are hardy. Still, I do suggest repotting after the bush has fruited and harvested. I would contact a nursery where they sell northern highbush blueberries and I would get their recommendations as well. Note: A northern highbush may require more cold chill hour than what is offered in your growzone. This could lead to less abundant fruiting later on in its life or it could become none without the proper amount of chill hours. Also, when you do repot, make sure you prune to allow it to grow healthy roots. Meaning you’d cut it back more than 30% of the total growth right before you repot. It will feel like it’s going to hurt the plant but you’ve just encouraged it to grow a better root system. I do not video anything I do as far as planting on KZbin and I won’t be. But if you do have anymore questions, I suggest asking the owner of this video as well as contacting a nursery with years of experience in that varietal. I do hope that helps answer some of the questions.

[@sandyshore8787]

Thank you SO much for answering me so promptly. I was so surprised that you got back to me ! I will wait until after they fruit to repot. I really appreciate you taking the time to advise me. It is such a big help. Also, I typed in the wrong thing. I have a Southern Highbush, sorry about that. Thanks again, that was so nice of you. 😊

[@SAGAWISIW30]

And you are watching this man teloingbuoubhowbro plantvblueberry when you have tenbtjousand😂

[@teeky-rh9lz]

I've always saved my coffee grounds and sprinkle all around my blueberry bushes.. oh my they have thrived.

[@hermanjernigan3585]

You can use your coffee grounds to increase to acid level in the soil. My bushes doubled in height and increased in berry harvest.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes, that works.

[@pairofdragonflywings]

I've heard that unused ground coffee helps acidify the soil, but used coffee grounds do nothing to th pH. Although all coffee is full of nutrients that help the plant.

[@watermelonlalala]

@@pairofdragonflywings Mine seemed to like coffee poured in the container better than used coffee grounds. But not much, it barely grew at all last year. I did not baby it.

[@PancakePerson9]

Thank you :D

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

Do the coffee grounds have to be used or can they be fresh grounds that haven’t been used to make coffee?

[@ranjanpenkar5511]

Thank you for your clear guidance on blueberry growing. Also your pronunciation is excellent for non Americans.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@brains84]

One mistake I make with our well established blueberries is not aggressively cutting back the older canes. The old canes don't produce the maximum number of blueberries. So each year cut back at least two older canes to allow new growth and many more blueberries. The older canes are wood-like, twiggy and generally have fungus growth on them.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I have never pruned my blueberries. I may explore that in the future.

[@frankenz66]

Yeah, that is one..another has been an issue for me is being overly aggressive with pruning.

[@keegancrue7432]

After the bushes have matured in year 6-8, consider pruning older canes as low to the ground as possible. Total amount needed to keep a full bush of berries is approximately 1/3rd of the entire bush needs the older canes removed. Prune after the harvest once the bush has no more berries. Hope this helps!

[@DestinyA83]

Thank you!!! I never know what to cut!

[@teresastaalcowley8521]

Thank you for your good advice.

[@terriwilson4984]

We live in Northern, Minnesota, We Planted North Blue Blueberries 35 years ago. Pick your own, I Can them,freeze them... They are ALWAYS LOADED, Truly Blessed!!!!

[@faithful53]

I have 20 acres with lots and lots of wild blueberries and the deer love them and our blackberries. Sometimes we even get some!

[@SouthernGent007]

I watched multiple blueberry videos and this was by far the best! Very comprehensive. Thank you so much. We live in White Bluff and are first time land owners. We bought a 30 acre farm. Got 7 fruit trees planted last year and we are now ready to plant blueberries. Thanks for the great videos. Love your content.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you David. I appreciate it.

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

💯

[@ericglover37]

I planted blueberry bushes that I bought at Walmart and placed them closely to each other near my private sidewalk.

[@jhgannon]

Great tip on the Canadian Sphagnum peat moss. I would use it in growing aquatic plants in aquariums but never considered using it to lower soil pH for blueberries. I live in Canada and have easy access to peat moss so will use this tips on my blueberry bushes.

[@dragonbornist]

I believe it is the pine needles that makes the base the peat moss grows in that adds the acidity composting pine needles in areas that don't naturally have peat might cause similar results. I also live in the great white north

[@BrightestBlessings7899]

I am also in Canada, BC infact, I have had 5 blueberry plants in 5 gallon pails for the last 4 years. Last fall I planted them into a newly created garden. I think they may have been planted too deeply. They all grew back after grooming and winter, but one grew fast and furious and beautifully! They others, not so much. We have acidic soil and I had but Berry tone in the holes but the other 4 plants are tiny and just starting to leaf out. The 5th plant is huge and setting fruit. The rest of my gardens are lush and green. Just not those 4 blueberry plants. Thank you for all of your great information, but any idea what to do to fix them?

[@marielscharch7388]

I added coffee grounds at the roots and the plant perked up and seems very happy with many bids formed

[@zannaB60]

You and I are a couple of northern transplants to Texas. I spent the first 25 years of my life in Iowa. Gardening here is a whole new ballgame! We have to re-learn how to grow! Thanks for your tips! Zanna

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. It surely is very different down here.

[@ohhenry3845]

Time stamps - Very helpful for building your audience and making your videos even more user friendly/informative ❤🙌🏽 Great video!

[@Jalepenocheesepanther]

second this, i went to look for timestamps. would make it a lot easier

[@queueeeee9000]

THIS. Especially in the gardening KZbin space. It really helps because Google search can direct someone searching for a particular topic, and show that particular chapter to the user. I most always subscribe to the channel if they have chapters like this

[@jjayneartworkx]

I make banana peel water infusion in late winter for all my fruiting shrubs and roses...works wonders! I've been successful in containers and yes they love daily and regular waterings...I mulch em all year round.

[@loganv0410]

Mistake 1A for homesteaders is having everything fruit at the same time. Just like having a U-pick operation you don't want 10 days of 22 hr/day processing your crop followed by waiting 50 weeks for fresh (X) to appear gain.

[@scotteric8711]

Setting up your planting/harvesting/turning schedules on a spreadsheet is a must!

[@FlyingFarmer200]

great advice. I planted my bushes too deep at first and they litteraly almost drowned in the holes. I caught the problem in the first week as i noticed yellowing leaves and i raised all the bushes up substantially and they are all thriving now. Thanks for the tips

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful and that you saved your blueberries.

[@DemonSliime]

I grow container blueberries and they do just fine. I water once a week at most. Zone 6

[@ses8710]

Me too, I forget to water mine all the time & they're 3 this year!

[@DemonSliime]

@@ses8710 right? My in ground berries told me that they prefer to be watered naturally whenever it rains and hates when I water it manually for some reason. They do way better when I only water them in drought conditions.

[@OlWolf1011]

Put mine in those huge manure-tubs with drainage holes drilled in the bottom. We have voles here that would eat the roots if they are in the ground. Can’t have tulips or asparagus because of the buggers. Mine’s 3rd year and it’s 4’ and full of fruit.

[@mofomoco]

@@DemonSliime try using tea instead of water when you need to water. My water isnt the right ph for my bb bush and will kill it if i water with tap water but tea, just normal lipton tea, works wonders with my bb bush.

[@cindycummins7072]

Do you do anything special to the tea before watering? What about the chlorine in the water?​@@mofomoco

[@thomasredden4263]

Good to see another Michigan state fan down here in Texas!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Go Green!

[@winkfinkerstien1957]

Here in Plano, Texas, the unrelenting heat and drought conditions have claimed 5 of my in-ground blueberry bushes. I just couldn't keep enough water on them. 3 inches of mulch helped but the 4 that remain are in 15 gallon pots, which are now shaded from the afternoon sun. They are 5 years old. We just had the biggest harvest so far, and the grandkids enjoyed picking and eating them. 😎👍🏻

[@jcmc8220]

We have the opposite problem in Finland, too much water 😅

[@ThatRicanNP]

How big are your pots! I’m in Houston, growing 3 bushes in pots that I started last year. I managed to keep them alive by adding a sprinkler set on a times and watering them for 10 min every day during the months of July and August. No I see them growing fruiting buds. I’m hoping I get berries this year. I was thinking to put them ingrown but now I’m not sure.

[@angelawalker7824]

I live if Fort Worth.. how much sun is too much

[@gitouttamycage9221]

Thank you for this info. The bottom line I'm taking away is to buy the blueberries in a container. Already picked. You see, once upon a time I bought chicken to raise for eggs and discovered it would have been much cheaper, cleaner and less labor intensive to travel to Europe to buy organic gold eggs. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@atcaw94]

That's hilarious..😂 We've got chickens, and totally agree, lol.

[@ppetal1]

In UK. I've only planted one from a 3 inch pot last year. I'm excited to have berries this year. I urinate on it every couple of weeks or so. Seems to work. After last years drought, we've had intermittent rain this year. I plant mainly shrubs, trees and wildflowers on local authority bits of land with their blessing (and the cops) as it was being abused by dumpers and car parkers. Clearly I can't do extensive irrigation, but I reckon I'll be able to propagate a few blueberries, which are exotic to me, thanks to your lesson.

[@mymalinoisadventures2252]

Loved the video. Loads of information without all the off topic talk. Thanks I learned a lot

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful.

[@2fathomsdeeper]

I have a raised bed dedicated to blueberries. I'm growing wild plants from the UP, a Northern Lowbrush from UM, and a Pink Lemonade. I filled the bed with the local loamy sand that the wild berries were growing in. To that, I added compost and sphagnum moss. The first year I had a dieback as I forgot that the compost had ashes and would raise the ph. Found the mix was at 7.8 and added acidifier. Had some flowering but no fruit the next year. This year, everything flowered profusely, so we should be seeing a harvest.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad you got your soil turned around. They should be great now.

[@Heritagepostfarms]

I water with vineger water about once a month in summer. Working great

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@abbysbud1]

I’m learning so much from you!! I too am in East Texas and had to use a ton of peat moss…ugh. This is year two♥️

[@dmark6699]

Excellent funny how you can go out in the woods and come across wild blueberries growing very well. When I lived in Michigan in the early 1950's Asparagus and berries grew on the side of the dirt roads and the county would spray to kill them off.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

For sure. So sad how they still kill off food on the roads. Wild carrots are a good example.

[@Gena777-r95]

Thanks for the tips! Now, I have a huge Blueberry bush in a large container. It does great and produces lots of blueberries ❤

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@maxsteelMountainLover]

Thank you for the tips! Trying with 3 plants this year in southern hemisphere

[@dnash57]

Nice video. You forgot one of the biggest mistakes: planting them too close to each other! People see those little plants and don’t envision how big the plants will be when mature. Here in Wisconsin, I advise people to plant at least 4 feet apart and preferably 5-6 feet apart. If multiple rows, the rows should be farther apart, especially if you need to allow for equipment access.

[@floristajoshita2327]

I have only one blue berry and one of its stem starts dry and dying what to do please help it's precious to me and it's very rear to buy cause we don't get

[@cpolancogonzalez1058]

Thank you so much for this video, first time growing blueberries in pots and now I understand why they are not thriving. i did all 7 mistakes. I just follow directions from the package and nothing like your explanation. It doesn’t even mention the root trick when transplanting them. hopefully with your information now i can save them. I have hope.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad we could help. I hope they get healthier and thrive.

[@ebradley2306]

I use homemade ollas to water plants in the veg garden. Will be putting one in with the blueberries.

[@lengraziani7533]

I grew blueberries in wicking tubs last year (gardening with Leon on KZbin). I followed his directions and they did beautifully. I left them out all year and I’m in zone 7B. They produced a lot of blueberries this year for the size of the plants.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Leon is great. I haven’t tried his wicking tubs yet but will in the future.

[@Kybossls]

Len, great to see Leon mentioned, this year I have 10 blueberries in his wicking tubs. I’ve had 10 in the ground for years, looking forward to seeing how the new ones will do. Ken in Central KY. This was a good video on mistakes on blueberries

[@ronweldon5892]

Last year I planted 6 blueberry bushes by the tag on them. They didn't grow all year. I did a bunch of research on them and early this spring before they got their leaves I transplanted all of them. I did use Canadian sphagnum peat, and also tested the soil first which was a 6.0. So when planted I raised them closer to the surface, dug a hole about a foot to 14" deep, put the peat in there, little pine bark mulch and then mixed the mulch in with the sandy (added) soil and lightly covered the roots patting the soil down by hand. Well low and behold 3 months later they are thriving, covered in dozens and dozens of berries and already grew at least 5" in some branches. They really took off like a dandelion. My sister came over yesterday and asked if they are the same bushes as last year. She couldn't believe it. I went out at the beginning of April and got 2 more so I now have 8. I built cages around them and covered the tops all with a ½" hardware cloth to keep the birds and rabbits off them to give them a chance to become well established and not ripped apart by the wildlife. I use 10" tent stakes to keep them secure so even the raccoons, possums, and skunks can't eat them but easy enough for me to remove to pick the berries when the time comes. Right now it's the second week of May and they are all literally covered in the early berry stage. I forgot to mention I have 3" of pine bark mulch around them, not touching the trunk, and water them every day so all the berries can suck up the water. I am a newbee at this entering my second season and researched all winter the best methods of planting and naintaining. Your video is spot on! Thank you for posting this as it will definitely help others. I learned all my blueberry knowledge on youtube. Definitely the most important thing ever is to test your soil or send it out to be tested if you don't know how. The tag on my blueberry bushes said to dig a hole twice as deep as the pot and put peat on the bottom, that's it. Never mentioned anything else which is why I dug them up and replanted them all. So glad I did

[@CountryLivingExperience]

So glad our video was helpful!

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

Thx for your comment. Aways interesting to hear about early abundant berries and what methods were used.

[@jcmc8220]

Protection for rabbits during winter is needed in Finland (these starving f#k€£$ will eat bark like it's Cheerios 😂)

[@joyfulparadise]

This video was extremely helpful. I appreciate it.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@privatedata665]

We have lots of wild blueberries here in NE Pennsylvania . Nursery grown plants need special attention to thrive though . We acidify twice a year and also cut back the grass around the bushes to the drip line. We have large harvests of blueberries from smaller bushes . Strangely the blizzard of 2020 crushed one of our bushes and after that for 2 years it made no berries . It has grown substantially larger now than the other bushes and produces large amounts of berries .

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Two methods of watering: 1) a very LARGE GLASS container with a small neck and opening. 1 gal or close to it. Fill with water, invert, and shove into the ground. If your plants are in the ground, get a 5 gallon water jug (the commercial blue ones you can get refilled). Toss in two ORANGE ping balls. Fill with water, invert, and shove into the ground about 1 foot away from the plant. Make sure the jug opening is not plugged with dirt. Initial use may require refilling the bottle every day or three but once the ground swells, usually lasts about a week. I do this with a rose bush with excellent results (one mature rose bush can use 5 gal of water a day in the hot summer). *Ping balls let you see the water level at a distance.* Green or white can aid in algae creation. Orange doesn't seem to have that problem. As soil dries out, it lets air into the glass bottle and water out of the bottle. Same with the heavy plastic commercial 5 gal bottles as well. Avoid the cheap 5 gal plastic water bottles they sell on the shelf. Thin plastic bottles will collapse and not create the required vacuum to draw the air in and let water out. 2) Get two laundry baskets from dollar store (round ones). Invert one, cover with weed block or window screen. Invert the 2nd one and place over the first one. Turn the set right side up and trim off excess. Get a NEW oil change pan from wallyworld. Place the laundry basket set into that pan. Fill baskets with desired soil and your plant. After initial watering a few times so the plant gets started, only water from below. This is a combination of air pot pruning and subirrigation. Your shallow rooted blueberry plant won't have wet feet and still get all the air to the roots and water it wants. You can even put in some fertilizer if desired. This will require extra water due to evaporation. Another advantage is that due to evaporation, your root zone will be cooler (think swamp cooler in a way). Additionally, you won't get as much if any root killing due to sun overheating the side of the container. Baskets last about 2-3 years before becoming brittle and breaking. But for a few bucks, it is dirt cheap to replace. Do not put gravel in any blueberry container! Or any container that uses subirrigation. This works pretty well with cucumbers and tomatoes too. Both above methods do require manually refilling from time to time. About using tap water - True that most tap/well water is pretty hard water. Also most tap water contains chlorine/chloramine. Acsorbic Acid is required to neutralize the chlorine/chloramine. You can adjust the pH by adding vinegar into that bottle. Of course rain water is great except it too has issues. You can get wild swings in pH with rain water. Suggestion: Take a 2" schedule 40 PVC drain pipe. Cut to 3 feet long. Bottom 1 foot you drill 3/8 to 1/2 in holes through it, from the bottom to 10 inches up. 'X' pattern, with spacing between hole rows about 1/2 to 3/4 inch. You want those holes 2" below soil surface! Use a bulb drilling bit, drill a hole in the ground about a foot away from any plant roughly and 1 foot deep. Place pipe, holes down. into the hole you made in the ground. Use your water hose to water that way. Heavy soil will require multiple waterings each day until the ground gets loosened up. Of course, you will have to guess as to how much and how often you water that way. You will find out soon enough. And it is an effective way to subirrigate to a degree.

[@buumi3]

Thanks. We just started with blueberries. Taking your advice. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@TheTrock121]

Very good information. I've been trying to grow Blueberries for 3 years and kept losing bushes during the early Spring rains. This year I switched that poorly draining bed to Elderberries and moved the blueberries to the Chicken Yard. I had to cage them to keep the Chickens at bay, but they are doing better.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful and glad yours are doing better.

[@paulsalmond5519]

Thank you, great information. We also get dry summers, so good to know about the amount of watering required.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful!

[@beverlypatterson]

Great information! This is my first year I planted five same type but I planted five in 2022 in Fall. I did put pine mulch around them plus I used ground up brown leaves and recycle coffee grounds for more acidity for the soil. Hopefully I will see what will happen in the Spring of the growing season of 2023. Happy Growing!!!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome! Hope you get a abundant crop this year.

[@kennethperral1163]

I already tried applying common sulfur powder and it was a bad result. Really glad my 2 blueberries were saved after I changed their soil (perlite, sphagnum peat moss, fine and medium size pine barks). After that I no longer use any ph meter and acidifier.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

A good rule I normally like to follow is planting everything with the roots a little higher than the ground. I have even planted plums on hills bc I have red clay in some areas of my property.

[@NMW80]

Spot on same here I have clay soil 🤦🏻‍♀️ so I’m doing the same thing. All trees grown on mounds of good draining soil. I grow my bb n other berries in pots though cos I don’t think they would do well in ground here. Tried to grow strawberries here in ground and no good they all died eventually.

[@NMW80]

How are your blueberry’s going in ground? How high do you have your mounds? I might try them in ground too. Why not it’s worth a go I guess as long as I raise them up with lots of mulch it should be ok.

[@lindalu8565]

Breat video and advice. Easy to understand. Really helped me with my watering question. I am not over wwtering...whew!

[@frankenz66]

I appreciated the amount of freed up time deep mulching brought. About 8-10 hrs a week for a few dozen plants to weed. Weeds and grass will easily outcompete your blueberries otherwise. Maybe pine needles don't contribute to acidity, but in tandem with heavy amounts of pine bark it may help. Needles rot pretty fast but bark not so much.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@frankenz66]

@@CountryLivingExperience Pine bark is the main go-to for mulch in their commercial blueberry industry in the state of Georgia.

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

Thanks for the clear, concise info. I'm in western Oregon where blueberries are tend to thrive and I, by chance, didn't make those mistakes you listed when I planted a couple of bushes 10 years ago. I get berries but my plants should be bigger, probably because I got lazy about watering them through the years and I haven't mulched consistently or ever pruned them, there too close together, and one of them has an old (beautiful) floribunda rose intertwined with it (long story) that I'd like to save somehow. Two things I'd like to hear your thoughts on are how much/how long sunlight and pruning. Nice to see those shots of your beautiful property.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I never really prune mine except for dead or diseased wood. Mine are in direct sunlight about 6 hours a day in the summer.

[@jeffreyverry8467]

Great Video. Thank you.. I live in upstate NY. I have 12 plants going in

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@phillyhippie]

I'm in zone 7b where can i find those mineral tub cake farmers use? I want to plant my blueberry in there. I have top hat and sweetheart blueberry in terracotta. The SH grew so fast in the first summer

[@CountryLivingExperience]

A friend of mine found them at a local cattle farm. I think the guy sold them go $3 each

[@vokez5297]

Also use Chicken manure for acidity if you have access to it as its a perfect natural solution, use large building trugs, mulch with a thick layer of bark if you dont want to grow it in the ground. When taking cuttings just plant them alongside the mother plant with a bit of rooting powder and then split once established.

[@bigwheelsturning]

I have my bushes in cut off 55 gallon plastic barrels. But I drilled holes all around the barrel about 4" off the bottom. That way the bushes can tap into more water if they need it. I only water them about once a week here in the Seattle area (only one rain in 60 days) and they are nice and green. Need to add some acid fertilizer to them this fall.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

I have been planting blueberries for years, and killing them every year LOL i hope this helps when i next buy some lol

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I hope you can grow them this year.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

@@CountryLivingExperience one day! I was the same with carrots for ever! However that was much cheaper lol

[@wildbackyardsoaps]

I miss Michigan blueberries, too!! We live in the Black Hills, SD. Blueberries just don't seem to do well for us so we are trying honeyberries and serviceberries. I have 4 Blueberries that we planted 2 yrs ago and they haven't done much. I'll try your tips!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Isn't the soil very alkaline up there?

[@wildbackyardsoaps]

@CountryLivingExperience YES 🙄 So I am trying to stop fighting nature and try something else.

[@jeanettevorster9293]

I do thank you. As I have bought my first Blueberry bush.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Wonderful!

[@LoreDeluge]

I did the blueberry mistake of not watering enough while in the pot. I lost one and not the other. Well, the whole thing died but I got it to come back with putting the pot in a bucket and letting the 2nd bucket keep water in it all the time. It went from a beautiful little bush to one steam, but it came back. Now, a year later, it never over heated. Also moved it where it was in the shade all day expected in the evening. Now to get more. I am in the same zone as you.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is a cool solution.

[@DeanFamilyAcres]

Great tips! Best way to revive a dried out plant is to soak the entire pot in a bucket of water for 12-24 hrs and then put it in a shadier spot.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thanks

[@DanaZimmerman-eq1jy]

Would it be beneficial to add some sand to the soil to help retain water? Also what is the best way to create good drainage? Thank you! Dana

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sand would assist with drainage. Compost will assist with water retention.

[@HablemosDelHuerto]

Great advise. Taken

[@UWish0430]

Good video. I wish you had made some comments about lighting needs as well. I know most blueberries prefer full sun but just curious of success in shaded areas also.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

A friend has a blueberry farm. His are partially shaded within a stand of tall pine trees. His grow amazingly well. I am not sure of their variety though.

[@susiemeade6404]

I'm in Michigan wish I was in Texas. 😊

[@mindavazquez3827]

Can you show how you transplant your blueberry bushes i made the mistake of planting them in a place that got to shaded

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I don't have any to plant right now

[@patrickboatsman1681]

I use coffee grounds and peat moss on mine (here in western Washington), my bushes thrive on this mix with plenty of water.

[@lindabirmingham603]

I live in SW SC and the nursery told me not to use peat moss when I planted my blueberry bushes because our soil is already acidic. The bushes were slow to grow and I sent a soil sample for testing. The nursery was wrong! The pH came back at 7.0. I was told by Clemson University how much sulfur to use and then to retest in 6 months. They said to gradually decrease the pH. Had I to do it over, I would have tested the soil first.

[@Whatisalex]

I have 2 bushes in pots for about 4 years now and a rabbit has dug out a home underneath through the large drainage hole. 😅 I don’t have the heart to force it out. Bought another bush today so hopefully I can get some blueberries. I have a border collie as well (saw yours in the background) but he doesnt seem to mind the visitor 😂

[@lindag9975]

Thanks! In my state, we have zones between 5 and 10. Quite a few, but Arizona State University in Phoenix does publish information for the Phoenix area.

[@dalerohling5989]

Good advice, I’ve been growing blues for a couple years using a weed barrier, auto watering, deer fence, and bird netting so whatever grows I’ll be eating, not the critters.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@crunchynugget8306]

Thank you for the info! Question on potted blueberries... you mention they love water, so when watering how often do I add acidifier to the water? (That is how I am keeping the soil acidic is putting a water soluable acidic fertilizer on them).

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. I only add acidifier to the soil once every 6 months.

[@ReaghNetwork]

Good job on the video, sir appreciate all the blueberry info. Jist started our first greenhouse project here in East Texas as well. Shout out from Diana Texas.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome and thank you

[@LucieMartins-ht9jf]

Thank you for the information , other videos never mentioned about the plant depth. Have a blessed day.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@CW0688]

When do you know when to pick the blueberries off the bush?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

When they are ripe

[@wild7103]

Planting blueberries in 15 gal pot with 1-2 inches of gravel in the bottom and a sealed bottom so when it's hot the over water that collects in the bottom evaporates and waters for you during extreme heat the only problem watering this way Is it's easy to over water in winter

[@dejohnmurray3032]

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH THIS WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@aljowid4486]

Great video. Thanks. We’re in the process of buying a blueberry farm in ne Texas and I’m pretty sure it’s the one with the older couple that you described in the video. The advice in this and your other videos will be a great help.

[@aljowid4486]

I also want to ask what varieties you have found to be the sweetest and best growing. Thanks.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Oh wow! That is cool. It has some great, well established blueberry bushes. They produce amazing berries.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I like Brightwells and Emerald.

[@aljowid4486]

Thanks for the info. We’re really looking forward to it. I’m also going to be using your video advice for solar, a greenhouse and several other things that I’m definitely going to need help with.

[@charlesrussell6201]

Here in the South, Zone 8, we use pine straw for all our mulching.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Same here

[@llllllllllilillii]

I wasn't paying ANY attention to what you were saying until you said MULCH then you earned all my respect. ALL fruits and vegetables should be mulched. ALL.

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Thank you for sharing this important information listening from Bangs Texas

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Johnson Hill Farm

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@literate-aside]

We've got good weather for blueberries in the UK, we're lucky to have great pollinators, rain in summer and gentler frosts. Blueberries do great in containers here, just mulch, keep the soil moist and tip; add in some John Innes no3 to your ecacious soil; more structure, holds water better. They also do better watered with rainwater, fed regularly when fruiting, and put your coffee grounds in the mulch, seriously.

[@joykelly567]

I have five blueberry bushes in zone 6. Only ONE :( produces a good harvest. The others (which are all different varieties) produce about one handful or none! I prepared the soil with peat (I don't know if it was Canadian or not). The blueberries don't really have any pests, which is nice, but the bushes are spindly & weak, their growth is anemic. Everything in the garden really appreciates a mulch. I use the pine needles that fall from my old pine tree--thank you, Mr Pine. I think I made the mistake planting too deep & not watering my blueberries when they were first planted--they survived, but they are mostly puny. They'll need to be replanted to see how they like that😊 I've used acidifier a couple of times but that didn't really make any difference.

[@isabelladavis1363]

Thank you for this valuable information…will give it a try this year and invest in plants…stay blessed

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@dodangvinh9959]

Thank you /from Vietnam

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@blackfam972]

I grow mine is a 25 gallon pot with peat moss and pine bark mixed in

[@conniemcneely574]

What is the best way to put up bird netting around blueberry bushes?

[@jjakes5589]

Use tomatoe stakes and bird netting from your usual outlets. Try and get it to the ground as black bird get in small gaps i have found. I only pop mine on each year just before the berries are ready so the nets get a few months in the sun, they will last a few seasons that way. I have mine against reatining walls so i put small hooks along it to attach the nets and i can easily unhook for access.

[@leeannem5665]

Helpful thank you. Bless you.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome!

[@thamilton5700]

Blueberry soil mixture and how long do i need it to sit before i plant them by the way you have the best video on blueberries

[@omaeve]

My aunt in North Carolina planted her highbush blueberries next to her creek. They are about 2 feet away from the edge and that helped them my first blueberry bush. I planted started dying within a few days. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so I decided it was in the wrong place and dug it up. It turned out ants have moved in and set up a nursery, so I wash the roots well to get all the ants out. I also planted them near the pine trees, which seems to help. I also dig up soil whenever wherever I want to plant them and take a sample to the agricultural testing in my town

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. Glad you figured out what was wrong with that blueberry.

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

I'm about to get my first bush end of the month. Thanks for the tips!

[@TheBBQKEEPER]

Thank you for information. Do you keep your berry bushes uncovered? How do you keep other animals/birds from eating your berries? What do you recommend?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

They are uncovered. I never have a problem with birds or other animals because I have cats and a dog. They keep everything away.

[@debbiehenri345]

I plant berries that animals and birds naturally love 'better' in one corner of my garden, which I deliberately leave quiet and rarely visit (except to attack the brambles during winter). Just look up the favourite foods of birds and animals in your area and put them all in one place. Especially good if you can find one that fruits the same time as the Blueberry. Birds and animals will clear up their favourites first, and by the time they have finished beating each other senseless over those, you could have picked most of your Blueberry harvest.

[@lokeshgaur3232]

Very beautifully explained in a clear cut simple way. 💐🌹💐👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍 I am from Northern India with hot summers (May to mid July) The gone winters I bought a low chilling Blueberry Variety Biloxi Plant online. A good height bushy plant. Mid Spring it started growing giving new off shoots. At this stage I repotted it as it was received in a small pot and lower leaves of the shoots had started drying up. I used a medium of good quality sphagnum peat moss, cocopeat, perlite and pine bark. The plant remained stable but didn't grow further. Now what I saw that the branches have started turning brown-black from tips in a die back fashion which I have already cut. The plant is still stable. Fearing over exposure to direct sunlight and hot environmental conditions which have commenced with the start of summers I have reshifted the plant to a comparatively shady cool place. The plant already has enough moisture and is not soggy. Anything ekse do I need to do, kindly guide as per your wide experience and expertise. Thanks.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. Glad it was helpful for you.

[@twigandroot]

there is some amazing information in this video! thank you for sharing

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marthadueck6461]

Thank you for the information especially the plant you had for 4 years. It looks like mine and I was wondering why it wasn’t growing.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@josieg.6268]

Thanks for all this information. North Central Texas here and have been doing extensive research on growing blueberry bushes. Happy accident is that I bought the Canadian sphagnum peet moss. 😅

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome. Happy accidents are good accidents.

[@ThatClaraGirl]

I read for North Texas that blueberry bushes don’t like our high sodium water city water! Do you think you’d do rain barrels for our crazy hot summers? I too am from N TX and trying to do heavy research on how to grow blueberries here!

[@josieg.6268]

​@@ThatClaraGirlI haven't read that before. Interesting. I'll need to look into it. Rain barrels are always a good idea for the garden.

[@shawnalbarghouthi4113]

I’m in San Antonio, and I was in the direction of making the mistake of not watering them enough. I also need to check the depth. Now, are we not talking about how high the soil level is on the trunks? Cause it feels like you were talking about the roots too. Finally, I dilute the left over of my espresso (the coffee grounds) and water them with it. I think this should help a great deal with the acidity. I drink a lot of coffee

[@destiny3423]

Thank you for the video and your advice. 👍Not knowing much about blueberries I have made my first mistake. I bought 2 blueberries plants and transplanted them in large pots in acidic soil. After a month they had grown double the size in Height. I felt very happy but I didn't care much for the shape of the bush. It was in May, they had no flowers so I decided to shape the bush by cutting the tall branches at the same height as the rest of the other branches. However, I found out later that those were the fruiting branches for this year. They did branch out very nicely all over again, but as far as fruit goes, this year I can only dream about it. 😥😪 Mistakes in the garden have consequences. 😂

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Oh no! Well, at least you learned from your mistake.

[@steveberkson3873]

I picked in Alaska temperate rainforest where the best bushes were in,near,or under spruce and hemlock trees,very acidic conditions ..yum 😉

[@mariaguild2024]

I have a little blueberry bush that I stuck in the ground as a little stick. last Jan..I was so excited to see it grow some leaves..its on a drip system, do you think its enough water, also can you add coffee grounds to make it more acidic?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

The drip system is good but you will need to adjust it per your plants needs. Yes, coffee grounds work well at acidification of soil. You have to work them into the soil though.

[@TheWisendorf]

You should mention that several amendments that you can use. To read the small print. I found it takes 6 months to a year before it made any difference at all. I went thru several of those little hand held testers . I personally do not think they work very well. You could make a whole you tube about that. I would love to hear what you think about it.I live in lower Michigan. I found a couple of varieties of blue berry that are less picky about the soil. and wouldn't you know it. Big growers lobby to get then banned in our state. 13 miles from here is Ohio line and magically they are ok to ship there. So find a nursery down there to buy them.

[@thecottageatwoodlandcorners]

I used to have no luck with blueberries. The last time, they did great. I literally potted them in straight peat moss, with zero mixing of anything else. They flourished.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Nice! I just avoid containers because of the watering.

[@GardenCollectiveWF]

I have 108 blueberry bushes! I still have 27 with Berries to pick as of an hour ago! Craziest part of it all is I established my orchard this year! I bought out 1 orchard of 3-4 yo bushes then bought out a nursery closing with another 60. It has been challenging! Maybe next video teach about fertilizer as it can be tricky! Now I plan to expand more do you have any recommendations on blueberry suppliers? I'm in Oklahoma and my family lives in East Texas which I worked on a blueberry farm at in summers small world!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Wow! That is a lot of blueberries! Bob Wells Nursery at Sorelle Farms in Minneola, TX has an amazing variety.

[@MsBizzyGurl]

Wow! Good for you!

[@oceanocean1059]

What's the best organic fertilizer for them in pots

[@theplatypen1959]

Best variety in my opinion is the pink lemonade. Tastes like a blueberry and strawberry mix

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool