Welcome to my Food Forest where I grow an number of fruits in the Bee Better Teaching Garden. Information in this fruit series is based on knowledge I’ve gained growing in hardiness zone 7b, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Helen Yoest
Kind: Rabbiteye
Latin Name: Vaccinium ashei
Common Name: Blueberry
Type: Deciduous shrub
Height: 15 feet
Spread: 10 feet
Pollination: Many blueberry species are considered self-fertile, yet all blueberry bushes benefit from cross-pollination, producing larger and more flavorful harvests.
Successful cross-pollination requires pollination partners to share the same bloom period or have overlapping bloom periods.
‘Tifblue’ makes a good pollinator for other rabbiteye varieties because it blooms for an extended period, from mid to late season. ‘Bluebelle’ and ‘Southland’ are both midseason blueberries. "Powderblue" is a mid-season flower pollinator.
To ensure bees carry pollen from one bush to another, space blueberry bushes within 5 feet of each other.
Fruit Health Benefits: Edible, providing fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and phytonutrient content in blueberries supports heart health. The absence of cholesterol from blueberries is also beneficial to the heart. Fiber content helps to reduce the total amount of cholesterol in the blood and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Wildlife Benefits: Bees pollinate; birds feed; and foliage is a host plant for the Brown Elfin butterfly, Callophrys augustinus.
Origin of species: Native to the East coast of the United States.
Cultivars:
Early season
‘Climax’—Large, medium-dark blue and good flavor. A relatively new early ripening rabbiteye blueberry. Most of the fruit ripens in a short period of time. The crop load is moderate to high.
‘Premier’ —Large berries with good flavor. Vigorous and productive shrubs.
‘Titan’ —Largest berries
Mid-season
‘Powderblue’—Disease-resistant, and productive, similar to Tifblue but more leafy plant, holds up to rainy periods better
‘Tifblue’—Large, round, light blue, sweet, very firm, stays good on the plant for days (if the birds don’t get to them first!) Most productive of all rabbiteye varieties. ‘Tifblue’ is the most productive and outstanding rabbiteye blueberry grown to date. The bush is vigorous and very productive. ‘Tifblue’ is more cold hardy than other rabbiteye blueberries varieties. Bee Better Naturally recommends it as the predominant variety in any planting.
Late season
There are late season cultivars, but at this time, I’m not personally growing any of them.
Culture Information:
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet. Deep sandy soils require drip irrigation. Heavy clay soils need to be amended with organic matter.
Zone: 7to 9
Years to bear fruit: 2nd year
Harvest Time: Depending on cultivar. Early summer through July. Rabbiteye blueberries are a non-climacteric fruit, meaning once harvested, the berries never ripen further. Pick once the fruit is fully ripened. The fruit of most varieties will ripen over a 4 to 6 week period. Once the berries begin to ripen, they should be picked every 5 to 7 days. A mature bush can produce 15 lbs of berries.
Propagation: Coming soon!
Care:
Plant: Test to soil for pH confirmation. Amend accordingly. See pH above. Plant in mid-fall to give plants time to adjust during the dormant season. Blueberry plants feeder roots are very close to the surface and do not have root hairs; therefore, good soil moisture management and heavy mulches will be needed. Dig hole 2x the width of the nursery pot, and no deeper than level with the growing point in the pot. Blueberries can also be planted higher with a heavy application of organic mulch surrounding it.
Fertilizer/pH: Rabbiteye blueberries require a pH of 4.0 to 5.0 for good plant growth. It’s important to do a soil test if your shrub isn’t productive. To adjust the soil’s pH, use only ammonium sulfate or special azalea or camellia fertilizers, such as organic Osmocote. Apply fertilizer frequently during the productive season in very small applications rather than one heavy application.
Apply 1 oz. of ammonium sulfate the second year. The rate can then be increased 1 oz. per year but shouldn't exceed 1/2 lb per plant. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly around the plant before applying mulch in late winter.
Mulch: Mulch is very important for growing blueberries. It is required for acidifying and cooling the soil, conserving soil mositure, and controlling weeds.
Provide a deep mulch (approximately 3 to 4 inches deep) and extend it at least 2 feet from the crown of the plant. This is extremely important the first 2 years while the plants are establishing. Various organic materials such as pine straw, pine bark, leaves and grass clippings can be used.
Groom/Prune: Pruning blueberry bushes each year will keep plants shorter, healthier, and more productive. Remove all flower buds and cut stems back by 50% the first year plants are set out. We know this sounds strange, but we learned it the hard way. In doing so, this will allow plants to direct energy into root and stem growth, resulting in healthier, more productive plants in future years.
Keep 2-3 year old plants healthy by removing any broken, diseased, crossing or spindly growth.
Once plants reach 4-5 years old, prune each winter by removing out 3 to 4 of the largest, oldest canes; as well as crossing, diseased, and low hanging branches. Prune after the plants have shed their leaves but before flower buds begin to open December through March.
Pest/disease Control: No major pests. And no, birds feeding in your home garden are NOT pests!
Comments:
Because of the pH requirements, it’s most convenient to grow blueberries in a bed together.
Bee Better Naturally DOES NOT recommend covering blueberry shrubs with bird netting. Yes, the birds will enjoy your blueberries as much as you do. Plant extra for the birds, but if you really want to keep as much of your harvest as you can, consider building a Fruit House! Add PHOTO
Example of a Fruit House to protect blueberries from birds feeding on your harvest.
Along our Eastern coast, there are Rabbiteyes, as discussed here, and in colder climates, there are also lowbush and highbush varieties. Did you know rabbiteyes are named such because supposedly, the berries turn pink before turning blue, reminiscent of the eye color of a white rabbit. Now that’s creative. But when it came to creativity, it was lost on highbush and lowbush varieties. They are named highbush, because they are higher/taller than the lowbush. BTW, rabbiteyes are taller than both high and lowbush. Great conversation at your next party where blueberries are discussed. What? Blueberries are never brought up! Now is your chance to change the conversation!!!
Highbush blueberries, V. corymbosum are found in the wild in northeastern North America.
Lowbush blueberries, V. angustifolium, grow in cooler climates, commonly known as the wild lowbush blueberry, is a species of blueberry native to eastern and central Canada (from Manitoba to Newfoundland) and the northeastern United States, growing as far south as the Great Smoky Mountains and west to the Great Lakes region.
Naturally, Helen