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Blueberry growing advice.

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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Good luck!
    Let us know how it goes :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    To start with, three Bluecrop cuttings taken with different mixes of compost, grit, etc. I've put them out of direct sunlight so they don't fry in their temporary recycled greenhouses. I'll keep you posted :)

     
    East Lancs
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Fingers X'ed :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    Just an update on the attempted propagation - complete failure! Will keep trying though.

    On the harvest front, the 3 plants have all done well, but the Aurora (that produced a single berry last year) has borne as much as the Draper and Bluecrop combined this year. With a few more still to come :)

    I haven't used any netting either - the Draper, in particular hides most of the fruit under the 'canopy'. The location next to the back door seems to be relatively bird-free.

    Very happy with the end result. Many thanks for all the advice last year, folks.









    East Lancs
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    A shame your cuttings didn't take, but worth persevering with.
    Did you use ericaceous compost for the cuttings?

    Your plants look very healthy!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    Very pleased with how they coped with the record temps, in particular @Pete.8 - didn't bat an eyelid!

    Yes - same treatment. I suspect they got too much rainwater and rotted. I've got cuttings in different places with different conditions (light/moisture/shelter) to see if I can crack it.
    East Lancs
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    'too much rainwater' - that's not a phrase I've heard in a while :)
    Good luck with the next lot.
    Let us know how it goes and once you've cracked it I'll have a go :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    That was mainly over the winter :D 
    East Lancs
  • Ours are planted in heavy clay, not sure if acidic or not. The foliage often looks terrible, with almost no leaves on the plant sometimes, especially the last few months, but we got a fantastic harvest from our 2 plants this year and last year.

    We stick to always watering with rain water, and mulch in Spring with ericaceous compost. They are clearly not completely happy, but sufficiently comfortable to survive and give us a crop. 

    We did try them in pots/troughs a few years ago, and despite them having 100% ericaceous soil (and zero clay), and only rainwater, they eventually died.
  •  there's a lot of useful information on the Trehane nursery website. Trehane were the first company to import and grow blueberries - they are experts in ericaceous plants so this was a natural progression. 

    I can't find any info on their site, I've either missed it or they've taken it down and replaced it with the book.
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