My initial (wrong) impression was that growing blueberries was more work than they were worth, and I never tried to grow them before this year because I didn't want the bother of figuring out how to acidify the soil, and buy yet another fertilizer for just one kind of fruit.
That said, my partner loves blueberries and we are enjoying the feeling that we can grow just about anything we want in the garden. Blueberries are pretty expensive to buy on a regular basis so, eh, why not? Around his birthday, I got him a Sunshine Blue Dwarf plant and left it for him as sort of the equivalent of a birthday bouquet of flowers for a man. It's done very well in its one gallon pot of whatever soil it came with, but now it's gotten very root-bound and I'm planning to pot it up soon. I'm reluctant to splurge on potting mixes and fertilizers just for one or two plants so I was wondering if I could MacGyver up a good potting soil and fertilizer with what I already have. I have four questions, would appreciate any advice you can offer. Again, my preference is to see if I can use what I already have. It's already kind of ridiculous how much space the existing gardening stuff is taking up.
1. For up-potting, can anyone recommend a good acidic potting recipe, preferably based on materials I already have (below)?
I have peat, perlite, ProMix HP potting mix, OSH potting soil, compost, dolomite (probably not needing this), and assorted mulches. I've read that adding vinegar to the water can help, and adding peat to anything will help to acidify the soil.
2. The plant is fruiting now, is it risky to up-pot now or should I wait until it's gone dormant?
3. For fertilizer, I have Osmocote, Floralicious Plus, orchid food, 14-0-0, and a few others. Are any of these acceptable and how often should I fertilize?
4. I've read on this forum that having another variety to cross-pollinate would be beneficial. I'm thinking about getting this first plant a friend. Based on the ripening chart, I see that Emerald, Jubilee, and Southmoon have similar fruiting periods in the low-chill selection. I live in zone 8b, so I'm thinking this is probably what I'm looking for. Anyone have a particular recommendation among these?
Many thanks!
That said, my partner loves blueberries and we are enjoying the feeling that we can grow just about anything we want in the garden. Blueberries are pretty expensive to buy on a regular basis so, eh, why not? Around his birthday, I got him a Sunshine Blue Dwarf plant and left it for him as sort of the equivalent of a birthday bouquet of flowers for a man. It's done very well in its one gallon pot of whatever soil it came with, but now it's gotten very root-bound and I'm planning to pot it up soon. I'm reluctant to splurge on potting mixes and fertilizers just for one or two plants so I was wondering if I could MacGyver up a good potting soil and fertilizer with what I already have. I have four questions, would appreciate any advice you can offer. Again, my preference is to see if I can use what I already have. It's already kind of ridiculous how much space the existing gardening stuff is taking up.
1. For up-potting, can anyone recommend a good acidic potting recipe, preferably based on materials I already have (below)?
I have peat, perlite, ProMix HP potting mix, OSH potting soil, compost, dolomite (probably not needing this), and assorted mulches. I've read that adding vinegar to the water can help, and adding peat to anything will help to acidify the soil.
2. The plant is fruiting now, is it risky to up-pot now or should I wait until it's gone dormant?
3. For fertilizer, I have Osmocote, Floralicious Plus, orchid food, 14-0-0, and a few others. Are any of these acceptable and how often should I fertilize?
4. I've read on this forum that having another variety to cross-pollinate would be beneficial. I'm thinking about getting this first plant a friend. Based on the ripening chart, I see that Emerald, Jubilee, and Southmoon have similar fruiting periods in the low-chill selection. I live in zone 8b, so I'm thinking this is probably what I'm looking for. Anyone have a particular recommendation among these?
Many thanks!
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