blueberries

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Blueberry Varieties available

Bluecrop - Introduced in 1952. Highbush; midseason. Standards of excellence. Bluecrop is a leading commercial variety. Medium to large, open clusters of large, firm crack resistant, light blue fruit. High quality fruit with good subacid flavor. Bluecrop is a good for fresh eating, preserves, baking and freezing. Vigorous, upright growth, will reach 4-6 feet at maturity. Slender light red canes. Tends to overbear unless properly pruned. Bluecrop will grow well in most areas. (Zone 4-7)
Bluejay - Early Midseason. This extremely vigorous variety will grow almost twice as fast as most other blueberries. Bluejay features ample crops the medium size, mild flavored berries that will stay on the bush for long periods without loss of fruit quality. Bluejay is the large bush, growing 6-7 feet tall with light green summer foliage, yellow-orange leaves in the fall, and bright yellow winter wood color. (Zone 4-7)
EarliBlue - Introduced from the New Jersy Agricultural Experiment Station in 1952. High bush; early season. First to ripen. Medium size, long loose, cluster of large, firm, light blues berries. Excellent sweet and mild flavor. Vigorous, errect bush with bright red wood will grow 5 - 6 feet tall at maturity. Machine harvests well. Avoid poorly drained soil. (Zone 5-7)
Earlyray - Introduced from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in 1955. High bush; early midseason. This variety is an old favorite. Small, tight clusters of large, medium blue fruit. Soft, firm skin of Blueray resists cracking. Excellent quality berries with a sweet, slightly tart, aromactic flavor. Vigorous and very productive, this bush will grow 4 - 6 feet tall at maturity. Bright red wood in the winter. Tight clusters may discourage machine picking. (Zones 4-7)
Darrow - Late. Darrow boast the second largest berries of all blueberry cultivars with some fruit actually reaching half-dollar size. Tee fruit is slightly flat, light blue, with a delightful tart flavor. The bush is quite vigorous, reaching 5-6 feet at maturity. Darrow does not produce as heavily in the colder zones as it does in milder areas but the "blue ribbon" sized berries are worth the reduced yields. (Zone 5-7)
Duke - Highbush; early season. Medium to large light blue berries. Mildly tart flavor. The Duke berry is very firm and retains its fresh quality longer than most other varieties. Blooms late but ripens early, protecting blossoms from late frosts. Heavy, consistent producer. Upright growth but branches will droop to the ground when laden with fruit. Yellow-orange foliage in the fall. (Zone 4-7).

Planting and Care Tips:

Cultural Requirements - Blueberries prefer an acid, well drained soil. Thier shallow, compact root system makes regular irrigation a necessity. Mulching has proved beneficial on soils which are not ideal for blueberry growing. Fir sawdust or bark dust, applied to a depth of two to four inches, eliminates much of the need for cultivation and conservers moisture.

Fertility - For well balanced mineral soils with sawdust mulch not less than four inches deep, and application of 1/4 pound of Ammonium Sulfate per plant per year is ideal. It should be applied in early spring on the surface of the mulch in a broad ring around the plant. The size of the plant in not important. On organic soils without a mulch, the addition of Phosphorus or Potassium or both may be more important than the addition of Nitrogen. Complete fertilizers, such as 5-10-10, are recommended for these soils.

Planting Instructions - Blueberries ultimately reach a height of six feet or more with a four foot spread or more. Therefore, the rows should be at least eight feet apart while no two plants should be closer than six feet, unless a dense hedge is desired. The top of the root clump should be close to the surface if a mulch is used, or about four inches deep without mulch.

Fruit production - The early varieties begin ripening in June, and the late varieties in early August. When planting two or three year old plants, the blossoms can be removed for a year or two to promote vegetative growth. Blueberries tend to over-bear rather than under-bear. Thinning of the blossoms will promote larger fruit and a healthier bush.

Pruning - After the plant has established itself, one may remove old tired wood that is loaded with too many fruit buds and too few leaf buds. Some of the thrifty vegetative wood may be removed to prevent the plant from becoming too sprawling or too high. Blueberries become sweeter as they hang on the bush. The only possible reason to pick early, (as they turn blue), is to escape predatory birds. Home gardeners often protect their plants form birds with nets. A large plant may have 15 to 20 pounds of fruit and is worth protecting.