[MotleySu]

Hi folks, I'm having a go at growing blueberries in Edinburgh.  So far, the plant looks really good, it's grown quite a bit since I put it in last year and is quite verdant.  What worries me is that it has flowered, the flowers have dropped and the ovaries (future fruits) remain but have been static for 2-3 weeks now - no sign of swelling at all, am I just being impatient? The RHS says mid-summer fruiting time so granted it is early, but they just seem to have been sitting there doing nothing for quite a while now.

Here's a a bit of background if that helps.  I put the plant in last spring, only one, though it's on an allotment site so I'm hoping it'll either self or be pollenated by others from the surrounding plots.  It's planted in a large sunken bag of ericaceous compost that I punctured, so I guess I worry a bit that it's not getting enough water from the surrounding soil, as the circumference of the bag is now probably the same or smaller than the rain shadow created by the foliage. I didn't let it flower last season - I rubbed out all the flower buds so it could put down good roots.  I've fed it with comfrey liquid feed, is this OK? 

Sorry for the ramble, I wanted to make sure I gave as much info as possible! Any thoughts appreciated! 

[JayG]

Yours are clearly an early variety, especially living where you do, but all varieties have one thing in common - the fruits take literally months rather than weeks to swell and ripen.

Hopefully you have been lucky with the cross-pollination with other neighbouring blueberries and have therefore got a good fruit set - it's just patience you need now (and netting to keep the blackbirds off when they start to ripen!)

Not sure about comfrey as a fertiliser so will be perfectly happy to be contradicted  - it does contain calcium so might not be ideal; an ericaceous fertiliser would be a safer option.

[MotleySu]

This is exactly what I was looking for JayG, thanks!  I'll have to find something to do to stop me checking on them every hour.    Can't wait till they're ready!

[Agatha]

You must have a VERY early variety - mine are only just starting to flower.  Pollination/fruit set will be greatly improved if you have another blueberry - be worth keeping an eye out for bargains as garden centres often sell them off cheap if they start looking a bit 'tired'.  Also, you can never have too many blueberries...I started off with one bush & currently have 6.  They're addictive.

The fruit does tend to sit there for ages not doing much & then just when you've decided nothing's going to happen, these enormous blue berries suddenly 'appear'! 

Agree with JayG that an ericaceous feed would be better.  Be careful the soil doesn't dry out - I lost 2 bushes that way. 

[MotleySu]

You must have a VERY early variety - mine are only just starting to flower. 

Yes, it seems so? I hope it's not because it's stressed 

I'm always on the hunt for more! B&Q has ONE that gets scabbier every week I look and they haven't reduced it AT ALL  Oh well  .  Any tips on good spots for cheap bushes? Can't remember the variety of mine, but it'd have to have a similar flowering time, maybe I could get two later ones to spread the harvest out?  Oop....there I go!

[Agatha]

Seen some very cheap in Homebase, though they would take a couple of years to crop well.  Alternatively, try some of the mail order companies - they often do blueberry 'collections' of 3 or 4 different types which are cheaper than buying individual plants.  3 of mine were 'top hat', bought as a special offer in the paper, but they did take an awful lot of tlc before they produced any fruit & I lost one in the first winter.

[realfood]

In Glasgow, I would expect to be picking ripe blueberries late July or August.

[Bing]

Not sure about comfrey as a fertiliser so will be perfectly happy to be contradicted  - it does contain calcium so might not be ideal; an ericaceous fertiliser would be a safer option.

I just use two big pot growing two plants, I used ericaceous compost and rotted manure. wondering what other home made 'ericaceous fertiliser' I can give to them? apple peels? orange skin? apple core?

anyone has a good idea?

[gazza975526570]

i can get unlimited coffee so that is now thrown at the base - no idea if it provides any benefit to them though!!!