[Lardman]

About 5 years back when I thought my soil was acidic I put 5 blueberry bushes in one of the beds, since then I've found the soil is actually alkaline.    I've been watering the bed was acidic feed, scattering sulphur chips / powder and mulching with conifer clippings. The plants are 4' high and fairly productive - but it's a labour intensive job and things are getting a bit crowded in the 8x4' bed.

It is worth over 2 years (this year and next) moving the bushes from the bed into large containers / pots filled with ericaceous compost.  Would the boot from the more suitable growing medium balance the fact they were pot based.  Does anyone successfully (a goodly amount of fruit ) grow in pots.

[mikem]

I have four blueberry bushes in pots.  They are about 3/4 feet high, last year I picked four 2 litre ice-cream containers full.  I have an old plastic greenhouse structure that I put netting over so stop the birds eating them.  I am not sure if this is "a goodly amount of fruit" but it is more than I can get through despite putting some into my porridge!

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

Mikem-how large are your pots? I got a blueberry plant for Christmas that needs potting on. Thanks!

[mikem]

Mikem-how large are your pots? I got a blueberry plant for Christmas that needs potting on. Thanks!

From memory I got 2 from BNQ and 2 from L_DL about 4/5 years ago.  Very small at that time but I potted them up into 9/10 inch pots.  Potted them on and they are now in about 18 inch pots, could measure them but it is too dark!  Normally water them with rain water although, to be honest, sometimes I use tap water.  I did use ericaceous compost and fed them once or twice last year with liquid ericaceous fertiliser.  Apart from that they get left pretty much to themselves.

[stevejohnson53]

Here is a pot size guide for blueberries I hope it is of use to someone

Blueberry pot sizes.

A typical 1 year old 30cm high plant will need a 1l pot and then transferring to a 5L pot for 2nd year then a 20L pot for the 3rd year and a 40l pot thereafter, so a very large pot is required after the first 2-3 years.


Steve

[mikem]

Not being good on what a litre is the following site is helpful, only recommending it for information and not for quality although they may be fine.

http://www.thegardensuperstore.co.uk/acatalog/Plant-Pot-Dimensions.html

[BabbyAnn]

when I moved my 2-3 year bushes from the garden (not a good place to plant I realised too late) to the allotment, I was staggered by the spread of the roots.  Fairly shallow rooted but about 3 feet wide (mix of fibrous + chunky root)  So when considering pot sizes and volumes, it might be worth thinking about how the roots grow and go from there.

[Lardman]

I've been over to the local shed and grabbed some 50cm planters and some compost, bit cross with myself for forgetting the slow release feed  but that's old age for you.  Must remember to put some BFB and some water retaining crystals in there too.

I might as well use it as chance to cut out some of the old wood, I was reading yesterday that 2 year old gives the best fruit, I've never pruned these 

edit
Im convinced it was the right thing to do now. I've just lifted 2 of the blushes to find no roots at all outside of the original compost ball. Made the job nice and easy but couldn't have been good for the bushes all these years    I've removed the really old wood, the low growing stuff and given them both a good soaking in rain water.  Job jobbed 

[sunshineband]

If it helps you to know this, I have four bushes 75cm or so tall and five/six years old growing in pots and they give us more fruit than those at the plot growing in the ground, which are only one year younger. I do al the messing about with them you mention and it is a bit of a labour of love really.

I am sure yours will thrive in their pots Lardman and a bit of pruning out of old wood will not do any harm either.