[little sweetpeas]

At what age is it best to buy blueberry plants.
I have found some that are 2 years old with an average height of 30 - 40 cm's.

In another garden centre they have ones in 5l pots which are very bushy and almost 2ft tall. I'm assuming these must be much older.

So my question is am I better buying younger plants for less money but then wait longer for a crop or by fewer but larger crops that produce a harvest quickly.

[Trillium]

It's really a personal and financial choice. The smaller plants will adapt more quickly in your particular soil and will be cheaper. The larger plants will yield a bigger harvest sooner but their roots might not adapt as well to your soil and diminish over the years with their higher cost. Either size can be put into large pots if you prefer and the soil kept acidic with various suitable amendments.

[Dominic]

As far as I'm aware, its up to you, is fruiting a year earlier worth the extra money?
I paid £12 for a 3 year old that should fruit next year, I feel like I was robbed.
I paid £1.29 for plants that I assume are a year old, dont know what will happen to them, only just planted, well, about a month ago, but winter anyway.

*******
Just my wildly limited experience
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I have little faith in my small ones to survive, they just look really spindly and weak.

[Dominic]

the soil kept acidic with various suitable amendments.

Chicken poo

[waddecar]

I planted some bare rooted 2 year bushes in autumn 2005 Igot no fruit in  06, a handful in 07 and 3-4k this year.

Which ever you choose, knock them out of their pots to check if root bound

[Trillium]

Being deciduous, blueberries will go dormant for winter and likely lose their leavesl. come spring, they'll perk up but mostly in later spring. They also need lots of water to do well as they prefer boggier areas in the wild.

[little sweetpeas]

Maybe a mixture then.

I really would like some fruit this year but i guess with blueberries you just have to wait 2 - 4 kilo's would be fantastic if from 5 plants let alone two.

Do most people find they don't produce fruit until the third or fourth year

[paintedlady]

I got some fruit in the first year (not many) but by 2nd year they cropped really well (the 2007 rain had some benefit!).  I'm inclined to go for the cheaper ones at the expense of expecting a crop the first year.

Most important of all though - net, net, net, net.  Birds especially blackbirds and foxes just love the fruit and you'll not see a single one if you do not net them off!

[little sweetpeas]

Many thanks for all your help.

This morning I went into our local garden centre and asked some advice on their £7.99 blueberry plants which weren't that big.

Anyway turned out to be the manager who love chickens and has 2 allotment so we got talking like you do she offered me a good deal.

15 plants, 4 of each type of 3 which will all bear some degree of fruit in the summer all for £28.95. They are all between 40 - 60 cm  She even signed the back of the receipt so that i can bring them back if they don't fruit.

So a bit of a result.  

[Trillium]

Isn't it amazing what talking poo can do for you?  

[waddecar]

Less than £2 each, well done any chance you could do my Christmas shopping for me?

What varieties did you get?

[little sweetpeas]

Less than £2 each, well done any chance you could do my Christmas shopping for me?

What varieties did you get?

I was just very lucky, I guess people prefer to see lots of leaves or they think a plant is dead.

I've had a good look at them today and all seem to have signs of lots of new growth.

I need to put them in pots before putting them at the allotment as the area i'm going to use isn't mine yet. How big should the pots be.

[waddecar]

I need to put them in pots before putting them at the allotment as the area i'm going to use isn't mine yet. How big should the pots be.

I take it that they are bare root. How long do you anticipate that they will be in pots? If they will still be in pots when growth recommences in spring the roots will start to circle how ever big the pot which is best avoided. But if you have no choice then choose a pot size that will allow you to get compost (use ericaceus) around and between all roots.

If however you anticipate a wait of only a few weeks put them into some old compost bags with some compost around the roots keep moist and keep in a cold but frost free storage location and they will be fine until you can get them into the ground - if you haven't got the plot yet do you know if it has low ph?

[LucasAndRichard]

Which garden centre was this?...I can talk chicken poo with the best of them!  (And still on the look out for good local places to buy stuff from...)
Lucas

[little sweetpeas]

Which garden centre was this?...I can talk chicken poo with the best of them!  (And still on the look out for good local places to buy stuff from...)
Lucas

The one on the bath road going into Bristol just before the park & Ride.

If your facing the fruit canes and larger blueberry bushes turn around and on the bench behind you on the bottom shelf the packs of three blueberry plants are there. I think there were about 4 packs of three left.