[bigsprouts]

do i still need to feed+water blueberry bushes in the winter time?

[gobs]

Other might have diff routines, personally, I don't.

[WG.]

I wouldn't feed anything during the winter.  I'd only water (sparingly) plants in GH, coldframe or house.

[Trillium]

Ditto. You'd only stimulate the plants to try to grow now, when they'd actually suffer more in failure. Wait until spring to feed. Everything needs a rest.

[hermon]

can i add a question?...............i have a few blueberry bushes and i have notice some very strong growth i guess is a sucker from the main gtafted base, why do these need taking off? if they fruit i can't see why it matters?

[Trillium]

If it's the sucker that's putting on the growth, and it isn't taken off, then it will take over and the better upper section, where the good fruit is, will eventually die out. You'll be stuck with a strong growing plant with indifferent fruit.  That's why some plants are grafted; on their own, the good fruiting part can't survive well.

[WG.]

If it's the sucker that's putting on the growth, and it isn't taken off, then it will take over and the better upper section, where the good fruit is, will eventually die out. You'll be stuck with a strong growing plant with indifferent fruit.  That's why some plants are grafted; on their own, the good fruiting part can't survive well.

Glad you said that T.  That's what I figured but fruit is one of my many areas of non-expertise.

[Trillium]

The same problem exists with grafted fruit trees (eg dwarf varieties) and many roses. The latter are grafted onto vigorous wild rootstock which love nothing better than to try to take over. Most grafts aren't a problem, but the ones which aren't done well....GROAN!!

[gobs]

As far as I know any soft fruit is hardly ever grafted, so there is no threats in that department. Raspberries tend to produce a lot of suckers, still most people do not remove them.

With blueberries, removing some old wood every 3-4 years seems to be adequate to me.