Vaccinium - Blueberry- Polaris 5.5pot 12"

Availability:

Out of stock

Available in April

Photo and Description: Degrandchamp Farms

This low-growing, compact plant produces crops of delicious, dime-size, dark-blue berries. Ripens in August. Self-Pollinating, but will produce more if cross pollinated with Northblue

Zone 3-8

Height 36-48 inches

Spread 36-48 inches

Moose resistant

Growing Blueberries

From Alaska Berries in Soldotna, Alaska

Growing Blueberries in our area requires several key things.

• Soil pH is critical. It MUST be pH 4.5 to 5.0. If you plan to grow in containers, you can make your own media. If you plan on field planting, you will need to have an accurate soil pH test done. The typical ways of lowering soil pH that work in the lower 48 will not work here. Using elemental sulphur requires heat and we just do not get enough of that here. SN Enterprises, out of Sterling, sells a peat and peat topsoil mix. We have used his peat with great success. However, the pH of his peat varies depending on where he is digging. I always send a sample off to the lab before I use it for blueberries. The co-op extension agency has a list of labs for soil testing.
For a container mix, I make one with the following ingredients:
• 60% fir bark small/shredded. Available at Home Depot or Lowe's. Just make sure that it is all natural with no other ingredients! Pine Bark also acceptable - Avoid Cedar.
• 30% peat pH 4.5-5.0 Bales of peat are available at garden stores. Just check the lot number to insure the pH is within the correct range.
• 10% Perlite Available at garden stores.
We top dress our container grown blueberries with a slow release fertilizer. We use Floricote 19-5-6 medium rate for top dress. Depending on conditions, you may have to give them an additional dose of liquid fertilizer to help them until the slow release kicks in.

 

• Blueberry Variety We have found that only a few commercial varieties will work in our area. The half high varieties seem to be the best adapted to our climate. Northblue, Polaris, Northsky, and North Country are our current recommendations. We have over 14 varieties that we are testing and add new ones each year. But for now, these are the ones we recommend.

• Plant care Must provide good drainage and yet be kept uniformly moist – not overly wet. Irrigation scheduling – frequency and amount – need to be adjusted according to changes in weather, stage of plant growth and root development. They prefer full sun. Over wintering requires placing the containers in the ground and providing protection from rabbits. Snow cover is essential for wintering over blueberries. Find a sheltered place for wintering them out. If you decide to use sawdust or wood chips as a mulch, take precautions for voles.

• Planting For field planting, space plants 2-3 feet apart, with rows 8-10 feet apart. If you decide to plant highbush varieties, then space plants 4 feet apart. Drip irrigation is a great way to keep your plants watered. Dripworks and Irrigation Direct are two companies we use. Pick all the flowers as they break bud for the first 2 years. This will allow the plants to put all of their energy into building a good root system. Studies have proven that your yields will increase many fold throughout the life of the plant. Blueberries do not even hit their peak until years 6-12. This is the definition of delayed gratification. By doing so, you will be rewarded later on. Each year thereafter, you will need to prune 20-30% of the flowers. This will allow the plant to devote energy into making leaves, new stems and bigger berries. Failure to do so will result in plant health decline, less shoots, and small berries.

• Mother Nature The final element in growing blueberries is Mother Nature. Some seasons you will have a bumper crop, other seasons nothing at all. This is true with many crops, especially in Alaska. Moose, rabbits, voles, and other pests all need to be taken into consideration. Bird netting is also recommended. Once the birds find you, they will come back year after year bringing more of their friends. When you get your first crop of these delicious and healthy berries, you will know it was worth it.