Caring for blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in containers over winter is easy. In fact, they are one of the easiest berries to grow in containers. Acidic soil is a must. Harvest is bigger after 5 years. Cloud’ and ‘Polaris’ are exceptions). You can plant blueberry bushes as close as 2 or 2.5 feet apart to form solid hedgerows, or space them up to 6 feet apart so they grow individually. Top Hat and Northsky are two common varieties that grow to only 18 inches (.5 meters). Use a brand name potting mix (not top soil or garden soil). Blueberries need full sun. Position the containers in an area that receives full sun. Make sure to give your plant plenty of acid. How do I overwinter my blueberry plants? Spacing and planting blueberries. Cloud’, ‘Polaris’, ‘Chippewa’, ‘Northland’, and ‘North Country’. Apply slow-release acid fertilizers (e.g., elemental sulfur) four weeks after planting in the first year and then top dress the growing medium surface lightly the following spring. If using drip irrigation, place two emitters in each pot on either side of a plant. Water occasionally. Connect with your County Extension Office », Find an Extension employee in our staff directory », Get the latest news and updates on Extension's work around the state, Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: info@extension.wisc.edu | © 2020 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Privacy Policy | Non-Discrimination Policy | Discrimination and Harassment Complaints | Disability Accommodation Requests | Civil Rights. To be successful growing blueberries in containers, choose a variety that has smaller bushes. Blueberries are a perfect berry choice for growing in containers. Mulch the soil surface with two inches of pine bark or chipped hardwood bark to conserve moisture. During early to mid-spring, remove containers from the ground and place them in full sun. The placement of the blueberry slices will be on the top of the soil inside your container. Avoid using black containers for planting blueberries as such containers absorb heat leading to more rapid moisture loss. Soil Requirements. Contrast the blueberry’s warm, fall foliage color with spunky fall flowers like asters and mums. For comparison, blueberries require quite acidic soil around pH 4.5-5.5. Most varieties of blueberries will want the pH level of the soil to be 4.5 to 5.5. Know that growing blueberries in pots […] Most blueberry cultivars are self-fruitful and do not require another cultivar for cross pollination (‘St. Make sure to give your plant plenty of acid. Dig the container back up in the spring. Keep reading to learn about how to grow blueberries in pots. Make sure the containers have drainage holes. This is your planting depth. Another good mix is 50/50 sphagnum peat moss and shredded pine bark. First off, blueberries are acid-loving plants and it’s easier to monitor the soil pH in a pot. Growing Blueberries In Containers To start growing blueberries in containers, you’ll need a variety of blueberry bush that stays small. But if you think this means you have to plant a huge orchard or bramble patch, guess again. Prevent rabbit damage by placing chicken wire fencing or hardware cloth around the bushes. Vijai Pandian, UW-Extension Brown County and Rebecca Harbut, UW-Madison Horticulture Revised:  12/9/2010 Item number:  XHT1196. When selecting blueberry plants, choose half-high bush cultivars as they are hardier in Wisconsin, and are relatively short in stature. What to Plant with Blueberries. They’re also great for growing potatoes, as I learned earlier this year. Rather than treating your soil to lower its pH, as many gardeners would have to do, it’s a lot easier to plant your blueberry bushes in containers whose pH you can set from the beginning. Blueberries are ideal for containers - they need an acid soil and you can provide for this more easily if you grow them in a pot rather than in the open ground. As mentioned earlier, blueberries thrive well in acidic soils. Avoid dark plastic containers, as this can overheat the roots. Collected rainwater is ideal for watering, and typically is not as ‘hard’, nor has as high of a pH as well water. Blueberries need moist, fertile, well-drained soil that's decidedly on the acid side, around pH 4.5. Raised beds or patio containers are good options for areas where the soil is not ideal. The container size also depends on the variety of blueberries you are growing. Mix all ingredients well. Container blueberry bushes can be grown outdoors or indoors in minimal space and … You can also go for wine or whiskey barrels, buckets, and large tubs. Plant your blueberry bush in a container no smaller than 2 gallons, preferably bigger. Put a little of your growing medium in the base, then place your bare root or pot grown blueberries in your new pots or containers, taking care to keep the plants upright and at the centre of the container. Water plants with rainwater, not tap water, unless you have no alternative in a drought. Growing blueberries in containers is a relatively easy process, but there are some things to keep in mind beforehand to ensure your success. Tap water will raise the pH level and blueberries like acidic conditions. Fertilize in spring using an acid-forming azalea/camellia fertilizer at the rate specified on the label. How do I prepare the growing medium? Check the pH of the soil in spring and add sulphur chips if it needs lowering. How do I properly fertilize my blueberry plants? Berries planted in the ground need less care; just add a two to three inch blanket of mulch to keep them warm. Plant the Blueberries. You can use Nature’s Way Blueberry Soil or you can mix your own. Make sure you follow the recommended rates described on the fertilizer label.Slow-release fertilizers will typically need to be supplemented periodically (usually every two weeks) with more fast-acting acidic liquid fertilizers (e.g., Miracid) when the blueberry plants are actively growing during the spring through mid-summer. Keep the compost or soil moist, but not soaking wet. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Whether you’re gardening on a patio, rooftop, or balcony, following these universal tips will mean that you to have healthy, bountiful plants year after year. You can build the soil from scratch to provide good drainage and the proper pH. In general however, growing more than one blueberry cultivar will improve pollination and enhance yield and berry size. When selecting the variety of blueberry you’re going to grow, it’s important to pick a dwarf or half-high variety. What cultivar of blueberry should I use? Another growing medium  that works well is a mix of two parts coir (shredded coconut husks used in the greenhouse industry), two parts sphagnum peat moss and one part perlite. Alternatively, containers can be left buried in the soil as long as the containers have proper drainage holes and the site where the containers are buried is well drained and exposed to full sun. Alternatively, store it in an unheated building, like a barn or garage, with occasional watering. Because of this, you should subtract one number from your local hardiness zone when considering buying a container grown blueberry. Fill a five-gallon container with whichever mix you decide to use, and plant a single blueberry plant in the container. An alternate option for producing blueberries is to grow them in a container filled with an acidic soilless growing medium. Plant your blueberry bush in a container no smaller than 2 gallons, preferably bigger. Frequent, light watering is ideal, with an occasional ‘drench’ to eliminate soil salts. Blueberries are notoriously fussy about soil pH. Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: © 2020 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Plants won't have much fruit the first 2 to 3 years. All you need is a trusty pot, a spot in full sun, and plenty of water to grow delicious berries for smoothies, desserts, and more. Depending on the container, consider planting more than one blueberry … Plant the blueberries into the containers at the same level they were in their nursery containers. This is important because blueberries need acidic soil. Containers: Blueberries have roots that spread about three to four feet wide. As the plant matures, repot it in a larger container (e.g., a 16 or 20 inch pot) or in a barrel, once again filled with the acidic soilless growing medium of your choice. One way around this is to grow your blueberries in containers. 2. Blueberry roots are small and shallow, and while they need lots of moisture, they don’t like sitting in water. The blueberry is a wonderful fruit rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber, and vitamin E. Due to its popularity, there is a growing interest among gardeners to plant blueberries in backyard gardens. In our video, Growing Blueberries, Tricia creates a container soil mix of half organic potting soil and half Coco Peat (a sustainable alternative to peat moss). In order to thrive, Blueberries require low pH and actively decomposing soil. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Growing acid-loving blueberries in containers, with an acid potting soil mix or a 50-50 mix of peat and potting soil, is a simple solution to that problem. Another way to reduce heat stress and water loss is to bury containers in the ground. Prevent roots from freezing and cold winds from drying out the plant’s branches with just a … Mix all ingredients well. How to grow blueberries in containers. In mid- to late October, bury containers in the ground at a site where snow is likely to accumulate and where plants will be protected from cold winter winds. In most areas, it’s ideal to plant blueberries in the fall or spring. In fact, in a lot of areas, growing blueberries in containers is preferable to growing them in the ground. Water quality is as important for growing blueberries as the composition of the growing medium. Take care to keep the plants at the same depth as they were previously planted. Smart Pots are made in the USA and are BPA and lead free, which is important when you’re growing food. These berry plants get about three feet high and almost as wide. You can also select low bush blueberry cultivars such as ‘Top Hat’ (hardy to zone 5) for container production. Plants can thrive and bear fruit in containers in any area that receives full sunlight. Sunshine Blue gets 3 feet tall and has bright pink flowers; a very popular variety. Container blueberry bushes can be grown outdoors or indoors in minimal space and will put on quite a colorful show from spring through fall. Blueberry shrubs grow happily in small groups and also work well in a hedge row. Can I grow blueberries in a pot? With just a little effort, home gardeners can successfully grow blueberries in containers. Just make sure that they have sufficient drainage holes. Blueberries do not like to have ‘wet feet’, but insufficient moisture can also be a problem. Leave the soil level an inch or so down from the lip of the container. To prepare an acidic soilless growing medium, use a mix of one part sphagnum peat moss and one part shredded pine bark. When growing containerized blueberries, closely monitor growing medium moisture levels. The best way to overwinter your blueberry plant is to bury the container in the ground in mid-autumn in a spot that’s out of the wind and likely to experience a buildup of snow. If you live in a warmer climate but still want to grow delicious blueberries...you're in luck. Top Hat and Northsky are two common varieties that grow to only 18 inches (.5 meters). Sign up for our newsletter. Don’t allow it to dry out between waterings. Blueberries are ideal for growing in containers. Plants in containers need more frequent watering than those in the ground. Step 1: … The bushes are compact, the roots are shallow and the production is abundant under the right growing conditions. Top Hat is a good choice since it only gets 2 feet tall. A combination of supplemental liquid and slow-release acid fertilizers is recommended. Therefore, try to maintain a moist, but not wet/soggy, growing medium. A fun way to go, is to plant in the largest container your space and pocketbook allows, and fill in around the blueberry with annual flowers for a classic container look. We teach, learn, lead and serve, connecting people with the University of Wisconsin, and engaging with them in transforming lives and communities. You can plant in containers with a low-pH, soilless planting mix. An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. While most garden plants prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline soil, blueberries like acidic soil. Absolutely! Give your plant frequent light waterings or invest in a drip irrigation system. How much water will my blueberry plants need? Raspberries in pots require slightly acidic (pH 6.0-6.2), nutrient-retaining, well-draining soil. You’ll need to pick blueberry plant companions that share a blueberry’s love for acidic soil. Growing blueberries in containers are so easy and effective that you may want to give it a try even if you have enough room for a garden in the soil for this antioxidant-rich fruit. Mulch the soil surface with four to eight inches of straw in mid-November or cover the bushes with burlap. Highly alkaline soils that are clay or high in organic matter can be amended by adding large amounts of sulfur to lower the pH, but will require repeated amendments over time to maintain an ideal pH. Avoid dark plastic containers, as this can overheat the roots. Dave Wilson Nursery recommends this method for growing blueberries in the home garden. If you can’t find the right product, mix a fertilizer for acid-loving plants into the potting mix. For more information on growing blueberries in containers: Contact your county Extension agent. Blueberry plants grow slowly and reach full size in 8 to 10 years. Peat moss works well as a planting-mix additive to maximize growth. As the plant matures, repot it in a larger container (e.g., a 16 or 20 inch pot) or in a barrel, once again filled with the acidic soilless growing medium of your choice. I recommend growing the Northern Low Bush Top Hat Variety as well as the Southern Highbrush Sunshine Blue variety in containers. Read on for more information about what to plant with blueberries. Plant two or more varieties for successful pollination. With a little care, … Growing blueberries in containers is a great way to harvest fresh, tasty blueberries at home, even if you don’t have space for a garden. Low bush cultivars have a dwarf (i.e., maximum 12 inch height) and spreading growth habit and typically produce smaller fruit. Ensure the soil stays at pH of 5.5 or lower, to avoid problems. You just get more berries that way. You can always start small by growing berries in containers, which is simpler than it may sound. Some good varieties for containers include: 'Dwarf Northblue', a mid-season bush that grows 20 to 24 inches Standard blueberry bushes can reach heights of 6 feet (1.8 meters), which is awfully tall for a container plant. You can start blueberry plants in five-gallon containers, but after a year or two, you may want to move your blueberry plants to 20-inch pots. If you want to learn how to grow blueberries in containers properly, there are a few things you need to remember. Avoid overapplying fertilizers, as blueberry roots are sensitive to fertilizer salt injury. Blueberries are relatively easy to look after. Planting Blueberries in Containers. … Since blueberries don’t like Houston soils (too alkaline and heavy), we highly recommend growing in containers or raised beds where you have total control of the soil mix. Because containers do not provide adequate insulation from the cold, be sure to protect container-grown blueberries during the winter to prevent root damage. 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