Blueberries

[mskrieger]

Nice. My outdoor (cultivar) blueberries haven't dared budswell yet; they're canny natives and know they could still get burned.

[Gianna]

Oh, Goody... a blueberry thread.

I've grown them for about 10 years. Low/no chill Southern Highbush varieties. Anything over 300 chill hours just does not do well here. (Coastal SoCal)  Chill at this location averages less than 50 hours, with some years none.

I grow them in pots, mostly in 15 gallons. Larger would be better, but I'm able to move these. I've got somewhere between 60 and 70 of them. I water with either rainwater (I collect maybe 3,000 gallons/yr) or tap water treated with sulfuric acid to get pH down.

My varieties are Emerald, Jewel, Sharpblue, Abundance, Misty, IndigoCrisp, SweetCrisp, Kestrel, Southmoon, Biloxi, Scintilla, SnowChaser, and one other I can't remember. I've also tried but culled Raven, Star, O'neal, Ozark Blue because they required more chill than they could get here.

The breeders and growers have made it virtually impossible for back yard gardeners to get new varieties going forward however. But then I already have more than a sane human should want.

[VicJ]

I've tried various V. corymbosum cultivars here in interior Alaska. They've never done well. I've planted them in the midst of thriving wild V. uliginosum populations, and they just look weak and sick. They might make a winter, but so far never more than two. Apparently they're hardy enough, but they don't seem to be able to access the nutrients they need. I'm wondering if there are some mycorrhizal associations which are incompatible to the foreign germplasm; there has been research indicating that in the cold soils up here, those are instrumental in enabling plant survival. This year I've received some V. corymbosum x V. uliginosum cuttings from the USDA repository, along with some commercially obtained super hardy half-high cultivars, with the intention of grafting them to local wild specimens. Hopefully that will overcome any potential root absorption issues and enable them to survive.

[mskrieger]

That sounds fascinating, VicJ. Let us know how they do.

[VicJ]

Grafts have taken and are pushing out.

Vic


    Apr 5, 2018 7:25:14 GMT -8 mskrieger said:
    That sounds fascinating, VicJ. Let us know how they do.

Mar 30, 2018 17:56:27 GMT -5 VicJ said:

I've tried various V. corymbosum cultivars here in interior Alaska. They've never done well. I've planted them in the midst of thriving wild V. uliginosum populations, and they just look weak and sick. They might make a winter, but so far never more than two. Apparently they're hardy enough, but they don't seem to be able to access the nutrients they need. I'm wondering if there are some mycorrhizal associations which are incompatible to the foreign germplasm; there has been research indicating that in the cold soils up here, those are instrumental in enabling plant survival. This year I've received some V. corymbosum x V. uliginosum cuttings from the USDA repository, along with some commercially obtained super hardy half-high cultivars, with the intention of grafting them to local wild specimens. Hopefully that will overcome any potential root absorption issues and enable them to survive.

[jocelyn]

VicJ, have ever tried seeds from your cultivated bushes? Would they have been pollinated by the local bushes?
Perhaps half local or 3/4 local would work too?
It will b e fun to hear your updates on the grafts:)