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From:	S B (dialup-4.235.174.234.dial1.orlando1.level3.net)
Subject:	Don't know if they are the same type that we have in northern FL but....
Date:	November 6, 2005 at 3:31 pm PST

In Reply to: blueberry bushes posted by stef on November 6, 2005 at 2:02 pm:

We have rabbiteye blueberries here. Rabbiteyes are supposed to grow over 7 feet tall!

First, I would pull up ALL of the weeds and cut back & dig up the jasmine (and put it in a pot or transplant it -- if you want to keep it). Then I would thin out (this means to cut out all the way down to their bases) the very oldest looking branches on the blueberry bushes, since the younger ones produce most of the blooms -- but do NOT cut out MORE than 1/4 of each bush.

It is probably too late to cut back the tops of the bushes to stimulate new growth -- since this is normally done every few years in the summer immediately after all of the berries have been picked. If you prune too late in the season, the new growth this produces will not have time to mature enough to bloom the following spring. You can do this pruning after your 2006 harvest of berries. (When you do this, mature rabbiteyes should be pruned back to about 7 feet tall -- they are supposed to be tall!)

ALSO, blueberries NEED a very acid soil! Its pH must stay BELOW 5.2! You can find food for acid-loving plants in stores -- but most of this fertilizer is not organic. I give my blueberry bushes lots of compost and I am very careful that absolutely NO lime gets anywhere near them.

There was a natural small sink in the ground in the middle of where my bushes were planted. So, from time to time I put raked-up mowed grass, suitable kitchen scraps, small pruned branches, leaves, etc., in that little hole and let this stuff slowing turn into compost which feeds the bushes. As this "stuff" rots down, more "stuff" is added on top -- a perpetual, no-turn compost pile.

I also make sure the bases of all of my blueberry bushes are well mulched. For this, we use raked-up pine needles and chips made from pruned oak and pine branches from our property. The type of oaks and pines we have create acid compost as they rot. Some types of wood create an alkaline compost -- so check before you mulch! If in doubt about what kind of chips to use, you can feel pretty safe using pine needles for mulch. You will need enough needles to mulch at least 4 to 6 inches deep around each bush.

Also, be careful of the water you give them if you should have to water them. Some well water contains lime/calcium and no telling what is in city water! I collect rain water from our roof and use it for my acid-loving plants when watering is absolutely necessary. However, when watering, water deeply and not very often. Blueberry bushes need water, but they should never be in soggy ground or in ground that does not drain well. Too much water can rot their roots -- as with most plants.

Hope this helps!

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