THANK YOU! It is now 8 months after watching this video and applying your instructions to pruning my own blueberry bush. WOW! This made a tremendous difference in my blueberry yield! By far there are more blueberries growing on my old blueberry bush than I have ever seen it produce! This is going to be a blueberry filled summer. LOL! I used to prune in the winter as most instructors out there have said to do. I never understood why my blueberry bush never produced as much after pruning. After watching this video I understand now and wonder why so many instructors say to winter prune. Thank you again for your instructional help! It definitely paid off!
Can you elaborate on how it produced more berries? As in, were there more per branch? Did you get more fruiting buds forming vs vegetative buds on each branch? I’m so confused by this video as I don’t see how what he did made it any different from pruning in the winter. He still removed the older branches, which is done in winter. He still opened up the center, which is done during winter. He still left the younger branches, which by nature produce more fruit and is what you do during winter. What’s different? The only thing I could think of is if more fruit buds form per branch because of the removal of the other branches before the buds form, thus leaving more energy for the remaining ones, triggering more fruiting buds…
Wow! thank you for all of the detailed information. I have yet to hear about being aware of which direction to cut while pruning, until now. I am grateful thank you!
thank you. great material. i have had a few plants in the soil and this year i moved them to raised bed in order to control the acidity. with your tips i am sure next year i will be getting decent yields!
Wow. I have a thirty year old blueberry bush. It is glorious. I have never pruned it! I believe it is a southern high bush, bc it is very tall. Over 6’, but it bends at the ends and looks like a lovely fountain. Kind of like a vase shape. It has grown so well!
I have had to weed out of it a mimosa tree and a boxwood hedge. Smh how they got in their? Birds. I read that bushes die after 25 years and was so sad until I realized that it died in the center original stalks, but has propagated itself and is working on some kind of natural cycle to grow shoots as the center dies away. I get over 30 pounds of fruit a year. I could have harvested 20 more pounds last year, but it was very hot in Virginia last summer and I gave up. Lol
I may try pruning a bit this summer after the fruit is finished. I am going to dig up about five sucker shoots to transplant to my daughter’s house in Florida. Hoping it survives a day in the car. We will pack them well. The shoots have blooms for this year. We will have to take them early June. I will definitely have her plant them in these wet parts of her back yard next to the forest, but be sure to raise them above ground with good organic matter such as peat moss and pine bark chunks.
Hello Lola, Your blueberry bush sounds magnificent... both beautiful & edible! Have you shared your blueberry plant on your TH-cam channel? Charles :-)
Jan 2023 - This was fascinating, particularly since you are based in LA. I live an hour east of LA, where the temps average 10 d/F higher than LA. I'm going to go through my plants again to make sure nothing is close to the mulch. I used shade cloth to protect the canopy last summer, but I still had leaf damage. I hose-sprayed the plants in the early afternoons to help cool them off. Mine are in containers. I STRONGLY suggest that along with the bottom drainage, there is also side drainage. Not all blueberries keep their fine roots at the top. I had a Summer Sunset last year that I was so proud of. It's growth from a single stem bare root planted Sept 2021 was phenomenal. It was in a half drum, with probably 25 gallons of perfect soil. Last summer, before it was even a year old, all the bottom holes that I drilled became completely filled with tiny roots. Everything was getting extra water because of extremely high heat, plus being water sprayed. The Summer Sunset was looking peaked, so it got more, until I noticed a sour smell and discovered the water wasn't draining. Even drilling large side holes that day so the water poured out didn't save it. When I removed the rotted soil from the plant, I discovered the dozen holes were plugged. All the other pots (11) have a couple one-inch holes drilled in them now. Oh, that side caning from your Sunshine Blue might be a trait of that plant. I have four of these and three have grown side canes up against the edge of the pot. This starts my third year with blueberries. They're not all that easy to tend.
All the winter pruning videos I've seen so far seem to be located in more northern latitudes where they may be growing a different variety of blueberry. The plants looked markedly different than the varieties available here in So. Cal. The growing conditions were more large scale where the plants were in the ground. Only Spellman of Dave Wilson has promoted summer pruning and for home container planting in So. Cal. it makes sense.
I have four blueberry bushes just starting to produce, lots of new growth. Early july here and im going to tip several today with your method. Trying some thornless blackberries also.
This makes total sense and thank you for your insight. I’m just now really getting into growing berry bushes and and I have no idea what I’m doing….so thank you. It makes no sense to pruning berry bushes in the winter in Houston Texas. Lol
I have 4 "over thirty year old" bushes, 2, 3 yr old and a small 1 yr old. I'd get at least 28 quart from the 4. Bought the others in case my older ones died off. I hadn't pruned, but lately have cut out some small growths near the tops. I've used fish emulsion & pine needles - no problems with disease at all. I may get brave and trim more wood. We put 2 car port frames with deer netting over the bushes to keep the catbirds, robins and a few other birds from eating all the berries. Last year I bought 4 bushes "for the birds" to eat from, but area was too wet and only one survived. (in Southern PA)
I live in the northeast my blueberries are doing well, I have acidic soil and I water them almost every day, I use fertilizer , they certainly have grown nicely.
This was so informative , I needed ALL of this info and understanding the why helps so much . I have a client that has neglected his fruiting plants and trees for years ,and although they are alive they look and perform terrible. You are my secret weapon to transforming his property into the amazing space it has the potential to be. Thank you so much !!!😁
How about keeping those cuttings and start propagating new blueberry bushes. We've got blueberries up the mountains of Pennsylvania that dad planted years ago. They don't really produce anymore and now I know why. Next summer (may be too late now) I'll be pruning the old hardwood that's probably over twenty years old unless the beavers pruned it for me. Thanks for the information.
My northern high Bush is 7 feet tall 8 feet wide and produces buckets of nickle sized berries. The plants are 15 years old, in the ground with potting soil.
You provide such a comprehensive presentation, I subbed. Thank you for the information, I was looking for everything you talked about. One thing im wondering about is rust, how can you prevent it, how to treat it.
if you have already planted them in the ground can you dig them up and build up the soil to raise them? Would it damage them and how many years would it set them back in fruiting?
Hello ive watched both your blueberry plant videos a few times now, and was wondering if we can get an update video of your beautiful blueberry plants? thank you for your videos
I'd use a white camping canopy to block the sun. I have them up over my blueberry's for when I've watered then learn it's supposed to rain so they aren't watered so much. You could do the same to block those avocado trees.
loved your video, wish I watched it sooner because I didn't prune my new blueberry bushes that I planted last spring. Now they got a fair amount of berries just ripening but branches are way too bushy. Is it possible to prune them now or do I have to wait until the bushes stop producing the berries?
I took some cuttings from Rabbiteyes and they successfully took but after a year in a pot I have one central 'trunk' as it were with quite a few canes branching up from the one central point. There are no other canes coming up from the crown. Should I remove all but three or so of the current canes and cut those back by half? Will this force the bush to push new canes from the roots under the soil and thus widen the crown? The plants are still in felt pots approx 12" round by 12" deep. I’m going to put them in 21 Gal pots this winter. The new pots are 22 in dia by 17 in deep
One of my plants has one long cane from the base. I was thinking it was a sucker and might have to be cut off. Now I think I'm just going to leave it alone until late this summer and shorten it a little lower. 🤔
I have my blueberry's in the ground and have for last 6 yrs, they're never pruned but look like grape clusters and just 1 bush takes me about 15 + minutes to pick almost every day or every other day. My berry's are the size of large grapes too on my taller bushes and smaller bushes are medium sized but LOADED on the bush. I water almost every day....lol and we live in a climate that's very very humid and rainy. I empty our coffee grounds on the bushes every day for last 6 yrs. I just put a bunch in raised beds and they're doing the exact same as in the beds on the ground.
M Perongo I was just watching this for pruning purposes and got the feeling I really need to uproot blueberries and pot them ~ my berries are only 2 yrs old. - I’m in Florida zone 8b - it’s very humid here.... I’m just wanting to know what zone are you?
@@samandskip1999 Hey I'm in zone 8b Florida just south of Tallahassee about 10 miles from the coast. I've had bushes in sandy soil for well over a decade without an issue. I've seen local U picks do the same. I went from 3 bushes to 5 and I just planted 6 more. My oldest ones are over 7 feet tall. I just check the pH and apply sulfur and keep them mulched and do a very light fertilizer (one or 2 cups of espoma holly tone). One of my relatives nearby has a Blueberry patch in the soil for over twenty years and fertilizes with synthetic (Miracid from miracle gro). I think for the west coast planting in pots or raised beds is a must due to their more akaline soil and clay content. So I think you can do either pots or plant in the soil provided you have sandy soil that is well draining with a lower PH. If you have more clay soil or slow draining you might be better doing a raised bed with sandy soil mixed equally with peat moss and pine bark nugget fines (or ask local nursery for bagged soil options) or you can go the potted route provided that you keep it small and tidy so the wind doesn't knock it over and refresh the soil every 4 to 5 years. I tend to prune my plants only after they have been in the ground for 3 years or more and I do so in the winter and I do very light pruning (less than 5%) to remove older 5+ year old non productive canes to give room for younger canes and also to remove broken branches and such. We currently have harvested about 2 gallons of berries this year from the 4 mature plants and I have covered 2 with netting this year because of the dry spell the birds (mockingbird family mostly) were taking way more than they normally do even with bird baths and water. I dont mind sharing, but they were taking more than they have in past years. Normally they take around 25%, but it was considerably more unless I harvested before sunrise hence the reason why I went from 5 bushes to planting currently 11 (4 more rabbit eye and 2 southern highbush). They have done the same to my apples and my new plums which I netted half of both varieties because they just peck those and leave holes in them for the ants to get in. Anyway, I was watching this to see about summer pruning after harvest which sounds like it could increase our bush production. I still plan on doing a very light pruning in the winter to remove damaged branches and some crossed branches. Hope this helps.
Hi,I live in Vermont. It’s June 10.The blueberry fruits just start to form two weeks ago.There are many baby shooters coming up from the ground. When is a good time to prune these shooters or wait till the berries fruits are gone? Thanks.
What a great video! I inherited a small blueberry bush from my parents (who have passed). All I did was move it from their house to mine. It also came along with a hosta! I don't want to separate them because I think it might be too invasive. So...This blueberry bush seems to have only one major stalk coming out of the base. Is it safe to prune?
I love watching your videos. QUESTION: I live in the northeast. So would this recommendation for pruning in the summer work for us here too? Or would the new growth be to tender to survive our winters?
Is it advisable to transfer inground blueberry to containers and this Fall? I'm in zone 9a. I used to have 2 plants in ground and one died a year ago. Thanks for your informative video, I watched it to the last minute.
People prune young plants way too much.. My 2-3 year old plants are massive with tons of berries, prune old wood from year 5-6 onwards. There is no way I would prune that massive sucker that grew in one year on what looks like a 2-3 year old plant, that cane will have great fruit on it next year and send off more big shoots.
Thank you for your videos Charles. Do you know if blueberries send out suckers. That would be aggressive cane growth starting from bottom of plant. And do these suckers develop into fruit, or should they be removed? Thanks for all your information.
So does everything you covered apply to blueberries in zone 6? Can I plant my bushes in containers? Is there anything I should do additionally to protect from bad weather and freezing temps?
Why does pruning my beloved blue berry bushes give me so much anxiety 😬 they were my drafts from my grandmas bushes. They are misty blue probably 15 feet tall. I’m afraid of trimming what I shouldn’t trim off. Can I prune while there are tiny berries that aren’t ripening. I lots of small suckers inside
Hey you guys thank you so much for sharing all these tips and your knowledge about the fruit trees really helpful I think I've got some advice for you guys listen to your audio you go from we can barely hear you to Bam you're pouring rocks and you know you can hear you kind of banging around and it goes you know I've turned it up so I can hear what you were saying and then it just gets you get right up to that mic and boy it's a blowout just heads up on that one cuz it's not very pleasant I was not good so I'm laughing I'm just giggling have a blessed day and see you soon
I have a acquired a 12’ blueberry tree I would like to prune down to a bush. Is this possible without killing it. Watching some blueberry pruning I will say all but one of the canes seem to be over six years old.
Hello 👋 According to Tom Spellman, of Dave Wilson Nursery, summer (after harvest) is the preferred pruning time. This will allow you to control size, while the plant regrows some more lateral branches with maximum bloom buds... for maximum fruit yields! There’s a lecture with Tom Spellman you can find on the IV Organic TH-cam Channel that goes into more detail! Let me know if you have any other questions! Charles 🌱👍
@@IVOrganic Summer post harvest pruning would seem to conserve water as well, being the plant will require less water during the remainder of the growing season. Less plant to utilize water.
Agree, this should be way more concise and to the point. I never finished watching. There are a lot of very good 20 minute videos on blueberry care already online.
hi, I searched your videos and didn't find but hoping maybe you covered how to handle borers on donut peach trees? I sprayed with Cap'n Jack's Dead Bug but I still see the gold sap balls which I am not sure is that from the tree or is that the borer? Do I remove that gold stuff or should it be disappearing if the Dead Bug is working? how would your products work differently or better? Thank you
I planted mine into the ground last year and seems like it’s dying except for a single stem growth. Should I transplant to a pot? I had added mulch and acid fertilizer during the past year. I didn’t get any fruits this spring 😞
HI, thank you for this great info as i get ready to plant my first two blueberry plants - different varieties. I have a long raised bad, so i'd like to plant some additional veggies that love acidic soil. Should I go with onions, garlic, and maybe even asparagus?
Thanks for another great video. Question: does adding that granular fertilizer directly to the soil not cause compaction over time reducing the flow of water and oxygen?
He advertises his whitewash in all of his videos. He teaches and sells his products. Don’t expect a formula from Him. I’ve commented on too much push with the whitewash before and never get a reply. Just go to the store and pick some up. Or as my orchardist friends have told me. It’s often not necessary. But if it gives you piece of mind then do it. Orchardists don’t have the time to paint every pruning cut. They wouldn’t get anything done.
If you have concerns about sun damage to younger trees and bushes there are breathable biodegradable cloth wraps and tubes that you can use which I think is better because it protects them from rabbits and rodents that chew the bark until they get older and can shade themselves. That or just simply plant a dwarf or small companion bush on the south to southwest side of the trunk to provide the shade until they get older. I wouldn't bother doing the IV organic whitewash on berry plants. I would only be concerned about trees which are a more pricey investment vs a $9-15 blueberry bush. Just my two cents.
I’ve tried to grow my ficus cutting 4 different times and none of them have made it. Do you have any tips? I use take root powder and then plant them in a cup of soil. They die after two days.
I believe there is great information in there, but there is so much superfluous talking, I don't have time to listen. One hour videos keep you from watching and learning other things and also take a large bite out of a very busy day.
THANK YOU! It is now 8 months after watching this video and applying your instructions to pruning my own blueberry bush. WOW! This made a tremendous difference in my blueberry yield! By far there are more blueberries growing on my old blueberry bush than I have ever seen it produce! This is going to be a blueberry filled summer. LOL! I used to prune in the winter as most instructors out there have said to do. I never understood why my blueberry bush never produced as much after pruning. After watching this video I understand now and wonder why so many instructors say to winter prune. Thank you again for your instructional help! It definitely paid off!
Can you elaborate on how it produced more berries? As in, were there more per branch? Did you get more fruiting buds forming vs vegetative buds on each branch?
I’m so confused by this video as I don’t see how what he did made it any different from pruning in the winter. He still removed the older branches, which is done in winter. He still opened up the center, which is done during winter. He still left the younger branches, which by nature produce more fruit and is what you do during winter. What’s different?
The only thing I could think of is if more fruit buds form per branch because of the removal of the other branches before the buds form, thus leaving more energy for the remaining ones, triggering more fruiting buds…
Wow! thank you for all of the detailed information. I have yet to hear about being aware of which direction to cut while pruning, until now. I am grateful thank you!
20:35 for the pruning 22:25 for low stems, 25:05 shaping
Thank you.
Ty
Thanks!
Thanks!
Hero!
I watch this every year now. Thank you.
thank you. great material. i have had a few plants in the soil and this year i moved them to raised bed in order to control the acidity. with your tips i am sure next year i will be getting decent yields!
Wow. I have a thirty year old blueberry bush. It is glorious. I have never pruned it! I believe it is a southern high bush, bc it is very tall. Over 6’, but it bends at the ends and looks like a lovely fountain. Kind of like a vase shape. It has grown so well!
I have had to weed out of it a mimosa tree and a boxwood hedge. Smh how they got in their? Birds. I read that bushes die after 25 years and was so sad until I realized that it died in the center original stalks, but has propagated itself and is working on some kind of natural cycle to grow shoots as the center dies away. I get over 30 pounds of fruit a year. I could have harvested 20 more pounds last year, but it was very hot in Virginia last summer and I gave up. Lol
I may try pruning a bit this summer after the fruit is finished. I am going to dig up about five sucker shoots to transplant to my daughter’s house in Florida. Hoping it survives a day in the car. We will pack them well. The shoots have blooms for this year. We will have to take them early June. I will definitely have her plant them in these wet parts of her back yard next to the forest, but be sure to raise them above ground with good organic matter such as peat moss and pine bark chunks.
Hello Lola, Your blueberry bush sounds magnificent... both beautiful & edible! Have you shared your blueberry plant on your TH-cam channel?
Charles :-)
Jan 2023 - This was fascinating, particularly since you are based in LA. I live an hour east of LA, where the temps average 10 d/F higher than LA. I'm going to go through my plants again to make sure nothing is close to the mulch. I used shade cloth to protect the canopy last summer, but I still had leaf damage. I hose-sprayed the plants in the early afternoons to help cool them off. Mine are in containers. I STRONGLY suggest that along with the bottom drainage, there is also side drainage. Not all blueberries keep their fine roots at the top. I had a Summer Sunset last year that I was so proud of. It's growth from a single stem bare root planted Sept 2021 was phenomenal. It was in a half drum, with probably 25 gallons of perfect soil. Last summer, before it was even a year old, all the bottom holes that I drilled became completely filled with tiny roots. Everything was getting extra water because of extremely high heat, plus being water sprayed. The Summer Sunset was looking peaked, so it got more, until I noticed a sour smell and discovered the water wasn't draining. Even drilling large side holes that day so the water poured out didn't save it. When I removed the rotted soil from the plant, I discovered the dozen holes were plugged. All the other pots (11) have a couple one-inch holes drilled in them now. Oh, that side caning from your Sunshine Blue might be a trait of that plant. I have four of these and three have grown side canes up against the edge of the pot. This starts my third year with blueberries. They're not all that easy to tend.
Thank you, very Educational, have 1/2 dz Blueberries and have done little pruning and now I know what I must do after this Harvest.
Been watching you for years. Always learn something new. Love your knowledge and purchase the Product.
Wow! So many great tips! Thanks for posting this video! 😊
you have a bunny! so cute! also thanks for the pruning tips
Great video. I didn't know I needed to prune blueberries, thanks to you I now know.
Thank you for the compliment The One! Charles :-)
Also thanks for the drawing. It makes even more sense because I'm a visual learner.
All the winter pruning videos I've seen so far seem to be located in more northern latitudes where they may be growing a different variety of blueberry. The plants looked markedly different than the varieties available here in So. Cal. The growing conditions were more large scale where the plants were in the ground. Only Spellman of Dave Wilson has promoted summer pruning and for home container planting in So. Cal. it makes sense.
Great instructional video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us viewers!
Finally found an informative video. Thanks
Thank you for ALL the great information!!
I have four blueberry bushes just starting to produce, lots of new growth. Early july here and im going to tip several today with your method. Trying some thornless blackberries also.
This makes total sense and thank you for your insight. I’m just now really getting into growing berry bushes and and I have no idea what I’m doing….so thank you. It makes no sense to pruning berry bushes in the winter in Houston Texas. Lol
I have 4 "over thirty year old" bushes, 2, 3 yr old and a small 1 yr old. I'd get at least 28 quart from the 4. Bought the others in case my older ones died off. I hadn't pruned, but lately have cut out some small growths near the tops. I've used fish emulsion & pine needles - no problems with disease at all. I may get brave and trim more wood. We put 2 car port frames with deer netting over the bushes to keep the catbirds, robins and a few other birds from eating all the berries. Last year I bought 4 bushes "for the birds" to eat from, but area was too wet and only one survived. (in Southern PA)
I really enjoyed this video!
I live in the northeast my blueberries are doing well, I have acidic soil and I water them almost every day, I use fertilizer , they certainly have grown nicely.
This is such an amazing video! Can’t thank you enough for being such a great teacher!
This was so informative , I needed ALL of this info and understanding the why helps so much . I have a client that has neglected his fruiting plants and trees for years ,and although they are alive they look and perform terrible. You are my secret weapon to transforming his property into the amazing space it has the potential to be. Thank you so much !!!😁
Enjoyed your entire video. Don’t change a thing. We are in SE Virginia and will give this a try.
Bill
Awesome video I love the info and and hard dedication. You give !
Good tips thank you
Thank you for the compliment PapaJohn! Charles 🌱👍
How about keeping those cuttings and start propagating new blueberry bushes.
We've got blueberries up the mountains of Pennsylvania that dad planted years ago. They don't really produce anymore and now I know why. Next summer (may be too late now) I'll be pruning the old hardwood that's probably over twenty years old unless the beavers pruned it for me.
Thanks for the information.
Can you tell the difference between a new cane & a sucker?
Excellent info! Thank you so much!
Great detailed information - thank you!
Thank you for all the information
My northern high Bush is 7 feet tall 8 feet wide and produces buckets of nickle sized berries. The plants are 15 years old, in the ground with potting soil.
You provide such a comprehensive presentation, I subbed. Thank you for the information, I was looking for everything you talked about. One thing im wondering about is rust, how can you prevent it, how to treat it.
if you have already planted them in the ground can you dig them up and build up the soil to raise them? Would it damage them and how many years would it set them back in fruiting?
thank you for giving so much knowledge realy. I will aply your ideas now summer 2024 and I will let you what hapend next year.
Hello ive watched both your blueberry plant videos a few times now, and was wondering if we can get an update video of your beautiful blueberry plants? thank you for your videos
Hello Kevin, I hope to have a follow up in the upcoming 30-60 days as the blooms are just beginning to swell!
Charles 🌱👍
Excellent explanation. Thank you.
I'd use a white camping canopy to block the sun. I have them up over my blueberry's for when I've watered then learn it's supposed to rain so they aren't watered so much. You could do the same to block those avocado trees.
How do you keep the bunnies I keep seeing in your you tube from gnawing the bottoms of your plants?
Does this also apply to northern grown blueberries?
loved your video, wish I watched it sooner because I didn't prune my new blueberry bushes that I planted last spring. Now they got a fair amount of berries just ripening but branches are way too bushy. Is it possible to prune them now or do I have to wait until the bushes stop producing the berries?
I am sorry but I must comment one more time. Can you use regular wood chips or they must be pine chips. Pine is hard to be found? Thanks
Your videos are really great, thanks for sharing !
I took some cuttings from Rabbiteyes and they successfully took but after a year in a pot I have one central 'trunk' as it were with quite a few canes branching up from the one central point. There are no other canes coming up from the crown. Should I remove all but three or so of the current canes and cut those back by half? Will this force the bush to push new canes from the roots under the soil and thus widen the crown? The plants are still in felt pots approx 12" round by 12" deep. I’m going to put them in 21 Gal pots this winter. The new pots are 22 in dia by 17 in deep
Do blueberry plants flower and fruit, if you have no cold winter season??
Once you've opened the can and added water how long will the white wash last?
Can we propogate from summer trimming? I would like to expand without buying
I have Rabbiteye. They are over 7 feet tall. How low can I bring it down?
Im at the end of my growing season, however, its very hot here in TX. Does temperature have any impact to when you do your summer prune.
Do you make new plants from what you took off?
Could have covered the salient points in less than 10 minutes.
Did I spy a rabbit? You have excellent advice thank you for sharing.
Thank you Kimberly! Charles 🌱👍
One of my plants has one long cane from the base. I was thinking it was a sucker and might have to be cut off. Now I think I'm just going to leave it alone until late this summer and shorten it a little lower. 🤔
Will prunning like this work in Louisiana
I have my blueberry's in the ground and have for last 6 yrs, they're never pruned but look like grape clusters and just 1 bush takes me about 15 + minutes to pick almost every day or every other day. My berry's are the size of large grapes too on my taller bushes and smaller bushes are medium sized but LOADED on the bush. I water almost every day....lol and we live in a climate that's very very humid and rainy. I empty our coffee grounds on the bushes every day for last 6 yrs. I just put a bunch in raised beds and they're doing the exact same as in the beds on the ground.
M Perongo I was just watching this for pruning purposes and got the feeling I really need to uproot blueberries and pot them ~ my berries are only 2 yrs old. - I’m in Florida zone 8b - it’s very humid here.... I’m just wanting to know what zone are you?
@@samandskip1999 Hey I'm in zone 8b Florida just south of Tallahassee about 10 miles from the coast. I've had bushes in sandy soil for well over a decade without an issue. I've seen local U picks do the same. I went from 3 bushes to 5 and I just planted 6 more. My oldest ones are over 7 feet tall. I just check the pH and apply sulfur and keep them mulched and do a very light fertilizer (one or 2 cups of espoma holly tone). One of my relatives nearby has a Blueberry patch in the soil for over twenty years and fertilizes with synthetic (Miracid from miracle gro). I think for the west coast planting in pots or raised beds is a must due to their more akaline soil and clay content.
So I think you can do either pots or plant in the soil provided you have sandy soil that is well draining with a lower PH. If you have more clay soil or slow draining you might be better doing a raised bed with sandy soil mixed equally with peat moss and pine bark nugget fines (or ask local nursery for bagged soil options) or you can go the potted route provided that you keep it small and tidy so the wind doesn't knock it over and refresh the soil every 4 to 5 years.
I tend to prune my plants only after they have been in the ground for 3 years or more and I do so in the winter and I do very light pruning (less than 5%) to remove older 5+ year old non productive canes to give room for younger canes and also to remove broken branches and such. We currently have harvested about 2 gallons of berries this year from the 4 mature plants and I have covered 2 with netting this year because of the dry spell the birds (mockingbird family mostly) were taking way more than they normally do even with bird baths and water. I dont mind sharing, but they were taking more than they have in past years. Normally they take around 25%, but it was considerably more unless I harvested before sunrise hence the reason why I went from 5 bushes to planting currently 11 (4 more rabbit eye and 2 southern highbush). They have done the same to my apples and my new plums which I netted half of both varieties because they just peck those and leave holes in them for the ants to get in.
Anyway, I was watching this to see about summer pruning after harvest which sounds like it could increase our bush production. I still plan on doing a very light pruning in the winter to remove damaged branches and some crossed branches. Hope this helps.
Here in zone 8B you don't cut them back like that because they won't have enough time to harden off for the winter
Hi,I live in Vermont. It’s June 10.The blueberry fruits just start to form two weeks ago.There are many baby shooters coming up from the ground. When is a good time to prune these shooters or wait till the berries fruits are gone? Thanks.
I am planning on going to live in the desert and still want a patio berry garden would a misting system be beneficial for the berries
I notice your plant has some orange leaves. I thought that was rust and I’ve been removing those leaves. What is it?
Oh, I mean Tom Spellman. I went back and put my phone right up to my ear, and that was a little better.
What a great video! I inherited a small blueberry bush from my parents (who have passed). All I did was move it from their house to mine. It also came along with a hosta! I don't want to separate them because I think it might be too invasive. So...This blueberry bush seems to have only one major stalk coming out of the base. Is it safe to prune?
I love watching your videos. QUESTION: I live in the northeast. So would this recommendation for pruning in the summer work for us here too? Or would the new growth be to tender to survive our winters?
And of course, he's not going to answer.
Is it advisable to transfer inground blueberry to containers and this Fall? I'm in zone 9a. I used to have 2 plants in ground and one died a year ago. Thanks for your informative video, I watched it to the last minute.
My blueberry plant in vase has all leaves, flowers came out but did come out fruits, do you know why?🇨🇦Toronto
People prune young plants way too much.. My 2-3 year old plants are massive with tons of berries, prune old wood from year 5-6 onwards.
There is no way I would prune that massive sucker that grew in one year on what looks like a 2-3 year old plant, that cane will have great fruit on it next year and send off more big shoots.
Thank you for your videos Charles. Do you know if blueberries send out suckers. That would be aggressive cane growth starting from bottom of plant. And do these suckers develop into fruit, or should they be removed? Thanks for all your information.
So does everything you covered apply to blueberries in zone 6? Can I plant my bushes in containers? Is there anything I should do additionally to protect from bad weather and freezing temps?
Why does pruning my beloved blue berry bushes give me so much anxiety 😬 they were my drafts from my grandmas bushes. They are misty blue probably 15 feet tall. I’m afraid of trimming what I shouldn’t trim off. Can I prune while there are tiny berries that aren’t ripening. I lots of small suckers inside
Hello from central VA
cute with the bunny
Hey you guys thank you so much for sharing all these tips and your knowledge about the fruit trees really helpful I think I've got some advice for you guys listen to your audio you go from we can barely hear you to Bam you're pouring rocks and you know you can hear you kind of banging around and it goes you know I've turned it up so I can hear what you were saying and then it just gets you get right up to that mic and boy it's a blowout just heads up on that one cuz it's not very pleasant I was not good so I'm laughing I'm just giggling have a blessed day and see you soon
Can you do a video on lychee? How to germinate seeds, best soil, watering, pruning, etc...
Found growing roses do better in light shade in climates that get over 90 degrees during the Summer.
is it allright to use all purpose fertilizer on ericacous plants?
I mean....this video is kind of for california. Blueberries are wild native to where I live, so I think I need different advice.
I have a acquired a 12’ blueberry tree I would like to prune down to a bush. Is this possible without killing it. Watching some blueberry pruning I will say all but one of the canes seem to be over six years old.
I utilize winter time pruning. is there any difference between summer time and winter time pruning. Which one is better? Thanx
Hello 👋 According to Tom Spellman, of Dave Wilson Nursery, summer (after harvest) is the preferred pruning time. This will allow you to control size, while the plant regrows some more lateral branches with maximum bloom buds... for maximum fruit yields! There’s a lecture with Tom Spellman you can find on the IV Organic TH-cam Channel that goes into more detail! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Charles 🌱👍
@@IVOrganic Summer post harvest pruning would seem to conserve water as well, being the plant will require less water during the remainder of the growing season. Less plant to utilize water.
Go to the point
Agree, this should be way more concise and to the point. I never finished watching. There are a lot of very good 20 minute videos on blueberry care already online.
hi, I searched your videos and didn't find but hoping maybe you covered how to handle borers on donut peach trees? I sprayed with Cap'n Jack's Dead Bug but I still see the gold sap balls which I am not sure is that from the tree or is that the borer? Do I remove that gold stuff or should it be disappearing if the Dead Bug is working? how would your products work differently or better? Thank you
I planted mine into the ground last year and seems like it’s dying except for a single stem growth. Should I transplant to a pot? I had added mulch and acid fertilizer during the past year. I didn’t get any fruits this spring 😞
The bunny!!
HI, thank you for this great info as i get ready to plant my first two blueberry plants - different varieties. I have a long raised bad, so i'd like to plant some additional veggies that love acidic soil. Should I go with onions, garlic, and maybe even asparagus?
Is it ok to use grass clippings as mulch? (I have Bermuda grass since I live in upstate SC)
Did you notice the little white and brown rabbit that ran behind him through his garden?
wow!!! today I've found out why my Blueberries R yielding less and less each year.
I would like the text of the lecture. It’s hard to understanding what he is saying.
Cutting off the flowers is only increses yield if it is a new blueberry plant and you want the plant to focus on roots
Yep, with starting plants. It’s hard for people to do that too.
Thanks for another great video. Question: does adding that granular fertilizer directly to the soil not cause compaction over time reducing the flow of water and oxygen?
Jason Perez the soil food web will eat it all what doesn’t dissolve. Cheers
❤
whats in your white wash ? So I can make my own
He advertises his whitewash in all of his videos. He teaches and sells his products. Don’t expect a formula from Him. I’ve commented on too much push with the whitewash before and never get a reply.
Just go to the store and pick some up. Or as my orchardist friends have told me. It’s often not necessary. But if it gives you piece of mind then do it. Orchardists don’t have the time to paint every pruning cut. They wouldn’t get anything done.
If you have concerns about sun damage to younger trees and bushes there are breathable biodegradable cloth wraps and tubes that you can use which I think is better because it protects them from rabbits and rodents that chew the bark until they get older and can shade themselves. That or just simply plant a dwarf or small companion bush on the south to southwest side of the trunk to provide the shade until they get older. I wouldn't bother doing the IV organic whitewash on berry plants. I would only be concerned about trees which are a more pricey investment vs a $9-15 blueberry bush. Just my two cents.
I see he's got a rabbit in his garden. They must like blueberries much...
I thought that rabbit was fake haha!!!
Bunny!!
From what I can tell, this might not be great advice for growers in the north with cold winters you could set up for more winter damage.
I’ve tried to grow my ficus cutting 4 different times and none of them have made it. Do you have any tips? I use take root powder and then plant them in a cup of soil. They die after two days.
I use coffee grounds
Too much talking need more demo. I had to skip ahead.
Yep.
100% agree with you.
@@johnhinson3397 he is basically an advertisement for the white paint that he constantly peddles
I watch him at 1.5x to speed it up and still it goes on forever, but the info is useful.
Yes 100% agree with you😂😂
I believe there is great information in there, but there is so much superfluous talking, I don't have time to listen. One hour videos keep you from watching and learning other things and also take a large bite out of a very busy day.
Adjust settings to speed of 1.5 or 1.75 and try to be nice
Dude you made this so complicated, I have no idea what to prune!