steelnut Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 More advice please? We planted 6 baby blueberry bushes in May. They're only on average 18 inches high. Do we need to do anything special over the winter to protect them? I thought about covering them up with hay? Any advice is very much appreciated as always, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracy96 Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I don't do anything with mine over the winter but mine are over twice as big as yours. Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 I don't do anything with mine over the winter but mine are over twice as big as yours. Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you. Thanks Tracy! Did you start yours out as small ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 We always mound as much sawdust around the base of them as we can, but they're hardier than you might think. The sawdust is more for soil conditioning and to help them make shoots from the base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracy96 Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Thanks Tracy! Did you start yours out as small ones? They were probably about the same as yours when I bought them spring 2008. I only have 2 and they produce a large amount of blueberries. We bought 2 rasberry bushes this year. They are doing well too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I'll bet many of you have picked wild huckleberries around here. Blueberries are native so you shouldn't have to do much of anything to keep them from freezing. The only thing that I would worry about is them heaving out of the ground should it thaw and freeze repeatedly and they don't have the best root system. Some mulch would keep that from happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparticus Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 We have a few bushes in our yard. My dad planted them a long time ago. He did everything he could with them. Made sure the weeds were taken out around them, saw dust mound up, Japanese beetle bags near to capture the bugs, along with plant food. To me it seemed to do any good. When he passed away I did not pick up where he left off with the care. I got rid of the saw dust, dont bother with the beetle bags or the plant food. I just let them go. They are now HUGE and produce some very large berries. My suggestion, dont worry about them, they will grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokefree Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I didn't do anything special with mine when I planted them last year and they are fine (although small) and had berries this year. I have a pine tree and throw pine cones on top of the ground under them but I really wouldn't call that mulching. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Thanks to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JenMc32 Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 We always mound as much sawdust around the base of them as we can, but they're hardier than you might think. The sawdust is more for soil conditioning and to help them make shoots from the base. We always do the same. We've never covered them in winter. Put some sawdust around them in Spring and when berries start we cover them with netting to help keep the birds & beetles out. I've also heard it is best to have a couple different types of bushes. We have two types. A few of the smaller ones and several of the nickel size ones. Can't remember the name of them though! We've had so many blueberries the past few years that we've actually been able to sell quite a few of them! We have 11 bushes. I've even trimmed them in half in late Fall or early Spring and they've come back to the size they were before trimming by the time they bloom & get berries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Our blueberry bushes have been pruned to ground level by deer and the resident groundhog. Guess I got to start all over again, unless the roots have life left in them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 You might want to keep them from chewing below a foot off the ground but even then the bushes will probably come back. It might take them a while to recover though. It takes the plant a lot of time and energy to rebuild old wood so you might want to protect them for a year or so till they get back up to a hefty size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmyhubby Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 My husband put in a few bushes this year, and put wire fencing around them to keep the deer out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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