The time is nearly here, the wait is nearly over. Very soon I will have my first pick of blueberries.
Aren't they a pretty colour before they turn blue? A lovely purple rosy colour.
But I am a little worried that they may be sampled by my feathered friends - Half-tail the currawong and his/her jaunty partner Snappy, or Laurie and Keats the lorikeets. A blueberry protection device is in order.
A bit of left over wire, two stakes and a bit if red nylon rope and the device has been constructed. Ugly but hopefully functional?
I believe that you cut them back 1/3rd after they finish fruiting.
Aren't they a pretty colour before they turn blue? A lovely purple rosy colour.But I am a little worried that they may be sampled by my feathered friends - Half-tail the currawong and his/her jaunty partner Snappy, or Laurie and Keats the lorikeets. A blueberry protection device is in order.
A bit of left over wire, two stakes and a bit if red nylon rope and the device has been constructed. Ugly but hopefully functional?
- Do lorikeets steal your berries?
- What about your currawongs?
- How do you keep the birdies off your fruit?
- And, does anyone out there have advice on pruning blueberries?
I believe that you cut them back 1/3rd after they finish fruiting.
- Has anyone tried to strike new plants from their blueberry prunings?
- Do you use hard or soft wood?
Oh I do hope someone knows the answers to your questions as I would love to know too. This is also my first year of growing blueberries and my berries are starting to swell at the moment - a good few weeks behind yours I reckon. Exciting aren't they?
ReplyDeleteThey are wonderful and so pretty. I have been reading about them and they are quite unusual plants. Apparently the original blueberries grew in boggy, waterlogged, acid soil. They don't have root hairs and that's why they need water up to them all the time. So I think I have just the space for them at the property, a little space that seeps (perhaps a spring?) and has a little shade. We spend so much of our time doing the 'well drained' thing for everything else we grow and so its good to find something that I might be able to grow in the waterlogged spot I have in mind.
DeleteI have always thought that blueberries are pruned when they are dorment in winter. At least that is what I have done. However my blueberries are only a few years old...
ReplyDeleteOh thanks Ian, I am not sure when is best but your suggestion seems sensible to me. I guess it doesn't get cold enough in Sydney in winter to make blueberries dormant though.
DeleteI am from Melbourne, and my blueberries certainly go dormant. Except for the Chinese evergreen blueberry that I have only planted this year.
ReplyDeleteOh very helpful. So maybe mine might too! I will have to watch and see.
DeleteI tried to reply to this on my ipad a few days ago, but it was giving me trouble, so I'm back now. No troubles from birds around here, but your feathered friends seem particularly persistent. I hope your measures work for you.
ReplyDeleteI pruned last year by about a third, but not just 1/3 off everything. I tried to improve the shape and balance of the plant at the same time. I keep meaning to try striking cuttings, but there is such conflicting information out there, as you have probably noticed.
Oh thanks
DeleteYes, mine could do with a proper shaping, so will take your approach to a tidy up. Might mean doing an experiment on the striking - using a couple of different methods.
I tried once a few years back to strike soft wood cutting from deciduous blueberries; I used root powder, seed growing mix, kept them moist etc, but they died anyway. I don't know any more than that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bek, bummer that it didnt work. Sounds like you did the right things, I wonder therefore if they prefer the hard wood alternative? More questions.
DeleteWell I usually prune most things after flowering so autumn is to a bad time. That way it can put on a little growth before winter. I took out the older canes but I think the ends need a little pruning as well.
ReplyDeleteI have mine in pots by the kitchen window so I can watch. I do get a few birds so I used to send the dog out, until I discovered he likes to eat them as well! Now I try and collect them in the morning before the birds get a chance.
Haven't tried taking cuttings. I would suggest soft wood cuttings in spring and hard wood cuttings in autumn. Who knows you could be lucky
I obviously need a dog that doesn't eat blueberries. I wonder if they come with that on their collar? Like the hard wood / soft wood season thing, that's a helpful tip.
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