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cjs777

Top Hat Blueberries

cjs777
9 years ago

These plants are offered by Gurney's @ $6.99 each. Can anyone tell me if they're a good buy ? How soon do they bear fruit, does one need 2 plants ? How well do they winter over, & do they need to be covered in winter ?
I live in Central Mn.

Thanks !

Comments (7)

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    They are small plants half-high type plant. 24 inches tall maybe. So yield will be small. hardy to zone 4. In pots you always have to protect plants as the ground is a lot warmer. I don't know where you are, what zone, you can tell mine by looking at my name. The berries are good, developed by MSU I believe long ago. So don't expect great yields, but for a small plant it produces well.
    Good for pots, but could use some protection in winter if in zone 6 or lower. Nice price for them for sure!

  • cjs777
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm guessing I'm in zone 4. Chilly winters for sure !
    If I buy them, I'll cover them & keep my fingers crossed !

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    If you can give them overhead protection too. What i mean is don't let them be rained on all the time in winter. They are very hardy and a nice plant, worth a try.
    Try to keep it in the shade in the winter so it doesn't get warm by the sun, then cool at night, that freeze-thaw can kill. Just keep it cold.

  • lsoh
    9 years ago

    cjs777,

    Sorry, I've never grown Top Hat. However...

    I grow 4 varieties of blueberries in pots. They are full size northern high bush varieties. But my pots are large and heavy, 14 gallons. If I understand correctly, fruitnut grows several full size blueberry varieties (Texas heat type) in 5 gallons. My point is, you can grow whatever variety you want in a pot. But if you want a small plant for visual reasons, then Top Hat might be your choice. Or you could check into "half high" varieties. If I recall correctly, some of those are pretty cold hardy. If you are growing for yield, Top Hat is probably on the low side. Just make sure whatever variety you choose is rated for your zone. And most blueberries should yield better with a second variety as a pollinator.

    I live in Ohio zone 5. No where near as cold as the Minneapolis area where I've lived in the past. But last winter was nasty for us. Well below zero for several days in a row a few times. Maybe -10F? I realize that Minnesotans don't even zip their jackets at that temperature. However, all my blueberries came through winter well. My young plants yielded the most yet.

    If you grow in pots, you will need to insulate the roots for the winter. (Or it might help to drag your plants into an UNheated garage. Although I don't know if that would be sufficient in MN winters or not.) I bury my pots in leaves. Keep in mind that the leaves will settle a lot during the winter. I pile the leaves a couple inches higher than the pots. (However, one forum member lost plants do to rodents when she buried them in leaves.) Drew's point about the freeze-thaw cycle applies to me - for the roots. But I don't cover the branches of the plants. And my plants are in full sun. From my years in Minnesota, I remember the freeze part. But I'm thinking the "thaw" part is pure optimism in MN.

    You'll need a long lasting potting mix for acidic plants. If you want information on that, either search this forum or ask.

    Bottom line, If the cost of shipping is low, there's not much to loose at that price. Give it a shot.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I also have 4 in pots. i put them in an unheated garage but it is like a zone 7 in there. Not bad, no sun hits them, (they don't need it anyway, dormant). Yes, the roots are the main concern. It works pretty well! Well long term, we will see!

  • ottawan_z5a
    9 years ago

    I am in Zone 5a. I have 10 blueberry (high bush) plants in 7-gallon pots. For a couple of years I kept these outside on the ground protected from chilly winds partly protected by fallen snow. They survived. Now I have buried the pots, two-third of the height after making hole on the pots sides near the bottom so the roots can go out for grazing. I still do light fertilization and needed pruning. They thrive. 'Reka" variety is my best performer here.

  • lsoh
    9 years ago

    cjs777,

    ottawan brought up a point. If your pots are buried in snow, that may be sufficient. Keeping your pots buried in snow for the entire winter probably isn't a problem in Minnesota. I can't say for sure. We usually don't have that amount of snow.