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ravenh2001

Northern high bush blueberry's

ravenh2001
11 years ago

Maybe northwoods is my go to guy on this. I want 4 high bush blueberry bushes to plant on the south side of house foundation. I want the plants to be about 4' tall thick and have large tart berries. I am in zone 4 (untill global) and ph is no problem. I have 4 ac of Maine wild or about 8,000 lbs a year of berries so this would be mostly for show but I would want to grab a berry or 2 after work without having to walk 150' to the field. I know my wild blues but am clewless on high bush. please tell me (and I know this is a good chance to yank a new guys chain) what to buy for pollin ect. and where to buy it. thank you Raven

Comments (12)

  • windfall_rob
    11 years ago

    Patriot would fit he bill quite nicely. I never really think of northern high bush as "thick", but some are especially leggy

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    11 years ago

    raven,
    Along with Polaris,some of the half highs that grow to 3-4 feet are Chippewa,Northblue and Northland.All these can handle cold Winters.
    Most Blueberries are going to be sweet,unless they are picked before turning ripe. Brady

  • ravenh2001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    From the wright ups patriot seems to fit but it says better fruiting with a pollinator. Do I need another high bush or would my wild's cover that at 150 to 300 feet away?

  • ericwi
    11 years ago

    Our blueberry shrubs are pollinated mainly by bumblebees, and they can easily range 300 feet. We also see honeybees, & I think these are coming from hives located about 1/4 mile from here. There is not too much blooming in the early spring, when the blueberry shrubs flower, so the bees are highly motivated to find them. We don't use herbicide on the lawn, and we use almost no pesticide around the property. I do set out several ant traps in the house, but that's it. Pollination is not a problem here.

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    11 years ago

    raven,
    Your wild ones may be Vaccinium angustifolium,which is a different species than the Northern Highbush,Vaccinium corymbosum and they may not cross pollinate.It might be best to get at least two different varieties of NH. Brady

  • greenorchardmom
    11 years ago

    Right, they need no pollinator but when you add one your yield increases & you get to compare growing flavor etc.
    I pollinate my Patriot with a Spartan
    I think, hmmmm? I have a huge blueberry patch with 15 varieties & some markers have gone astray
    both have excellent flavor
    the P is more vigorous but I prune the S hard after leaf fall to stimulate growth.
    its not that far behind.
    they are 2 of the best looking ones I grow
    not that it matters much

  • bamboo_rabbit
    11 years ago

    Have you checked the PH next to your foundation? I realize you live in an acidic area but foundations and it's liming effects can be a problem.

    This post was edited by bamboo_rabbit on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 14:01

  • northwoodswis4
    11 years ago

    I think the above writers have said it well. Polaris was the one variety whose flavor I didn't like as well, for some reason. It wasn't sour, just an off flavor. Might just be our local conditions. I was thinking North Country was a rather short bush, but I may be confusing it with another variety. Northwoodwis

  • ravenh2001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Spartan and patriot seem to be a good 2 pair but finding them at the same nursery not so easy. Burpee has both but watchdog was not to promising in there reviews.

  • bob_z6
    11 years ago

    StarkBros has 1 gal Patriot and Darrow. I like both, but prefer the Darrow as they have a more tart to them. I'm adding 2 more Darrow this year from Starks. You could get 4 with free shipping, if you add a tree of some sort to get over the $85 threshold.

    I got my originals from BerriesUnlimited, but I don't think they have any Darrow. They do have Patriot and Spartan, in both 1 and 2 gal sizes and are a good place to go for blueberries (not so much for honeyberries).

  • ravenh2001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks guy's I called blueberries unlimited to order 2pats and 2 sparts. Before I was done I ended up with 2 extra toros and 6 rasberrys. I should have just done an online order. now where do I put the extras?

  • ravenh2001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Bamboo Rabbit
    Good call on the foundation. I saw enough dirt today to test and it was 6.8. I went down to my blueberry field and tested that for ref and it was 4.6- 5.2. It might be cement lime or PO might have limed the lawn. Thank you

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