Kate:

I hope that plant has some leaves that can't be seen. Lots of berries with few leaves equals poor fruit.

I'd say those are a month off. But most varieties ripen over a month or more. If you wait until all are ripe, most may be lost to birds, etc.

I could be way off about Alabama blueberries.

You might consider pruning this winter. What little I could see looks like a bush badly in need of renewal pruning.

Sounds like a rabbiteye variety, they start ripening late May/June

Thanks, Fruitnut.

I lifted the more leafy branches away to expose these loaded branches underneath.

You are ahead of me to my next question, too, which is about pruning. I have recently been put in charge of this house and the person before me didn't do any maintenance to speak of, unfortunately, for the 10 years the property was vacant. I doubt the shrub had been pruned for a long while before that due to grandparents' ailments, etc.

How would I go about pruning this blueberry? I already have plans to cut back the nandina that is crowding form one side, and the small maple coming up the other, and remove the muscadine that has begun to climb.

I'm also curious if it could be transplanted successfully in the fall.

Thanks!

kate:

Moving a shrub that big and old won't be my first choice. It might be possible but doing the other things you mentioned to get it some sun would sound like a lot better choice to me. Renewal pruning should probably be done over several years. Start by removing a few of the biggest and oldest shoots as low as possible. Clean up small wood down low and any shoots out of place. Each year take out a little more big wood. Soon you'll have a younger looking shrub.

That would be my plan. It could be so old it doesn't respond with many new shoots, at least not the first year.