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bellamart

Jersey Blueberries

bellamart
11 years ago

I have 2 (extremely small) Jersey blueberry bushes. They were planted about 5-6 years ago from a couple of small bare branches purchased from the Christmas Store. They seem healthy although they are taking forever to grow and I heard they need a different type of blueberry bush to cross pollinate - not the same kind. I do have 2 other blueberry bushes that I purchased from Home Depot (one last year, the other 2 years ago). I don't recall the names of them, but they don't need cross pollinators. They had berries on them when purchased and this year, I have berries on them. I guess the Jersey ones need a different type to cross pollinate, but I don't have a clue which kind they are.

I would be ever so grateful if anyone has any idea or info on them so they will start producing, too.

Comments (7)

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    11 years ago

    Hello bellamart,
    Pollination doesn't sound like the problem.Your Jerseys should be growing at least one foot per year.How tall are they?Did they flower?Unless the other plants are Southern Highbush or Rabbiteye,which I kind of doubt,they should be fine as pollinators.Are the Jerseys planted near some concrete or in shade?Something is causing them not to grow.They may need to be transplanted. Brady

  • olympia_gardener
    11 years ago

    I have Jersey planted along with Berkerly, Duke, Chandler, Sunshineblue, and few others in my garden. I saw a chart from this forum about the blooming time and which are the best pollinators. But my plants seem to start to bloom in about same time, within a week or two the most . BB bloom is continues. I have BB in pea size and on the same plant, there are still flowers. So I don't seem have big problem of pollination.

  • birdgardner
    11 years ago

    What kind of soil do you have? Blueberries like an acid soil, below pH 5, 4.5 is ideal. They like sand, with a water table their roots can reach. Failing that they may have trouble taking in nutrients and growing.

    Mine are on clay, which is acid but not that acid, and the water table is way way down. So they grow slowly. Every year I dump pine needles on, and use fertilizer for acid-loving plants, but I think it's time to buy a pH tester and see what's going on, maybe amend with sulfur. The leaves are yellowish with green veins which suggests difficulty taking up iron.

  • Noogy
    11 years ago

    Bellamart,
    Hit them with some ammonium sulfate at bud break and 3 weeks later. Prune flowers for a few years. water frequently A good pollinator for Jersey is Legacy.

  • capoman
    11 years ago

    Agree with ammonium sulphate. pH may be the main issue. I originally had my blueberries in neutral sandy soil in an organic garden bed and had an almost impossible time lowering the pH. I saw two main symptoms due to high pH. In some strains, I saw yellow leaves/chlorosis. In others I saw green foliage, but very few berries and slow growth. Moving them to a properly prepared raised bed that was a combination of sand and peat with the pH set correctly, I transplanted all plants and they took off like a rocket with lots of berries. Considering your slow growth and poor fruit production, I suspect pH is your issue as it was for some of my plants. Also, I've had to use little else besides ammonium sulphate for fertilizer.

  • n2xjk
    11 years ago

    I have a mature patch of about 25 plants that until recently was only Jersey (most bushes are over 40 years old), and it self pollinates well enough. Just recently I added some Patriots for an earlier variety.

  • Noogy
    11 years ago

    n2xjk,
    Yup, they'll self pollinate, but your yield/size will supposedly be bette crosspollinated.
    With our late frosts, my neighbor lost most of his blooms. I'm loaning him a 30" potted Elliott to see if he can maximize what he has...