Sunshine blues finally get some love and a great deal

11 years ago

Just a couple of items.....I was having trouble with my birds scratching the mulch out of the sunshine blue blueberry bed in front of the house on to the bricks so finally got around to putting in a retaining wall. Just landscape timbers cut to 2' with a point cut in to them and driven in a foot. I may end up putting it around the entire front but very low so I can mow over it. The yard is Zoysia and I get tired of pulling the runners out of the bed.

I was driving by a local owned garden center and they had a 50% off all plants sale sign up so had to stop in. I figured it was one of those jack the prices up then have a sale thing but turned out not to be the case. I ended up buying two figs that had bases the size of 50 cent pieces and 3 Star blueberries as I don't have that variety. All they did have was star and windsors but they had a lot of them. The plants were GORGEOUS...leaves spotty but to be expected on nursery plants this time of year. Originally $14.99 so $7.50 a plant in a 3 gallon pot. You can see the golf ball for comparison and just how big the base is. You can see the bull canes are very thick and the plants very full, bit too full. The bull canes had been topped at about 3 feet and had about 12" of new growth. The place had apples, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, grapes..you name it. I had to leave fast before I bought more.

I talked to the owner on the way out and he said business has been slow and had to make payroll.

Just to show that bargains are out there.

Comments (8)

edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
11 years ago
Very nice. Nice stocky plant too. This year I was obsessed with a Chandler blueberry at a local store that was moving, so the prices were reduced. 30%, then 40%, then 50%, so the $25 bush was $12.50.......and I know I could have got it for $10. There was only one problem. I've already filled up my backyard with plants, and my wife would have been unhappy. Took all the willpower I had to walk out of the store emptyhanded. I did get a pat on the back though.
blueboy1977
11 years ago
Vary nice Bam! Your Sunshine Blues will fill out nicely now. They don't look so hidden anymore and I assume they are getting more sun now? You gave me an idea for some raised beds for my blues. I like the look of the cut land scape timbers and that will last much longer than my 2x12 beds. I've had those beds now for 2 years and they just about rotted away already. I've got about 25 one year old blues in 3 gallon pots that I'm gona have to do something with next spring. I may get rid of a lot of them but not all and I can only handle so many in big pots. I'm thinking a large raised bed is in my future.

I was looking at Stars awhile back because of Fruitnuts success with that variety but from what I've read they are very susceptible to leaf spot problems and there chill hours were a little on the high side for my location. Plus I would have them out doors, not in a green house.

On a different note, I was doing some research on new BB varieties and came across several new ones coming out soon. Bobolink, Chickadee, Raven, Medowlark, Kestrel, and Flicker are coming out soon. From reading the descriptions Bobolink and Chickadee sound like they will end up in a big pot at my house soon!
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bamboo_rabbit
Original Author
11 years ago
Blueboy,

They get pretty good sun where they are. When you saw that last pic they were just weedy.....I was having trouble getting mulch so.........

The Stars were an impulse buy:) I have not looked at their specifics yet at all.

My friend that is the commercial grower offered me Meadowlark and Kestrel but he said they were nothing special so I didn't take any. I have not even heard of the others you mentioned lol.
blueboy1977
11 years ago
Here is the link to the new varieties
http://ffsp.net/blueberry.html
bamboo_rabbit
Original Author
11 years ago
Blueboy,

Thanks. I looked up the Star and 300-400 chill is no problem, I always get at least 300. So you are actually warmer than I am? I will look at the varieties now but if I get tempted and buy more I may have to hunt you down.
blueboy1977
11 years ago
What I read was 400 to 500 for star but I have noticed that chill hours are not set in stone and can differ from site to site. That's good to know though. I will let you do the trial and see how you fair over the next couple years with star.

According to the info available to me we average 300 to 400 in Seabrook Tx. Some years a little less or a little more.
bamboo_rabbit
Original Author
11 years ago
We are the same 300-400. I am on a lake so I get some benefit from the lake microclimate but it is nver enough to keep the frost away. On average how many frosts do you get a year? I would say the average here is 3-4. Last winter was 2.
blueboy1977
11 years ago
3 to 4 sounds about right. Every now and then a good freeze hits but not very often. The last good freeze was about 6 or 7 years ago on Christmas day. It was crazy, had a white Christmas and snow all the way to the gulf in Galveston.