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| Hi there! Looking for some experienced thoughts on this: Last week, I decided I'd had enough of this eyesore, and took to it with a power saw, some pruners, and muscle. Once I unburied the brush, I found what's left of the patch. Of the four 4-5' bushes, one was rotted at the roots & lifted right out of the ground, one is solid but bare of leaves, and two - much to my astonishment - have healthy, green leaves at the top! I thinned the plants of obviously dead canes. The bare one has some reddish-brown branches in contrast to the gray, dead wood. So I left those, but don't expect much from that one. It'd be nothing short of a miracle if that one came back. I also pruned back the trees, in hopes that more sunlight & air flow will reach the struggling plants. Is there any hope of these big, once beautiful bushes bearing fruit again? I'm realistic - not thinking that next June I'll have buckets full - but I wonder if a few years out might be promising? |
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| I doubt you'll have much of a crop without at least trimming the trees up higher. Better yet for the berries cut the trees down. They'll need extra water at a minimum. |
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| Blueberry plants won't do well under the large trees. After they do dormant, dig up all of them. Plant them in a sunny spot. You have nothing to lose... Good luck. |
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| It's your yard, so its your call. If you want blueberries, the trees have to go. My guess is that you would be best off taking out the trees, and planting new blueberry shrubs. If you want to keep the trees, move the shrubs somewhere else. They need full sun, all day ideally, but they will do OK with full sun, half day. Fall is a good time for moving blueberry shrubs. |
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| Thanks for the replies, everyone. I guess we've got a decision to make. My boyfriend had the same input - that the trees have to go (I can't see us successfully transplanting with all those tree roots to battle with). I'm just afraid to chop the trees in vain if the bushes don't come back to life! |
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| Looks like you've got plenty of open space available to plant new blueberries in a full-sun location. I probably would like to keep some shade for my picnic table...might not keep all those trees, but I don't know that I'd cut 'em all down just to open the canopy for 3-4 old neglected BBs. But...if you were planning to remove the trees, anyway...you might read up on rejuvenative pruning for blueberries...they might come on and do something for you. |
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