[Pollinator] US: Cultivate blueberries to avoid sky-high prices at grocery store

[Ladadams at aol.com]

US: Cultivate blueberries to avoid  sky-high prices at grocery store 

Blueberries are the  hottest food-bearing plant on the market due to 
antioxidant content and sky-high  grocery-store prices. In recent decades, breeding 
has resulted in dozens of  varieties that extend the blueberry climate 
limitations to include the far north  and far south. There is a huge range of sizes, 
from rangy shrubs to squat  2-foot-tall dwarfs. Plus, early- to late-yielding 
varieties extend the harvest  season from weeks to months.

Because blueberries are upright, long-lived  shrubs, you can plant a hedge of 
them that is both functional and productive.  Hedges also give you access to 
both sides of each plant for more convenient  harvest. The hedge offers 
seasonal change, with beautiful white urn-shaped  flowers in the spring, fruit in 
summer and bright red leaf color in the  fall.

Hedges allow you to combine blueberries that bloom early with those  that 
flower mid-season and with late varieties. Grouping plants also assists in  
cross-pollination, because not all blueberries are self-fertile.

Those  that are not self-fertile will require a second variety nearby that 
flowers at  the same time. Before you buy a blueberry shrub, be sure to inquire 
if it needs  a pollinator and whether that plant is available. If it is not in 
stock, try to  stick with self-fertile forms.

Blueberries ask only for acidic PH soil,  which is often found in regions of 
high rainfall such as the Pacific Northwest.  These soil conditions are often 
present in forest environments, and homesites  once covered by trees may prove 
ideal for the shrubs. The second requirement is  well-drained soil, because 
blueberries will not stand for a saturated root zone.  Planting on sloping 
ground can aid in improving drainage.

Blueberries  root like other plants of the heath family such as 
rhododendrons. Their roots  spread widely at the surface of the soil to feed off the layer 
of decaying  organic matter. If you cultivate the soil around the base of a 
blueberry, you  will damage these surface roots, which can seriously damage the 
health of the  plant. Because blueberries prefer even moisture in the root 
zone, mulching is  recommended. Mulch also protects the roots from summer heat by 
shading the  sensitive surface roots from direct sun.

Similarly, if there is a winter  cold snap and the soil surface freezes, the 
mulch will insulate the roots from  frost damage. When spreading acidic 
mulches such as pine needles, be sure to  keep it at least an inch or two away from 
the base of the trunk to prevent crown  rot.

Keep in mind that the blueberry is a woody shrub, which makes it  difficult 
to ship larger plants in the mail. Blueberries are regionally  specific, with 
some doing better in the warm South and others tailored for the  North. For 
this reason, the best place to get started with blueberries is at a  local garden 
center. The centers know exactly what varieties are best suited to  your 
climate, what plants need pollinators, what pollinators are best and  whether you 
can grow early-season bloomers where you live.

With a  container-grown shrub, you can buy good-sized plants that bloom and 
bear very  well. Buying from a mail-order catalog limits size and root ball to 
what can be  shipped easily. Plus, there's less locally specific guidance than 
when you buy  from a garden center.

America is just catching on to the fact that you  don't have to live in the 
cool, moist North to cultivate this exorbitantly  priced delicacy. Whether 
you're in Florida, Oklahoma or California, when it  comes time to landscape, don't 
underestimate the value of the modern highbred  blueberry.

_
Source:  readingeagle.com_ 
(http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=120849)  
Publication date: 1/14/2009













































































Laurie Davies Adams
Executive  Director
Pollinator Partnership 
423 Washington Street, 5th  floor
San Francisco, CA  94111
415-362-1137
LDA at pollinator.org

_www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) 

_www.nappc.org_ (http://www.nappc.org/) 

National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. 
Beecome  involved at _www.pollinator.org_ (http://www.pollinator.org/) 
**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy 
steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De
cemailfooterNO62)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20090114/55b8a803/attachment.html>