05/30/2026
🫐CARE INFO Blueberries
Many of you have taken home a few plants from our nursery so I thought I would write some care info. Thank you for reading! – Laura
🫐 __ CARE INSTRUCTIONS __
for your Blueberry Bush 🌳
··· And other info!
___ OUR BLUEBERRIES ___
• Our bushes are Rabbit Eye Blueberries.. they fruit a bit later than other varieties (May)
• Rabbiteye blueberries are native to the SE United States. They grow from 6 to 10 feet tall and cannot fertilize themselves.
___ CROSS POLINATION ___
• They need another blueberry bush buddy nearby to make fruit.. we call that cross pollination.. and this is why we suggest to buy two plants
• ☀️Plant in full sun area and well draining soil
___ ROOTS & WEEDS ___
• Blueberries are a bush with a shallow root system (the roots are more on the surface and do not go far into the ground) and because of this...
• To keep weeds from invading your blueberry roots, place cardboard or newspaper at the base of the plants along with good soil and mulch on top about two+ inches away from trunk.
• Any blueberry flowers produced in the first three years could be picked off if you want growth to go into a bigger bush, quicker (smaller bushes can produce fruit, but a lot of energy goes into making the fruit, and it likely won't grow as big as quick)
__ PLANTING YOUR NEW 🫐BUSH __
• After you dig the hole for your new bush, place peat moss, or pine bark, or pine needles at the bottom of the hole for good pH balance
• Be sure to gently make sure the roots are not "in a ball" or this could harm the overall growth or health of the plant
___ SOIL ___
• Blueberries love a balanced pH and acidic soil... Buy a "blueberry blend" of fertilizer nutrients as it will have the right amount of higher nitrogen and keep pine needles around the base and/or pine bark mulch
• We use pellet elemental sulphur to lower the pH to help the plant take up the nutrients
• Fertilizer (We get from Mayo Fertilizer and Farm Supply Williston FL): 16-4-8 (or similar numbers) in 50lbs or a good 10-10-10 blend (the first number, nitrogen, should* be higher for blueberries)
• • • First one to three years they need more fertilizer 2-3 times a year. As they age, once or twice a year is good
*** Be extra careful where you place the fertilizer when the plant is young, 10 inches or so away from the base of the plant, as the new shoots pop up the fertilizer should not touch them, from experience I believe they can "burn" ***
___ PESTS ___
• Many insects and diseases can attack blueberries and can cause reductions in growth and yield or even cause plant death ... Root rot occurs when they sit in water for more than 3-4-5 days.. gray mold fungus can affect the flowers... Blueberry stem blight is a fungus, caused by plant stresses like drought, nutritional deficiencies, or excess leaves or even fruits... Proper pruning of infected wood will help and minimizing stresses and spraying pesticides in the correct amounts when fruit is not on the bushes should help protect against pests (Example: Helping the leaves with liquid copper fungicide mixed with water "Southern Ag" brand liquid copper in a Home depot hand sprayer with water in correct ratio) when berries are not on the bushes
• A bonus about the blueberry bush is their resistance to most diseases* and insect pests. There are a few bugs that enjoy blueberries but they don't seem to do terrible damage, I would say birds or squirrels might be more of a pest. Hang mirrors, wind chimes, kinetic sculptures, fake owl near by, or something similar to scare birds away
___ WATERING ___
• Bushes need at least 4-5 hours of full sun
•
• At the orchard, we use an irrigation & drip system with a Rain Bird automatic control panel. These components are easily found at your local hardware store, Home Depot, etc. We water each section twice a day for 15 +/- minutes... I've learned over these years that many Florida gardeners heavy water for an hour drench at night _ times a week during high heat months/dry season or very early morning
• If a drip system is not in your plans, that's okay. * Blueberries need watering once per week, regardless of what season they are growing in. * When they are in vegetative/growth mode, Blueberries require one inch each week. A hose on "shower" mode or a filled watering can should do the trick
___ TRIM ___
• Every 3-4 years, the oldest canes should be cut down to a nub. The older a blueberry cane is, it will produce bushier "fan like" twigs at the end of the canes and therefore smaller weaker berries in time.
PRUNING VIDEO: ••• This video is a very good video, one of the best we've found, extremely clear and educational.. clearly shows how to prune, when, what canes, with real photos, white board examples, excess examples... Gosh I love this video! https://youtu.be/E_fglEl9mVo?si=ZtMFt1510si-sg9m
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GREAT HARDINESS ZONE EXPLAINATION
By Suzanne Hattier on FB:
The numbers/letters (9A, 9B, 10A, etc.) are USDA hardiness zones. They show the average lowest winter temps in your area, which helps gardeners know what plants will survive outdoors. 🌱
• Zone 9A → winters get down to about 20–25°F
• Zone 9B → 25–30°F
• Zone 10A → 30–35°F
• Zone 10B → 35–40°F
The letter (A or B) just fine-tunes it — “A” is a little colder, “B” a little warmer. So when you see plant tags or advice mentioning zones, it’s just telling you if that plant can handle your local winter temps. 👍
Check out the fourth and final session of our 2019 Blueberry School...
