Can I still plant these blueberries?

[StormySky]

I bought 2 O'Neal blueberry plants last Spring and moved them from the 1-gallon containers they came into 7-gallon pots until I had prepared the place that would be planted. Winter came and passed and these are still in pots. Even worse, 1 month ago we had 2-3 weeks of hot weather in Greece so the plants broke dormancy and are starting to bloom now.

Assuming chill hours don't have to be measured continuously, we've had 500-600 hours below 7°C spread out between December and February, and while the temperature now is 7-13°C (44-55°F), it is expected to rise in the coming days, reaching 18°C (65°F).

Today the plants are in the state you see them in the photos. So here are my questions:

1. Do I still have time to plant them in the ground, or should I leave them in the pots to avoid stressing them, and plant them in late Autumn?
2. If I plant them, can I leave the buds on or should I remove them? Ideally, I'd like to get some fruit this year for a taste test.
3. They are still young (3-year-old plants) so I would also like to avoid pruning them, but I will if that's best for them.

 

[Anniekay]

Yes, go ahead and plant them. So long as the rootball is filling the pot you won't be disturbing the roots.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I would go for it, the sooner they are in the ground the sooner they can settle down to it, dig a good big hole take the pot right up to the edge of it and disturb them as little as possible. I wouldn't take of buds or prune at this stage, if transplanting things is too much for the flowers on them my experience is they usually drop off by themselves, I'd just give it a good water and let it settle in.

 

[Meadowlark]

I checked and you are right on target for the chill hours for those... and yes those are not continuous hours.

I would go ahead and transplant them as is leaving the buds and waiting on pruning until next dormancy.

 

[StormySky]

Thank you all for your replies and encouragement. I hope to finish with the garden this week and plant them next weekend. I forgot to mention they will be placed in a raised bed (1-1.5 feet tall) because our soil has too high HP and does not drain well, so there is a lot to do in a week to ensure the soil and PH are to the plants' liking.

 

[Meadowlark]

and PH are to the plants' liking.

I learned the hard way that ph is critical for blueberry growing. Above 5, in spite of what some say, is problematic for me.

 

[StormySky]

Yeah, PH is the most difficult thing to get right for blueberries where I live because over time the PH will go up even if you use peat moss due to the water having a higher PH. I plan to mix elemental sulfur in the soil and keep adding it every year, possibly with some cottonseed meal. Ideally, I would test the soil every few years, but soil tests are so expensive and it just isn't worth it for 2-3 plants.

 

[oneeye]

I would use sand with the addition of shreaded pine bark mixed with peat moss to keep the pH acidic. You can use a time-release feritizer or top-dress with organic amendments. After a few years you will need to dig up the plant and re-amend the soil. Good luck friend and keep us posted on how they turn out.

 

[oneeye]

I will add that if you plant in alkaline soil the pH will always rise in time because alkalinity always takes precedence over hydrogen because hydrogen links with soil nutrients and moves. In order to grow blueberries its best to dig out the soil and replace with peat shredded pine bark with an added nutrient charge.

If you use sulfur to amend the soil it will take a long time for the microbes to convert the sulfur to sufates and lower the pH. Also the sulfur only lasts about a year and the pH will rise again locking out trace nutrients. The only way I have had success was from completely replacing the soil where I planted the Azaleas, Rhododendron or Blueberries.

 

[StormySky]

I will add that if you plant in alkaline soil the pH will always rise in time because alkalinity always takes precedence over hydrogen because hydrogen links with soil nutrients and moves. In order to grow blueberries its best to dig out the soil and replace with peat shredded pine bark with an added nutrient charge.

If you use sulfur to amend the soil it will take a long time for the microbes to convert the sulfur to sufates and lower the pH. Also the sulfur only lasts about a year and the pH will rise again locking out trace nutrients. The only way I have had success was from completely replacing the soil where I planted the Azaleas, Rhododendron or Blueberries.

I will plant them in a raised bed. For the soil, I plan to use peat moss, shredded pine bark (perhaps some perlite), and potting mix/compost. I will add sulfur now because I've read it takes 3-6 months of high soil temperatures to lower PH, and by that time I assume the natural PH of the peat moss will have risen due to the tap water I use (PH 7+). Hopefully, after Summer it won't be as dry as last year and the rain will take care of the watering for me, as it has for the past 4 months. I'll keep adding sulfur every Spring and hopefully, this will be enough.
This is all a test, and while it is not the preferred outcome, failure is acceptable in this case as I have a lot going against me.

 

[oneeye]

I will plant them in a raised bed. For the soil, I plan to use peat moss, shredded pine bark (perhaps some perlite), and potting mix/compost. I will add sulfur now because I've read it takes 3-6 months of high soil temperatures to lower PH, and by that time I assume the natural PH of the peat moss will have risen due to the tap water I use (PH 7+). Hopefully, after Summer it won't be as dry as last year and the rain will take care of the watering for me, as it has for the past 4 months. I'll keep adding sulfur every Spring and hopefully, this will be enough.
This is all a test, and while it is not the preferred outcome, failure is acceptable in this case as I have a lot going against me.

Keep us posted friend and good luck.