Patriot Blueberry
Vaccinium. Attractive powder-blue fruit with excellent flavour and quality. Mid-late season, self-fertile variety. High-bush blueberries with high yields in short season areas. Bushes will grow to about 3-4 feet tall. Although they are considered self-fertile, you will receive a better crop and bigger berries if you plant 2 different varieties. Hardy to zones 3-7. Requires acidic soil. We ship 2 yr. old plants in 4" pots. Begins producing fruit in the third year.
Spring Planting: this product will be shipped late April through May according to hardiness zone.
Scroll down for more details and growing information.
Sold as: Pkg of 1
Details
Growing Information
Important! Upon Arrival:
Keep moist and cool. Fruits and berries are shipped in dormant form so they can be transplanted out once the soil can be worked in the spring. Light frosts will not damage the plants as they are in the resting stage. If you are unable to plant immediately, the plants can be stored for a short period of time. This should be a dark, cool (but not freezing) location such as an unheated garage, fridge or a cold cellar. Ideally they would be stored as close to 2°C or 35°F as possible. They should also be kept moist, but not wet, until they are planted.
Planting:
Plant in full sun. These highbush blueberries will grow upwards of 4 feet in height as mature plants and will yield large berries in late summer. Choose a well drained, loamy or sandy soil with a pH of 4.5-5.2. You can reduce your soil pH by mixing in sphagnum peat moss or by mixing in compost made from pine needles, oak leaves and/or bark. Work plenty of nutrient-rich compost into the top few inches of soil. Space plants 4 feet apart, alternating cultivars for effective cross-pollination. Rows should be 7 feet apart.
Growing:
During the first year of planting, watering is important to help establish the root system. Bushes should be watered once a week, and maybe more if the weather is particularly hot and dry. However, over-watering is a concern. If you have mulch on your bushes, you may only need to water every other week. If the soil is moist, that is enough water. In the beginning, your bushes will not need to be pruned. After about 5-7 years, it is important to remove 1-2 of the older canes each year to promote new growth and increase the amount of blueberries produced. Through these simple practices, blueberries can grow and thrive for many years.
Fertilizing:
Most fruit crops need annual applications of nitrogen fertilizer to support the growth of roots, leaves, and fruit. The best fertilizer for blueberries gets its nitrogen from ammonium and not nitrate. Blueberries are sensitive to nitrate, and their roots can be damaged by it. Use a fertilizer that gets its nitrogen from urea, sulfur-coated urea, ammonium sulfate, or cottonseed meal. Try a 7-7-7 or 4-3-4 fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants. Any fertilizer sold for azaleas or rhododendrons will work well for blueberries. Cottonseed meal is also a good fertilizer for blueberry plants. For first and second year blueberry plants, apply half the fertilizer recommended on the label for mature plants. For third-year blueberry plants, apply ¾ the amount of fertilizer recommended on the label for mature plants. For four-year and older blueberry plants, apply the full amount of fertilizer recommended on the label.