We are eventually going to make a move to the interior of our province, around Salmon Arm to the Enderby area. That is if and when our house sells. I have 4 blueberry bushes that I put into large pots in the spring, I thought we would have moved by now, sigh.... These bushes are 4 year olds, getting very established, producing about 2 gallons per plant now. I would imagine if they were not in containers, the yield would have been much higher, but, this is just the way that cookie crumbled. A couple of years ago I saw a farmer that had cut down about 30 blueberry bushes to pretty much ground level. This year these plants looked like they did prior to the harsh cut back. I am entertaining the thought of (of course after leaf fall) cutting my blueberry bushes back to just little sticks, as I saw this farmer do. It would certainly make the move of the bushes much easier, with no damage to the branches. Thoughts on this thought of such extreme manipulation, elaborate, I do listen well. Oh and yes, guess I am wondering how blueberry bushes do in the interior? It is dry and hot in summer up there.
If as vigorous should grow back equally well. Main problem with growth of heath family plants in intermountain region is alkaline irrigation water and soils. The native huckleberries grow up in the mountains, in more acidic soils under and among conifers where the climate is moister than in the lowlands and flats where most people live and garden.
RonB. Most useful information. I kind of recall, from the cobwebs of my mind, that blueberries like acidic soil. Yes, the water I suppose will be the issue. I have a large pine tree in my yard, wonder if I should pack along a whole whack of the needles that fall to the ground below to use as a ground cover? Would a time release fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants be a good option, to ensure proper nutrients. I may have to resort to this action. This move will involve an entire new mindset of how I garden. I have been involved with horticulture (had my own small family based nursery for many years), and never have paid an awful lot of attention to nutrients, as all my gardens have been amended for 20 years with organic stuff, including turkey, chicken and horse manures. My gardens' soils are as beautiful as any could ever come. Wish I could take all the dirt with me, it is like gardening in soft loam. Spent a lifetime here removing rocks, and it paid off, smiling. A new experience is certainly coming my way, have a wonderful day, Cindi
Successful growth of acid-loving plants in alkaline soils depends on appropriate and effective micronutrient supplementation. I'd look for this one at the library of a local college with a hort. program and start with chapter 14 - if the appropriate section is like that of the previous edition it will talk about just what you need to know. http://www.lacebarkinc.com/establish.htm
Hi Cindi; In response to your question to of how well do bluberries do in the interior. I have worked with 3 smal u-pick operations in the Kelowna area. They are growing mainly Bluecrop. The most important things to consider there especially if you are up in the Enderby area is soil pH and irrigation. What varieties of blueberries are you going to grow there. Winter hardiness could be a bit of an issue as it is colder up in the North Okanagan /Shuswap area. Other than that blueberries do quite well. The growers have a good crop. Bluecrop seems to be the best choice. Let me know if you need any other info. Cheers
Prairiegrapes. Thank you for the reply. The variety I have is Northland. They are a nice berry, but I wish that they grew just a little larger, like the Bluecrop my sister has, that is a big blueberry. pH and irrigation will be two challenges, I don't doubt, but will work through it. The cold winter we had last year (remember, from middle of December through to middle of February) I am pretty sure, if my memory serves well, the temperatures here did not climb above the freezing point. It was the coldest winter that I ever recall, in my 57 years of life. It is really cold up in the Enderby area, not a doubt, far colder than here, even in that deep winter cold we had, but I wonder if knowing that my blueberries did really well this year, despite the freezing temps for two months, that they will do OK up there. Actually, this year I had a bumper crop of berries, but that was due to the great weather we had in late spring, I am sure. Time will indeed tell that tale. Our house sold last night, our moving out date is December 4. Panic. I have much to do, it will be like moving Noah's arc with all my chickens, bees, plants that will be potted, and so on. Pretty scarey, it was so fast.....Cindi
Hi Cindi; Northland will due well there. It is also a another variety that does well there. There ar a couple of good plant nurseries in the Okanagan. Vernon has Swanlake Nursery Land http://www.myswanlake.com/ and Kelowna has Bylands Nursery. http://www.bylandsgardencentre.com/ Both of these nurseries are good choices for plant material. Bluecrop and Northland cultivars are good to about -30C so hardiness won't be a problem. The berries from the Bluecrop are wonderful in the Okanagan. It's a nice area up there and these are a lot of nice fruit crops you can grow there. I will be in the Okanagan doing some work with berries and grapes . A relative of mine has just planted an acre of Blue crop and thornless blackberries. Good luck with the move. Cheers Kim
Kim, thank you for the information. Perhaps our paths will cross one day, I know the interior is a big place, but then one never knows where these paths of our lives will go, smiling. My oldest Daughter has been assimilated. She used to put her nose up at gardening and stuff like that when she was a young and prissy woman. Now, at the age of 38, she has gardens to tend, food to pick.....she has become me, whooda thunk. My youngest gal of 34 is changing too, I see her hands dirty sometimes when we visit, and the little thorns she gets from her roses now and then, smiling. Yes....we shall be that trio of gardening gals. They both have always been involved deeply with horses since youth, pony club, Prince Phillips games, and so on....now they are in the rodeos in the interior, and my youngest Grandson of 10, I am sure is going to be a cowboy, without a doubt, he loves to compete in the gymkanas up in their area. Oops, ramblin', off topic, my bad, smiling. Have a most wonderful day, Cindi
