This is a continuing discussion of blueberries. Trudy asked in a comment, What kind of blueberries I grow, and whether two plants are needed for pollination. The bush I described in my earlier blueberry post was mature when I bought the house more than 25 years ago, so I have no idea what it is. It's a "high bush" type, 8-10 feet high. Unless two plants were originally planted in the same hole, there has been only one plant, and I've always had blueberries. I am not aware of any blueberry bushes in nearby yards. I'll take a picture of it again when I take the unphotogenic net off ~ I'm still picking blueberries, believe it or not, and it's September 19th!
I do not think you MUST have two different bushes to get blueberries, but it helps to have two or more varieties nearby, and of course, you do need bees. As long as they're around in the spring when the flowers are out, you should have blueberries. I don't think there is another blueberry bush near mine ~ at least not until I planted a little whip of a Blue Jay Blueberry nearby. My bush is also sheltered between my house and the house next door, plus the garage blocks the wind from the north.
Three or four years ago, I bought two blueberry whips (single little sticks) from the RI Wild Plant Society. One didn't make it, but the other one, a "Blue Jay Blueberry," is now about 3-4 feet high, and it's about 4-6 feet from the older blueberry bush. The first year you plant a blueberry it's good to take off flowers completely so it will branch and develop fully. Pruning should only be done in late winter ~ March around here. Not good to prune them now.
Because of the comment, I've been reading up a little on blueberry cultivation. It seems that although you will have fruit from a single bush, planting two or more plants near each other may increase the yield and help pollination. Some other factoids: blueberries need about 4-6 feet between plants and they MUST have an acid soil ~ a pH between 4.5 and 5.0. Fortunately for Rhode Islanders, our soil tends to be acid so it's not hard to achieve this. For details about planting and about soil tests and amendments, see the URI Greenshare Factsheet on Blueberries. Also see the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service on Blueberries.
Other sources of info on blueberries in Rhode Island include the URI Master Gardener Hotline (in Rhode Island it's toll-free ~ 1-800-448-1011 March 1 through October 31), the RI Wild Plant Society, and RI Fruit Growers Association. RIWPS has a list of native plant nurseries, and I'm sure they could give advice about the appropriate cultivars for your area. Much better to talk with local folks about what plants would do well here in Rhode Island, rather than to get plants from elsewhere.
More in a few weeks, with some pretty pictures!
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