Highbush Blueberry yamadori

[Darth Masiah]

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Lots of flower buds on the new growth on the old fat trunk chop plant. The flower buds are more rounded, the leaf buds tend to be pointed and half the size of flower buds. Should be a good crop of flowers in spring.

 

[Darth Masiah]

plenty of strong shoots to wire some slight movement into for primary branches. i have to get it done soon,too. they're going to start putting on wood quick. overall good growth last year. i like it. got my eye on a few to collect end of jan'- start of feb'.




the main cascade branch I'll be cutting the main trunk back to is going crazy

 

[Darth Masiah]

dug another one

 

[Darth Masiah]

and another

 

[Darth Masiah]

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

You will have enough blueberries coming to top at least one, maybe two bowls of vanilla ice cream.

The berries are not that big a metabolic drain, you can let them develop without fear for the health of the tree. The berries will wither and fall if the bush doesn't have enough spare energy to make them.

 

[Darth Masiah]

You will have enough blueberries coming to top at least one, maybe two bowls of vanilla ice cream.

they're so tiny, right. I've been enjoying about a pint a year from the big bush in post #1 where i used to stay. the birds come for these super quick.

 

[Darth Masiah]

my cutting looks like it's headed in the right direction asthetically

 

[Darth Masiah]

 

[Darth Masiah]

the fatty from post #45 is pushing buds

 

[Darth Masiah]

you can get fruit with really short internodes



what's your favorite fertilizer routine with blueberries?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Wow, nice and short internodes.

Honestly, I have not worked out a bonsai blueberry fertilizer program, yet. I only know what we did on the farm.

Blueberries can not absorb or use nitrates in any way. Blueberry fertilizer MUST supply nitrogen as ammonia, or ammonium ion, or as amino acids. Inorganic fertilizer would be ammonium sulfate based to encourage soil acidity, organic fertilizer like fish emulsion would supply amino acids.

Keep it dilute or none in spring thru fruit ripening, then moderation after fruit harvest thru to beginning of autumn. Then none at all over winter.

 

[Darth Masiah]

marked for collection

 

[Darth Masiah]

 

[Shogun610]

View attachment 434160

How fragile are the new shoots? Would they handle wire well?

 

[Darth Masiah]

How fragile are the new shoots? Would they handle wire well?

i haven't tried wiring new shoots yet. the connection point at the trunk looks fragile to me, so i didn't try it. i figured I'd just let it get strong and try when the leaves fall off. if i can't get the movement I'm looking for I'll just cut the branch back and try a younger shoot.

 

[Shogun610]

i haven't tried wiring new shoots yet. the connection point at the trunk looks fragile to me, so i didn't try it. i figured I'd just let it get strong and try when the leaves fall off. if i can't get the movement I'm looking for I'll just cut the branch back and try a younger shoot.

Yup I support both directional pruning but also wiring to get some initial moves on new growth. But I hear you.

 

[Darth Masiah]

root shoots are good for cuttings

 

[berzerkules]

I keep coming back to this thread. These huge trunk blueberries are "inconceivable". All the blueberries up here are tiny little shrubs at ground level and I kill my back hunched over every time I'm pickin berries. If I ever get a big blueberry I'm naming it Vizzini Viccinium.