Blueberries: Add Flavor to Your Landscape
Niko Pantanizopoulos
Ellenburg Landscaping & Nursery

Blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, blueberry compote… Blueberries not only add flavor to our favorite foods, but they also can add flavor to our landscapes. Blueberries are an intriguing plant because they can be dual purpose for a homeowner. They can be functional—as producing fruit—as well as ornamental with their attractive glossy green foliage, fiery red fall foliage, and beautiful delicate flowers. They are fairly easy to take care of, as well. Rabbiteye blueberries are among the best adapted, most disease resistant, and most low-maintenance for our area.

One thing that makes rabbiteye blueberries so well suited for our area is that they are not as picky about their soil pH as are other blueberries; a pH of 4 to 5.5 is fine, but no higher than 5.5. When you fertilize the plants, use a fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants (such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias), preferably a slow-release (such as HiYield®), and this will help to maintain an acceptable level of acidity in the soil. While rabbiteyes are more tolerant to fluctuations in soil moisture than other blueberries, it is still important to provide a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch at all times. Planting them in soil amended with peat moss helps maintain soil moisture, too.
Blueberries are peculiar in that they have very shallow feeder roots which lack fine root hairs. Such root hairs help a plant to absorb nutrients and water efficiently. Incidentally, plants of the Ericaceae family form a strong relationship with a class of soil fungi called mycorrhizae which break down soil particles and feed the roots nutrients in exchange for sugars from the plant root. Some of our soils don’t have a good supply of these fungi so it is a good idea to add mycorrhizae when planting your blueberry. Our associates can provide you more information about mycorrhizae and Biotone® products. Also, make sure the blueberries are situated in the full sun. Your biggest pests on your blueberries will probably be children and birds!