Avoid dark plastic containers, as this can overheat the roots. Pruning thins out the old growth, allowing light into the middle of the bush. You can plant shrubs that will tolerate the shade of a berry bush. It has a unique trailing and spilling habit and grows to only one and a half to two feet tall and wide. What Fruits Can Be Grown Hydroponically? - Rural Living Today After planting, add a 2-4 inch thick layer of mulch like pine needles or wood chips around the base of the berries. Because of the acidic soil requirements of blueberries, you are much more likely to have nutritional issues than pest issues. You can buy or create an acidic blueberry-friendly potting mix to ensure your plants will thrive. Make These New Blueberry Varieties Your Go-To for Hanging Baskets Answer (1 of 2): Technically, yes! Always consult with your doctor and primary care provider before using or consuming herbs, flowers, seeds and/or plants for . Dwarf varieties work great as patio and balcony container plants, but if you have a little more room or want to create a hedge or screen, taller varieties work well too. When choosing between northern and southern highbushes for your own patio, you need to keep in mind that blueberries have specific chill requirements. Remove these older stems at ground level. Set the cutting in moist soilless potting mix in a small pot that is then placed in a consistently warm space. It grows from four to eight feet tall and three to five feet wide. Production of flowers and fruits stunts growth when plants are too small or weak. Chives. Kerry Michaels is a container gardening expert with over 20 years of experience maintaining container gardens in Maine. A cultivar that needs 450 chill hours, such as the 'Midnight Cascade,' is considered to have low chill hours. Growing them in pots is the answer, however, if you want to grow blueberries but your soil isn't optimal for producing the fruit. Blueberries are tough plants, but if you live in a cold-winter climate you should move your containers against the side of your home or into a protected area to keep them out of the wind. You will want to start the process in the fall in warm regions and the spring in cool climates. Just be aware thatgrowing blueberry plants in pots (or anywhere else) requires some patience. Blueberry bushes like very acidic soil, and a pH level between 4.0 to 4.8 is required for the plants to absorb water and nutrients and produce berries. Careful pruning will help prevent disease infection. Blueberries include several species of flowering, fruiting shrubs within the Vaccinium genus, all native to North America. Since sulfur takes months to alter the pH, gardeners wishing to plant immediately may need to create an acidic planting medium to plant into. Keep the humidity at 65-75%. For more planting and care tips, visit www.bushelandberry.com. Debra LaGattuta is a gardening expert with three decades of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening.