Blueberries too tart

15 years ago

I planted my first blueberry bush a few months ago, and the berries have been ripening over the past 2 weeks or so. The problem is, no matter how long I let them ripen on the bush, they still taste very tart. I went to the grocery store and bought a package of blueberries to see if maybe it was just me, but the store bought were just fine. The bush is planted in fresh topsoil with plenty of organic compost added, and the Ph is around 6.6 Am I doing something wrong with the plant, or am I picking the berries too soon, or do all first year berries taste bad or what?

Comments (3)

murkwell
15 years ago
By ripening, I assume you mean turning blue.

Let them hang for 2-3 weeks after first turning blue and then try them. That's when they get sweet.
flora2b
15 years ago
The blueberry should be blue all the way through. Check the stem side.....should be no pink there.
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tomatozilla
15 years ago
On dragonfruit list somebody mentioned something about soil sulfur application increasing brix (fruit sugar). My raspberries weren't sweet enough for weeks and I suspected soil was insufficiently acid so I tossed some sulfur on, and sure enough weeks later I started getting delicious full-flavored sweet raspberries. This discovery has only occured over last few weeks. It seems to me blueberries also prefer soil more acid than 6.6, however it may be rather cool where you are for results to appear on your current crop. I'm sorry I don't know anything more about this sketchy suggestion.