I'll give you what info I can.

I have purchased blueberry plants on 4 occasions:

Two years ago I bought 4 Blueray highbush plants at Lowes that I grew in pots for a year. I pinched off most of the blooms to get a healthier bush, but these 1.5 yr olds were healthy and still gave me great berries. I put them in the ground in the fall of 2006.

1.5 years ago I bought 4 more of the same variety at Lowes and put them in the ground at that time (fall 2006). They grew well, except for some deer nibbling.

Last spring I bought 3 more of the same variety from Lowes, plus 5 more from Waters Blueberry farm (KC area) while they were at the Tulsa garden show. I also bought 8 Duke and 8 of a third kind (Elliot?) from Waters. Of these plants which were all bought last spring, I lost 5 of the ones from Waters, but none of the Lowes ones. I think some of the Waters ones got too dry before planting, but it may have happened at my house between purchasing and planting (about March 15). I never lost any Lowes ones, nor have any ever had poor health.

The Easter freeze last year hurt almost all of my plants, and I only got a few berries last year. All Lowes plants grew well last summer though, and most (60-70%) of the Waters ones are also healthy.

Most of my plants have received total soil replacement with 100% peat moss, but some are partial peat moss and native soil. Make sure you either have an acidic soil or alter your soil ph. I also used sand and various mulches. I won't pretend to be an expert, but you can find info at the OSU fact sheet site.

In summary, the highbush have done very well in the last two years. The Blueray highbush are the earliest and have an amazing taste, plus Lowes sells them for about $9.00 and they have been very healthy at my 2 local stores the past 2 years. They are the only ones I would recommend at this time.

I am just about 30 miles SE of Tulsa.

I would love to hear from others on their recommendations and their experiences.

Scott

Hi !

Scott thanks for all the information . I don't think Lowes has any plants in yet . I wish they would I have got spring fever . I should have never looked through those seed catalogs .
So you did pinch off all the buds in the spring ? That is going to be really hard .
I found some 2 year old rabbiteye tifblue for a dollar apeice from a grower in Georgia. They are suppose to do good in our zone . I have sandy soil . I will be adding peat moss at planting time .

Thank you
Wendy

A couple of more things:

The Lowes plants were in pots and nice sized. I also tried those little wrapped ones in tiny bags from Atwoods and they never made it, so I am not a fan of the ones not grown for a year in at least 1 gallon pots. Last year my local Lowes got them in in March and they were gone soon. I got the last ones.

I pinched off all but a couple of clusters the first year. Last year I thought about not doing it, but the Easter freeze did it for me.

I can't wait to see how many berries I get this year. I intend to leave a lot on my 3 yr old plants.

I also bought from Lowes and planted 3 highbush of some other variety that I can't remember. They did not taste near as good as the the Blueray, nor were the plants as pretty or as upright. I can't remember the name, but they are on the OSU list I think. I also got a couple of another variety mixed in with my Blueray that are of a similar name that look and taste just like Blueray.

If you can't tell, I really like the Blueray. I always liked blueberries, but now I love them so much I want to get even more than the 30 or so plants I currently have. I'd really like to be able to eat some frozen ones every morning for the whole year.

Here is a link to some of OSU's fact sheets. There are two or three containing blueberry info.

Bluecrop is the other one I recommend in addition to Blueray.

Here is a link that might be useful: OSU fact sheets

Hi Scott

Thank you for the info and the link . My printer is really busy printing out the information.
What part of Oklahoma do you live in ?
I ordered some rabbiteye blueberries from a farm in SC . The only thing is I had to order 20 plants . They are 2 years old .
They haven't come in yet . Good thing it is to cold to plant .

I am about 30 miles SE of Tulsa.

I wish I had some rabbiteye experience to give you, but I don't. Maybe you will get some berries in 2009; maybe even leave a few buds this year to get a taste.

Hey Scott I was in Lowes today . They have blueberry plants in . The ones in the bags . The stems are green .
Just thought I would let you know .

Wendy

I bought blueberry plants last weekend at Lowe's in Norman! I was so excited to walk in and see all the plants and bulbs! I bought 2 differrent types of blueberry, 1 blackberry, 2 grapes, and some hostas. Can't wait to plant them!
When should I plant them? I live about 45 min. south of norman.

I planted mine today with lots of peat moss . Jan 27 2008

Its been so nice last few days I have been busy . A blueberry grower I talked to said to soak bareroot plants in water for about 3 days before planting in half peatmoss and half of your soil . Check your ph too

I am a beginner at this LoL

Wendy

p.s. Scott posted a link above that was very helpful

Hey teacher this is a p.s I planted Rabbiteye blueberries .
That is what is supposed to do good for my hot weather.I have sandy soil my ph is almost perfect .

LoL I planted then in my veggie garden so now I am in the process of digging new veggie garden .

Wendy

I will hold out for the potted ones at Lowes that will show up in a few weeks. My try at wrapped ones didn't work out. For me, the $9 instead of $4 is worth it for the extra year's head start and the higher probability of good growth. My previous failure was likely due to how late I bought them and where I bought them.

Actually, now that I think about it, I may try a few rabbiteye myself this year for comparison. I have a big bag of peat moss and some pots to get them going for a year before transplant. I am looking for an excuse to get up to Lowes.

I think that if you are north of I40, and you are able to make sure the plants get water when needed, the highbush are good. This year we certainly got enough chill hours for them.

Scott, you will haft to let me know how yours do . I have about 65 planted so far . 3 are not rabbiteye but highbush .
I don't know if I will be able to pull off all of the blooms LoL gotta have a few to try I think .

I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew LoL
I retired 2 years ago only so much house cleaning you can do ,mowing lawn and reading . I am really looking forward to gardening . Blueberries and veggies . I had a small garden for a few years potatoes ,carrots ,tomatoes ,and I love it .( then it dawned on me duh you have all this land use it ,we lease most out for cow pasture) I have a few ponds we built . I am going to try and landscape around them too . Kinda country cottage garden, Don't know where to begin but I will get there .

Wendy

Wendy, your plan sounds similar to mine except for my six kids and my pecans. I think you will get there before me. I am not making much progress on the master landscape and garden plan.

65 plants!? Wow, I thought I was biting off a lot! Best of luck to you. It's hard to find blueberries around here. Maybe you can sell them eventually!

Are blackberries next?
Scott

Y'all are "making" me want to grow blueberries, and I don't even like blueberries that much. (DH and DS love them though.) Unfortunately our soil here is so alkaline that I would have to do monstrous amounts of amending the soil. I have found with the blackberries that I have to fight the wildlife for every single berry. But, then, we are less than 1/2 mile from the Red River, so we have humongous amounts of wildlife.

I grow blackberries for the birds, corn for the racoons, tomatoes for the turtles, and EVERYTHING else (especially okra and sunflowers) for the deer. Sometimes, though, they leave enough on the plants that we humans actually harvest some. : )

Maybe I'll plant a handful of blueberry plants for DS and DH this year. I'm always looking for a challenge.

Dawn

LoL Dawn during all my research for blueberries they have some you can grow in a pot . I think they are called "Tophat"

We have wild blackerries I don't pick them cows and birds get them . I don't like the thorns .

Scott sell my precious babies I think not LoL I have a freezer . LoL ever seen the movie "Holes" thats what my garden looked like while I was waiting for the berry plants to come in .

You have 6 kids OMG . I have 2 they are now 23 and 21 . LoL
Only one lives at home . I have 4 dogs does that count ? One is a 13 month old Great Dane LoL

Wendy

I saw the Lowes berries last night. They have Bluecrop and Blueray, plus the rabbiteye variety Tifblue and two others I can't remember. About $5 each. I'm not decided on what to do.

Dawn, how can you not like blueberries? The only things comparable are tree-ripe peaches and maybe the heart of a perfect watermelon. Try a potted Bluecrop or Blueray placed into an 18in wide or larger pot of mostly peat moss. Mine did very well that way the first year and could have made it another year of two. Blueberries work well in large containers.

Wendy, the oldest of my 6 kids just turned 10. The youngest started walking this week. At least the two oldest can help outside. The others do more damage than good.

Hello
I am French and I want to command(order) blueberry at Finch.
But I do not know how to speak about the Englishman and do not answer my messages.
How to command(order) at Finch?
I look for a nursery which sells babies blueberry of 1 year cheap as at Finch.
can you help me?
Thank you very much.

Scott, does one need more than one plant for cross pollination with blue berries?

I have a great spot for blue berries now, that the big trees had help from Mother Nature to go away. :)

Moni

I am not really an expert, but I have read that planting two varieties helps. If you are going to get 2 plants, I suggest one Bluecrop and one Blueray.

Scott, up until now, I hadn't heard to much pro for blue berries in Oklahoma.

You had GREAT success, thus I call you an expert. :)

I have been wrangling with the thought of getting me some for quite a while, but my lot was to shady.

Now, with two LARGE trees gone, I see a blue berry future in my yard.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Moni

I would like to say I have been successful, but my main succes was in the first year. That was when I kept them in large pots. Once in the ground, they froze back and then grew moderately. At least they have some flower buds this spring, so they must be doing OK.

Today I picked up some Bluecrop at Lowes. I think they had been there for about 2 hours before I showed up. They only had Bluecrop and Berkeley (sp?). I have three Berkeley from a couple of years ago, and the plants are lovely, but the berries didn't compare to the others. Still need a few Blueray, Elliot, and Duke to finish out my rows. The ones at Lowes were in 1 gallon pots, but were really grown in 3x3 containers and placed into the bigger pots likely at the end of last season. They are REALLY healthy, though.

Blueberries are great for containers or raised beds, since you have to replace most of the native soil anyway.

In the Ozarks region forum, they recommend Boston Mountain Nursery over near Fayetteville, AR. I know nothing about blueberries, but they seem to have many varieties, although I didn't notice Elliot.

I too have small children, 3 girls & 1 boy between the ages of 2 and 6 1/2, thus I call myself blessed - but often think I might not be too smart :)

Thanks mom, (You are much like my wife and me, but without any big kid helpers. At least the diapers are about to end for you.)

I have Boston Mountain bookmarked, but wanted to get all of my plants from the same place. May have to rethink that, though.

For anyone still reading this thread and interested, Lowes has potted Bluecrop and Berkley at my closest store, but O'neal and Darrow at the other nearby store. I will be near a third store Friday and may stop and check for Blueray. One employee told me they have six varieties that they carry and each store chooses which of the six to carry. All of these plants are healthy, but the root area will be small, so they will not grow much this year after planting.

Atwoods has 4 good rabbiteye (southern) varieties that are healthy and at good prices, as long as they haven't started budding out (they are kept indoors at some places).

Home Depot has nothing yet. Not sure if they even had any here last year.

Scott