Blueray Northern Highbush Blueberry Live Plant – 1 Quart Pot – 10-12 inch Bare Root

Overview

Bring the joy of fresh, homegrown fruit to your garden with the blueray northern highbush blueberry. This exceptional variety is renowned for its very sweet, light blue fruits that resist cracking, ensuring a bountiful and high-quality harvest. Shipping as a 1 quart sized bare root plant, typically 10-12 inches in size, it is ready to establish quickly in your landscape. The ‘Blueray’ is a vigorous grower, maturing into a robust bush that not only provides delicious berries but also offers significant ornamental value. Its vibrant crimson foliage in the fall transforms your garden into a blaze of color, making it an ideal choice for an informal hedge or as a striking specimen plant. This highbush blueberry plant is a fantastic addition for any gardener eager to enjoy fresh, organic fruit straight from their yard.

The ‘Blueray’ cultivar is a popular choice among home gardeners and commercial growers alike, thanks to its reliable yield and excellent fruit quality. Known for its strong growth habit and adaptability, it thrives in a variety of settings. Planting this blueray northern highbush blueberry provides a long-lasting source of nutritious berries, perfect for eating fresh, baking, or preserving. With proper care, these plants will reward you with years of delicious harvests and beautiful seasonal interest. Discover the satisfaction of growing blueberries that are both flavorful and visually appealing.

Key Benefits

The blueray northern highbush blueberry offers a multitude of benefits, making it a highly desirable addition to any garden. From its delicious fruit to its ornamental appeal, this plant provides year-round interest and value. Enjoy fresh, healthy berries and a beautiful landscape with this versatile shrub.

• Abundant & Sweet Harvest: Produces a generous crop of very sweet, light blue berries that ripen in July and continue for weeks. These fruits are known for their excellent flavor and resistance to cracking, ensuring a high-quality yield.
• Stunning Fall Foliage: Beyond its fruit, the ‘Blueray’ transforms in autumn, displaying a spectacular blaze of crimson leaves. This makes it an attractive ornamental shrub, perfect for adding seasonal color to your garden.
• Versatile Landscaping: Growing to an average height of 5-6 feet, these bushes are ideal for creating an informal hedge, providing privacy, or serving as a beautiful backdrop in a mixed border. Its upright habit makes it easy to integrate into various garden designs.
• Disease Resistance: The ‘Blueray’ variety is generally robust and less susceptible to common blueberry diseases, contributing to easier blueberry plant care and more consistent harvests.
• Nutritional Value: Enjoy the health benefits of fresh blueberries, which are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. Sweet blueberry fruit fresh from your garden is a delicious and healthy treat.
• Attracts Pollinators: Its spring blossoms attract beneficial pollinators like bees, contributing to a healthier garden ecosystem and ensuring good fruit set.
• Long Lifespan: With proper care, a highbush blueberry plant can produce fruit for many years, offering a sustainable source of fresh berries for decades.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your blueray northern highbush blueberry plant relies on providing the right conditions and consistent care. Blueberries thrive in specific soil and light environments, so understanding these needs is crucial for a bountiful harvest. These plants prefer a sunny location, receiving at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is essential for optimal fruit production and for the development of that beautiful fall color. While they enjoy sun, new bare root plants should be gradually acclimated to full sun exposure over the first two weeks after planting to prevent stress.

Soil conditions are paramount for blueberry plant care. Blueberries require an acidic soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. They also need a soil rich in organic matter and excellent drainage. If your soil is heavy clay or too alkaline, amending it heavily with peat moss, compost, or pine bark is essential. When planting, spread the roots and position the plant so that the roots are covered with soil, being careful not to plant too deep. Water thoroughly after planting. During the first year, plants should be watered weekly, especially if rainfall is scarce, to keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Blueberries have shallow, fibrous roots that are sensitive to drought but also easily starved for oxygen in poorly drained soil. Fertilize four to six weeks after planting with an acid-loving plant fertilizer, avoiding late summer or fall applications which can stimulate tender new growth susceptible to winter damage.

To ensure adequate cross-pollination and larger berries, it’s recommended to plant at least two other blueberry varieties within 5 feet of each other, even though ‘Blueray’ is considered self-fertile. This practice, common when growing blueberries, significantly enhances fruit size and yield. ‘Blueray’ bushes typically reach 5-6 feet tall, making them manageable for most home gardens. Pruning should be done in late winter to remove any dead or weak canes and to encourage new, productive growth. Maintaining consistent moisture, providing acidic soil, and ensuring sufficient sunlight are the cornerstones of successful highbush blueberry plant cultivation, leading to many years of delicious sweet blueberry fruit.

Size & Details

This offering includes two blueray northern highbush blueberry plants, each a 1 quart sized bare root, typically measuring 10-12 inches in height upon shipment. These are 2-year-old plants, well-established and ready for planting to quickly begin their growth in your garden. The ‘Blueray’ variety is a vigorous grower, maturing into a substantial bush, commonly reaching an average height of 5-6 feet with a similar spread. Its growth rate is moderate, allowing it to establish well in the first few years and then produce increasing yields.

These plants are shipped bare root, which means they are dormant and without soil around their roots. This method reduces transplant shock and makes them easier to handle. When planting, ensure the roots are spread out and covered with soil, being careful not to plant too deep. The plant will establish its root system and begin to leaf out as temperatures warm. Expect the first significant fruit production within 1-2 years after planting, with yields increasing as the bush matures. The light blue, very sweet blueberry fruit will ripen in July, offering a prolonged harvest season.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Blueray Northern Highbush Blueberry plant get? A: The blueray northern highbush blueberry typically grows to an average height of 5-6 feet with a similar spread, forming a medium-sized, upright bush. Its mature size makes it suitable for various landscape uses, including hedges or specimen planting.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The plants are shipped as 1 quart sized bare roots, which means they do not come in a pot with soil. They are dormant plants with their roots carefully packaged for shipment, ready for direct planting.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor plant, specifically a highbush blueberry plant, requiring full sun exposure and suitable outdoor growing conditions for optimal fruit production and health. It is not suitable for long-term indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For the best fruit yield and plant vigor, the blueray northern highbush blueberry requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Full sun exposure is critical for developing sweet fruit and vibrant fall foliage.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: While blueberries have specific soil and pH requirements, they are relatively easy to care for once established. Providing acidic, well-draining soil and consistent moisture are key for successful blueberry plant care.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your blueray northern highbush blueberry will arrive as a bare root plant, meaning it will be dormant and without leaves, carefully packaged to protect its roots during transit. This is a standard and healthy way to ship deciduous plants.
• Q: How long until it produces fruit? A: These are 2-year-old plants, so you can generally expect them to start producing a light crop of sweet blueberry fruit within 1-2 years after planting, with yields increasing significantly in subsequent years as the bush matures.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature this plant can tolerate? A: As a Northern Highbush variety, the ‘Blueray’ is quite cold hardy. It typically thrives in USDA Zones 4-7, requiring a certain amount of chill hours to produce fruit effectively. It can tolerate winter temperatures well below freezing when dormant.
• Q: Do I need to plant more than one blueberry variety? A: While ‘Blueray’ is self-fertile, planting at least two other blueberry varieties nearby is highly recommended to ensure adequate cross-pollination. This practice significantly increases fruit size and overall yield when growing blueberries.
• Q: What kind of soil is best for growing blueberries? A: The best soil for growing blueberries is acidic, with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5, rich in organic matter, and well-draining. Amending your soil with peat moss, compost, or pine bark is often necessary to achieve these conditions.