growing blueberries in central California - Ask Extension
I have a rebel blueberry bush potted in a container, probably since last Fall. Do I need another variety to pollinate it? What sort of care should I...
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growing blueberries in central California #140349
Asked July 13, 2013, 12:09 AM EDT
I have a rebel blueberry bush potted in a container, probably since last Fall. Do I need another variety to pollinate it? What sort of care should I give it? Again, I live (& purchased the plant) in Central California.
Fresno County California
Expert Response
Here is some information about 'Rebel' from the University of Georgia, which released this variety (p. 14, http://www.smallfruits.org/Blueberries/production/06bbcvproc_Nov0206.pdf): "[Rebel] Plants are self-fertile to a degree, but should be planted with other southern highbush blueberry cultivars with a similar time of bloom for cross-pollination (Emerald and Star recommended)."
The same source mentions that 'Rebel' only requires 400 - 450 hrs of chilling (temps below 45 F) to bloom. It appears that locations in Fresno Co. get about 880 - 1025 chilling hrs, on average (http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/Weather_Services/chilling_accumulation_models/Chill_Calculators/). In many parts of the country, when a plant requires a low number of chilling hours, relative to what the the area experiences, we have to be concerned about the plant blooming early and then having its flowers killed by late cold events (~28 F or lower) and thus not having fruit. However, I realize that the winter temperatures in central CA are fairly moderate, so this might not be a concern for you. If you aren't sure if this is a problem in your area, you might want to check with your local extension office (http://cefresno.ucdavis.edu/) before buying additional bushes. Of the two mentioned pollenizers for 'Rebel', 'Star' requires more chilling hours.
Univ. of California Cooperative Extension has blueberry recommendations for home gardeners here: http://ucanr.edu/sites/gardenweb/Berries/Blueberries/
Univ. of FL has a publication specifically about growing fruit plants in containers--http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg243. That might provide some useful general information (how to know when you need to move it to a larger container, etc.).
The same source mentions that 'Rebel' only requires 400 - 450 hrs of chilling (temps below 45 F) to bloom. It appears that locations in Fresno Co. get about 880 - 1025 chilling hrs, on average (http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/Weather_Services/chilling_accumulation_models/Chill_Calculators/). In many parts of the country, when a plant requires a low number of chilling hours, relative to what the the area experiences, we have to be concerned about the plant blooming early and then having its flowers killed by late cold events (~28 F or lower) and thus not having fruit. However, I realize that the winter temperatures in central CA are fairly moderate, so this might not be a concern for you. If you aren't sure if this is a problem in your area, you might want to check with your local extension office (http://cefresno.ucdavis.edu/) before buying additional bushes. Of the two mentioned pollenizers for 'Rebel', 'Star' requires more chilling hours.
Univ. of California Cooperative Extension has blueberry recommendations for home gardeners here: http://ucanr.edu/sites/gardenweb/Berries/Blueberries/
Univ. of FL has a publication specifically about growing fruit plants in containers--http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg243. That might provide some useful general information (how to know when you need to move it to a larger container, etc.).
