Guv's Gardens
Photo: Michel Langeveld, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun (tolerates part shade)
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, acid; ericaceous compost in pots
- Soil pH
- Acid: pH 4.0-5.5 (below 6.0). Use ericaceous compost in pots
- Water
- Water with rainwater; keep moist
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy, RHS H6
- Height and spread
- 1-1.5m tall, 0.75-1.5m spread for UK garden cultivars
Guv's tipBlueberries want acid soil, so use ericaceous compost in pots and water with rainwater. Keep them moist and they'll reward you.
Through the year
Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.
When to plant
Plant any time the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged; Oct-Mar is ideal (around Oct is best)
Harvest or flowering
Harvest Jul-Sep
Pruning
Prune Nov-Mar, ideally late Feb-early Mar
Making more plants
Softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer; semi-ripe cuttings in summer
Watch out for
Aphids
Look for: Colonies of small green/black insects on shoot tips, sticky honeydew, distorted leaves
What to do: Squash or wash off, encourage ladybirds and other predators; insecticidal soap if severe
Vine weevil
Look for: Notched leaf edges (adults); C-shaped grubs eat roots, plants wilt and collapse
What to do: Nematode drench (Steinernema kraussei) in late summer/autumn, pick off adults at night
Spotted wing drosophila
Look for: Soft collapsing fruit with small larvae
What to do: Pick promptly, remove fallen fruit, fine mesh
Phytophthora root rot
Phytophthora spp.Look for: Wilting, dieback, dark decayed roots
What to do: Improve drainage; remove affected plants
Powdery mildew
Various (Erysiphales)Look for: White powdery coating on leaves
What to do: Water in dry spells, mulch, improve air flow, resistant cultivars
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Not listed as poisonous by NC State University's plant toolbox or the Royal Horticultural Society, and not on the ASPCA toxic list. Edible fruit
Weed risk: Not listed as an invasive plant in Great Britain
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the USA and Australia.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.
