Blueberry, MISTY (S+, E)

MISTY: A Southern Highbush. Specifically picked for General Phoenix area by our Dave Wilson rep. Early season. In the West Misty is quite vigorous, growing very well on the coast and in the inland heat. This especially flavorful fruit does well in areas with chilling as low as 150 hours and all areas with mild winters and hot summers.

CAUTION - this is a heads-up that this product is an experiment in the Valley of the Sun. We have heard from people being successful with blueberries, however not enough to suggest this fruit to our typical new fruit growers.  Following the directions below will significantly increase your chances of success.

To make growing blueberries easier here in our valley, do NOT plant them in the ground!! Blueberries make a wonderful container plant and are ornamental as well as productive.

Blueberries like a low PH of 4.5 to 6.0, with 5.5 being optimal, and they like to grow in actively decomposing organic matter.  Soil sulfur needed to achieve 4.5 pH (in teaspoons per cubic foot of soil mix). Check carefully when selecting fertilizers: the nitrogen must not be from nitrate, which can be deadly to blueberries (don't find out the hard way!).

Check out this link on Dave Wilson's website for more detailed info - https://www.davewilson.com/home-gardens/growing-fru...

So here is what you need to know about blueberries before you press the go button. They are experimental and you will need to grow them in a pot. Here are your directions:

• The soil in your pot needs to be:
  
  • 1/3 peat
  • 1/3 ground forest bark
  • 1/3 of a porous media - pearllite, pumice or sand based potting soil
• Use a Humic Acid based fertilizer Tom likes the product called Gro Power Flower & Bloom 3-12-12. 
• Feed your Blueberries every two months (Feb, April, June, Aug, Oct).
• They need to be containerized in a large container of at least 30 gallon capacity.
• Put all 3 varieties in 1 container.
• MUST be well drained and must kept acidic!
• Partial shade to most sun with shade in the mid to late afternoon.