CHIPPEWA BLUEBERRY Vaccinium x 'Chippewa'
Hardiness / Exposure: Zone 3 / Full sun to part shade
Height: 3 ft - 4 ft
Spread: 2 ft - 3 ft
Flower Colour: Pink-white
Fruit Size: 1cm
Fruit Colour: Dark blue
Harvest: Mid summer
Uses: Fresh eating, cooking, baking and preserves
Pollinator Required: Self Pollinating
Tips for growing blueberries: Blueberries require an acidic soil with a pH ranging from 5.0 to 5.5 for best results. Soils can be amended with peat and apply garden sulphur to lower the soil PH. Soils in the West Interlake vary usually from a PH of 8 to 8.3. Much too high to successfully have a blueberry thrive without giving it extra care.
Blueberries can be grown in a container with the bottom cut out, dug in and buried in the ground. By using a bottomless container, it allows water to flow through freely and is easier to maintain the lower pH levels needed for the blueberries. The container prevents the acidic soil to leach out and the higher pH soils to leach in. Use a quality loamy soil to fill the container.
Planting Instructions:
-Carefully remove plastic pot from the blueberry plant.
-Partially backfill hole with loamy soil, position plant in the buried container, water to settle soil, then finish backfilling hole. Avoid using heavy clay-based soil. Plant the blueberry to be the same depth as it was in the original pot.
-Remove tags and labels.
-Water soil well.
-Apply mulch.