| Mark, Yes, I did assume that was a typo. I have not heard that horticultural alchemists existed, but with genetic engineering on the developmental forefront, I guess I was making a risky assumption as we may eventually see blueberries with blackberry genes. I'm not sure why we would want to do that though. I can't imagine anybody wanting thorns on blueberry bushes, for example. To answer your question, my experience has been that branches that are located close to the ground are, in fact, mostly horizontal (lateral), at least for the first several inches (as opposed to root generated shoots). As such, given that I mulch with peat (and sometimes the peat/sand mix) twice a year, it is easy for me to cover the ones close to the ground. I normally do not bend them down, but at times will hold the end down with a rock so that the branch stays stable and covered. I do think the best way to go is with careful division ( or lots of seedlings). Blueberries are very tough plants, once established in proper conditions. I was really surprised to see what seedlings and young plants survive. I should also clarify that I typically only add an inch or so of peat at a time. I am not an expert and sure that there are experts on this list who hopefully might better answer your questions. I should also mention that my early attempts with blueberries were not successful in attempting to establish in native soils until I started adding peat at regular intervals. However, growing blueberries is relatively easy and they are very productive for the effort, if you can keep the greedy birds and insects under control. --- On Thu, 11/6/08, Mark Angermayer <hangermayer@isp.com> wrote: From: Mark Angermayer <hangermayer@isp.com> |
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