Blueberry Varieties That Require Cross-Pollination

Southern Highbush

• Southern highbush blueberries require fewer yearly hours of freezing temperatures than most blueberries and are well suited to the warmer Southern coastal states. "Emerald" is one of the most widely planted early-ripening varieties because of its large, high-quality fruit. According to the University of Florida, "Sharpblue" is the most commonly grown cultivar, requiring only 150 yearly hours of freezing temperatures. It is very early bearing but only moderately productive with medium-size fruit that must be handled carefully. "Millenia" is a later bearing variety with large to very large fruit with good flavor, but flavor can be bland on plants over-loaded with fruit.

Northern Highbus

• Northern highbush blueberries need more yearly hours of freezing temperatures and are much more cold hardy than Southern highbush types. "Northland" is a high-yielding early-bearing variety with medium-small, fair-quality fruit. "Blueray" bears in early-midseason, while "Bluecrop" bears slightly later in midseason. Both have good quality fruit that is firm and large. "Jersey" is a late, high-yielding variety with medium-sized fruit of fair quality.

Rabbiteye

• Rabbiteyes, the most widely-grown type, are easier to grow because of their lower susceptibility to root rot and their drought tolerance. They are less susceptible to unexpected spring freezes because of their later flowering habit. Rabbiteyes can grow in poorer soil, and grow more vigorously than Southern highbush cultivars.

  Rabbiteyes bear later than the Southern highbush varieties, with their earlier varieties ripening from late May to late June. They have their own bee, the Southeastern blueberry bee, but bumble bees are also good pollinators. Rabbiteye blueberries grow in a large range, and there are different varieties that grow best in each area. Contact your local extension service or a local fruit nursery to find out which varieties you should grow.

Considerations

• Blueberries need acid soil and healthy foliage to bear well. They can be killed by over-fertilization, so begin with low fertilization and increase the rates gradually. While most of the water blueberries need is provided by rain, they do need at least 40 inches a year, most of that during the growing season. They need very little water in the winter.