This Blueberry plant will produce large, delicious light blue blueberries with a good flavour. These blueberries are ideal for eating fresh or cooking in pies and cakes. The striking red autumn leaf colour and pretty, bell-shaped creamy white flowers make this Blueberry bush pleasing on the eye as well as the palate.
Acidic soil or compost is a must when planting blueberries, so make sure you dig some in to the planting area or use lots of ericaceous compost in your pot if you are growing your blueberry on a patio. If you are growing in a container then a top tip is to water with rainwater for best results. Why not try baking homemade blueberry, raspberry and white chocolate muffins - delicious.
AKA Vaccinium corymbosum 'Bluecrop'
Latin name: Vaccinium 'Bluecrop'
Use: Dual purpose, Cooking & Eating
Cropping period: Mid season
Pollination: Self fertile
Height in 10 years: 1.2m
Code:
Planting advice for Bluecrop Blueberry Bush
Planting density
Blueberry bushes should be planted at a minimum of approx. 1m between plants.
Preparing the site
When planting blueberry bushes, such as the Bluecrop variety, it is important to prepare the planting area well. Pot grown blueberry bushes can be planted at any time of the year. Bare root blueberry bushes need to be planted between November and March. If you are not planting your bare root blueberry tree straight away, it is best to ‘heel in’ your tree. Dig a hole in an unused area of soil and pop the roots of the tree in, gently firming around. If you’re planting within a couple of days, you can untie the bag around the roots, water, re-tie and then store in a frost free garage or shed.
Whether planting a pot grown or bare root blueberry tree it is important to prepare your planting site well. Start by removing all weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole. Then dig a hole slightly deeper than your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. We recommend digging a square hole as this encourages the roots to grow straight as opposed to around inside the hole. To help your tree establish more effectively, we advise applying root grow (sprinkle in the hole for pot grown trees or prepare and apply the gel mixture for bare root trees), especially if you have poor soil. Gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole.
Using 50% of the original soil and 50% compost (avoid multi-purpose and ideally use an ericaceous/acid compost), fill in the hole and firm around gently. Make sure not to bank the soil up around the collar of the tree as this can cause problems.
Watering
If you’re planting in dry weather, water well and regularly for the first few months – Blueberries are acid loving and so rainwater in by far the best thing to water with. The same goes for spring and summer planting. Make sure to keep an eye on your young blueberry and increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If you’re planting in autumn, you may only need to water your plant a little. To check if the soil requires further water, dig a finger down into the soil, a few centimetres and if the soil feels even slightly moist, it does not need further watering. If it feels dry, water and repeat this test again. Once you see your fruits begin to swell, water again. We also stock a range of irrigation kits, suitable for a variety of planting schemes.
Once planted, it is important to keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons. Using a glyphosate based weed killer or installing mulch matting and bark chips will aid in this. Do not simply mow the grass around the area as this will only encourage it to grow more vigorously.
Pruning advice for Bluecrop Blueberry Bush
Blueberries grow from the short side shoots of the previous year’s growth in spring or early summer. A late, second crop is then produced on the tips of the current year’s growth. Only a minimal amount of pruning is required in the first couple of years. Simply remove any crossing or awkwardly placed branches that prevent an open centred bush habit.
Prune from November to March, in the dormant season. Mature blueberry bushes should be checked for dead, dying or diseased branches. Remove one third of the oldest stems near the base of your mature blueberry bush.
Delivery Costs
*Free delivery promotion excludes mature trees, extra large kits and delivery to Highlands or Islands. Discount applies at checkout.
Small/medium trees & shrubs
Select semi-mature trees & shrubs
All other mature trees
Mainland UK ex. Scottish Highlands
£8 for any quantity
£35 for 1-4 trees
From £55 for any quantity
Scottish Highlands & the Islands
From £30
Outside Mainland UK
Currently we are unable to deliver outside of Mainland UK
Delivery Times
Next Day Despatch We will always try to get your plants to you as quickly as possible. For many of our trees and plants, if you order today we will despatch your order within 24 hours. We are constantly adding to our range of next day plants, and we do not add a surcharge for this service. Click here to see our next day delivery plants.
Standard Delivery We have one of the widest range of trees in the UK, and for those plants which we cannot despatch next day we will normally despatch within 4 weeks. The despatch time for different products will be confirmed when products are added to your shopping basket
Pre-orders We will only want to deliver your orders when they are perfect for planting! Depending on the season and how well the plants are growing, we will give our best estimates of the despatch dates for pre-orders. These dates may vary and by species and while we will always try to deliver within these timeframes if the expected despatch does change then we will notify you by email.
Special Orders Orders containing pleached or mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) are delivered within 3 weeks. They require specialist delivery and are grouped geographically. Any customers ordering pleached or mature trees will be contacted and notified of their delivery date.
If your trees are required by a specific date, please let us know as soon as possible; while we can’t offer any guarantees we will always do our best to accommodate you. You can leave instructions in the notes field on the Delivery Page of the Checkout or send us an email at [email protected].
Please note that orders are shipped once all the trees in the order are ready.
Collections Collections are by appointment only at our West Yorkshire-based nursery. If you would like to place an order for collection, please get in touch before placing your order. You will not be charged a delivery cost for a collection and any delivery cost that has been applied will be refunded.
The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. *Pot sizes may vary. Below are definitions of terms:
Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.
Single Stem tree: Classic tree with one trunk, pruned for a beautiful, natural shape.
Top grafted tree: A height next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Ideal for small spaces.
Feathered tree: Branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.
Multi Stem tree: Two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system.
Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.
Clump: Several plants in one pot that give the appearance of a bushy multi stem tree.
Climber: Naturally climbing plant. Usually delivered running up a cane, ready to position in the garden.
Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branches of the crown). Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.
