D95-Edible Berries Edible #3 Vaccinium x Sunshine Blue/ Southern Highbush Blueberry

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sunshine Blue'

COMMON NAME: Highbush Blueberry

GARDEN SIZE: 3-4 ft. x 3-4 ft.

USDA ZONE: 5 to 10

CHILL HOURS: 150

EXPOSURE: Full Sun

WATER & SOIL: Acidic, well-drained, average moisture

HABIT (FORM): Mounded, spreading shrub

FOLIAGE: Deciduous; Blue green leaves that turn orange-red in the fall

BLOOM TIME: Spring

POLLINATION: Southern Highbush Hybrids are self-fertile. However, larger and earlier berries result if several cultivars are interplanted for cross-pollination (O'Neal and Jubilee). 

FRUIT: Develops in the summer; Ripens Mid-Season

CARE: Use an acidic fertilizer such as Holly-tone, in early spring before the leaves emerge. Be careful not to add too much and do not let the fertilizer build up around the stems at the base. If you do not have acidic soil, you can also add soil acidifier to help lower the pH around the root zone.