i have 21 bushes, 4 different varieties. I’m told you need 3 different varieties. Today somebody told me just 2. But I know one will not do it. so sorry.

Reading through the responses here, it looks like all the information is correct for high bush blueberries.

You do need two or more varieties for cross pollination.

They should be planted relatively close together

Acidic soil a must for these plants

Sunny location also ideal, as blueberries will not produce fruit buds in late July or August for next years blossom in shaded conditions.

I’ve had a planting of 6 bushes for about 25 years now, 3 different varieties, and just to try at first as our climate is marginal for the high bush varieties. They have done okay as we tend to have long warm falls, so the berries do ripen.

Where as our low bush varieties are much more prolific and tasteful, the cropping for them is generally over by the end of August or the 1st 2 weeks of September.

Here at the bluebery farms we also spread Lime on the soil twice a year. They love it and we have the best crops. We use pine mulch or shavings around our plants as well.
I myself have Patriot and Chippewa vairities. Full sun and sandy loam soil.

One should always have a cross pollinator to get berries.

And yes, a county ag extension will have all your answers for the area you live in.

Blueberry bush just does not do well here in our area.
Wish I could help (sorry)

My understanding is that a pollinator is not required but HIGHLY reccommended. Earliblue and bluecrop are the best. I don’t know anyone that has 1 variety and has fruit however. All have atleast 2.
Also all blueberries require acidic soil. If they don’t get the right PH they will not produce. Hope this helps.

From what I understand, like the others here have said, you do need a cross pollinator. A cross pollinator is another variety of the same plant that blooms at the same time as the one you have. Just because you have more than one variety of a plant does not make them cross pollinate. They have to bloom at the same time.

For instance, I have a Granny Smith apple & a Gala apple because they flower at the same time; so, they are cross pollinators. I also have a Georgia peach & Elberta peach, a Bartlett pear & Moonglow pear (which incidentally will not pollinate with a Bradford Pear, as the Bradford is not really a ‘pear’ tree; however, a bird can drop a seed from the Bradford next to the Moonglow and 2 pear trees can become one, as I have proof and both will flower & fruit! The Bradford makes little berries that I do not know are edible to humans.) Just an LOL! I also have recently, last year, gotten 3 varieties of cherries (1 has since died): Bing & Black Tartarian. It is said some varieties cross better with other certain varieties, as is the case with the 3 cherries I had bought. All were/are dark red/black cherries. I baby them because Texas A&M says TX cannot grow them. I have yet to have them flower or fruit because they are only a year old.

I have tried to grow blueberries. I have been told it is hard to grow blueberries here in TX, too. Blueberries love acidic soil, of which I have none. You may need to test your soil. If the soil does not have the right ph for the plants, they may not fruit. I have this problem with a European plum. It is almost 10 yrs old and has never flowered. This fall I am going to put down some Miracle Grow or Jobes fruit tree spikes and then again in the spring to see if it helps. So, far no one knows really why it has not even so much as flowered.

Also, some plants/bushes/trees do not produce until a certain amount of time has passed. The wild plums I have do not produce their first couple of years. The TX & American persimmons that grow here wild can take up to 10 years to produce. I have only seen a couple of Persimmons on a couple of trees. The pears are several years old now and have yet to produce in abundance. The oldest Moonglow pear will produce a large number this year, but I am waiting for the Bartlett, as I only have the Moonglow as a pollinator for the Bartlett. The apples have not produced, as they are only 3-5 yrs old.

So, you see, there is a lot that goes into getting bushes/trees to produce. I now have 2 nectarines. We will see how long it takes them to fruit. However, they did have fruit on them when I got them. Almost all of them came off between the time I transplanted them and a great TX wind came and blew them off.

Test your soil and maybe talk to your county extension office.
Good luck!

I have seen drawf blueberry bushes advertised that are grown in a container. Do you need a pollinator for these too?

Several months ago our local nursery had a sale on blueberry bushes. We got the last 2. They were kind of puny looking, but they were 2 different types of blueberries. On the advice of the nursery salesman, we bought a bag of azalea potting soil to plant them in. It’s the perfect type of soil for them. We have them in containers near (but not right next to) each other and they are gorgeous now and have lots of blueberries. Good luck with yours!