What ’s not to love about container horticulture ? It brings verdure into spaces that urgently need it , lets those of us without yard still enjoy plants , and has broadened the use of traditional landscape plants through unexampled procreation specifically for smaller spaces . But when the days grow brusque , the folio start to fall down , and you feel that tell - tale temperature drop , letting you be intimate winter is get along , what can you do for your potted champion ?
In this clause , I ’ll be talking specifically about care for containerized blueberry , but many of these bakshis can be applied to other Genera as well .
Berries For Containers
At home base , I keep three containers ofblueberries . Blueberries are pretty hardy plant ; on average , they survive USDA zones 3–10 . Be sure to always check over the plant tag to find the exacthardiness zoneof the variety you ’re buy .
Preparing To Overwinter Your Berries
The first thing you ’ll want to do is to hold on any plant food you ’ve been feed your plants . Fertilizer encourages new growing , but you require to get your plant ready to go dormant . It ’s best to abridge this off by early- to mid - September , depend on your zone . fond climates can wait longer , and cooler climates can arrest in the beginning .
Many blueberry are deciduous , meaning they will naturally lose their leaves as the temperatures shed . You ’ll want to leave your containers alone at first so that the plants naturally go abeyant through the fall . Keep an optic on your 10 - day forecast . If you see freeze temperature set about or an utmost temperature variation expected ( something like day temperatures of 70 level Fahrenheit plump to 30 degrees Fahrenheit overnight ) , then you ’ll desire to come out the overwintering process .
How To Overwinter Berries In Containers
What we ’re looking to achieve is protecting the roots inside the raft . When berries are planted in the background , the roots have insulation , but the let on side of the pot make for a harsh wintertime climate for container plants . The following solutions can help :
When to Water Dormant Berries
Throughout the winter , you want to check that the grunge in your containers stay moist , but not soaked . Plants involve less water supply during dormancy than when actively growing . Water your plants during the mean solar day when the temperature is above freeze and with adequate clock time for the water to soak in before the temperature suspend again at dark . If your container become cover by a stratum of C , provide it be . This is redundant insulation for your plants .
Preparing Your Berries For Spring
As spring approaches , keep your center on the 10 - day forecast again and search up the frost - free date for your USDA zone . Once the temperatures are safe , you may move your containers back to your trust blank space and remove any wrapping . As the temperatures warm up , you should start to see dark-green bud form along the radical of your blueberry plant .
Once you see bud over the legal age of the flora , it ’s a upright time to appear for any dead stem that are n’t bud up and get rid of them . Use a yoke of clean pruners and shorten the dead radical out at the soil spirit level . This case of pruning increases airwave menses which in bend decrease the likelihood of leafage disease .
