Blueberry bush care: acidic soil, two cultivars for cross-pollination, bird netting

Blueberries are not difficult, but they are unforgiving on soil pH. You need pH 4.5 to 5.5, two cultivars, and bird netting before the first berry colors. Everything else follows from those three requirements.

I don't grow blueberries at home. My Long Island soil is sandy loam with a pH of around 6.5 — too alkaline for blueberries without significant soil amendment, and I've never invested in the multi-year preparation the plants require before their first useful harvest. So this guide is sourced from University of Minnesota Extension, Clemson HGIC, and UMass Extension — the programs that have the most detailed published research on home blueberry production.

The honest context for why I don't grow them: blueberries are not difficult, but they are demanding in a specific and unforgiving way. The soil pH requirement is the single most common reason home blueberry plantings fail, and it is not something you can fix after planting without substantial disruption to the plants.

Which type of blueberry?

Three types are commercially available for home gardens, and the right choice depends on your USDA zone:

**Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are the standard supermarket blueberry — large berries, 4–6 feet tall, zones 4–7. Most named cultivars ('Bluecrop', 'Jersey', 'Patriot', 'Bluejay') are highbush. Per Penn State Extension, most northern highbush cultivars require approximately 750 hours** of winter chilling below 45°F to break dormancy and set fruit properly — comfortably met by early February in Pennsylvania and most northern states. In zones 7–9, choose southern highbush cultivars bred for lower chill (300–600 hours).

**Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium)** grow 1–2 feet tall and are native to the northeastern United States and Canada. Very cold-hardy (zones 3–6), but produce smaller berries in smaller quantities. They spread by underground rhizomes and are better suited to naturalizing than to a formal berry patch.

**Rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium virgatum, formerly V. ashei)** are the southern highbush alternative — taller (up to 15 feet), heat-tolerant, and productive in zones 7–9. They have a longer chill requirement than southern highbush cultivars but lower than northern highbush. Per Clemson HGIC, rabbiteye cultivars are spaced "6 feet in the row and 10 to 12 feet between rows."

Southern highbush blueberries are hybrids developed for zones 7–10 with lower chill requirements. Useful in the South where northern highbush types struggle. Per Clemson HGIC, 'Onslow' "may tolerate soils of a higher pH than other cultivars" — a practical note for gardeners on the margin of the pH requirement.