Re: help needed to grow blueberries in Athens, Greece

Nan -
I can see how you might have landed there, taking mirtillo for myrtillus, but a little excercise with an Italian/English translator got me to: Blueberry Bush Extra Fruiting.
 
Lorraine -
Here's an EU link that gives some specific instructions. From what friends have told me, the bit about providing some shade in the high sun is the important part - remembering that "full sun" in seed company and nursery talk is based on gentler climates.
 
http://www.gardening.eu/plants/Shrubs/Vaccinium-corymbosum/1060/index_m.asp 
 
Carol, with nothing better to do at the moment than look things up...

----- Original Message ----
From: N Sterman <TalkingPoints@plantsoup.com>
To: schmiege32@yahoo.com; medit-plants <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 7:19:17 AM
Subject: Re: help needed to grow blueberries in Athens, Greece

Based on a quick google search, what you have are billberries or whortleberries, not blueberries (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilberry and http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VAMY2).

This is the first I've heard of billberries but the best blueberries for the situation are the Southern Highbush Blueberries that we grow in California.  They need far less acid and shade than the traditional blueberries.  They are best grown in full sun, in a pot.  Do add peat moss to the planting mix and fertilize with cottonseed meal (which is acidic).  I find that they don't take any more water than most other fruiting plants (except for the very drought tolerant pomegranate).  

If you would like more information, email me off line.

Nan



On Mar 28, 2007, at 4:43 AM, L Schmiege wrote:

Help needed,  I purchased 4 blueberry bareroot plants.  The only information on the box is that it is Mirtillo  Arbusti da Frutto Extra.  Directions are in Italian and no company name is visable.  I understand that they need acid soil and have purchased some so that I could plant these in a large pot, tub size.  I thought I could put two into a pot.  I live in Greece, above Athens where we have cool nights and hot dry summer days. Does anyone know how large these will get?  Also do I need a different one as a polinator?  I read in Sunset magazines that there are blueberries developed for California climates and mine here is like zone 8 or 9.  You many ask why go through all the bother and my answer is I come from Michigan and really like blueberries.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Lorraine Schmiege

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