Im doing a blueberry landrace starting 2023. Ill track it here
My current plan for “methodology” is to plant these 3 different groups of plants that I’ve been able to get (if you grow your own blueberries, especially if you grow multiple types I’d love seeds). The 5000 mixed is a list of highbush seeds both northern and southern. I plan on mixing the 2 highbush bags here , and i’ll keep the lowbush ones separated for planting.
Method:
1 - I’ll take soil from my garden and make soil blocks or a small seed tray and plant 2 or 3 seeds per block in late january or february indoors to see if they start (roughly 300 seeds give or take), i’ll do 10 or so from the lowbush at this time as well. I’ll also be starting a tray outside in the shade at the same time (just in case they need to be chilled). I’ll start another tray outdoors in late march of as many more seeds as I can (hopefully at least 1000, maybe all the rest).
2 - Any that sprout and seem to be growing ok i’ll transplant close together in a spot in my garden. This is new soil with no amendments or anything. I’ll put them a few inches apart and see how they grow this year. I’ll be sure to mark which ones are high bush and which ones are lowbush (so that I don’t cull lowbush for growing too slowly).
3 - Through the year I’ll be marking with flagging tape the ones that stick out to me for any reason (vigorous growth, etc). My aim will be to save at least 60 plants (hopefully) for the next year.
4 - The next year i’ll take the 60 best plants if there are that many, including a mix of high bush and low bush if I have both. I’ll transplant them to have greater spacing, 18-24 inches. I’ll then continue to care for them and see how they grow out for the next year. I’ll mark any that standout (especially if any get flowers this 2nd year).
5 - As soon as we get fruit - I’ll save seed. I’ll also attempt to hand pollinate with a q-tip back and forth if we have multiple bushes with fruit. I’ll alternate between bushes in the hopes of getting as much crossing as is possible. I’m hoping by the 2nd year that we get some fruit, but who knows it might be the 3rd year.
6 - We’ll take these saved seeds and start the trial over. Planting 1000 or so seeds, picking the best 60-100, growing them out in a closer area, transplanting them while they’re dormant that winter with the best bushes, removing the older bushes that aren’t doing well, and keeping the 50-100 best of the best
7 - After the 3rd generation i’m hoping that most of the seeds will have children that do well in our soil and we’ll start picking for taste
If you want to help:
Just let me know at what stage you want to help, I’m more than happy to get people some seeds (just need a self addressed stamped envelope and i’ll send a couple hundred seeds)
grows actual blueberry fruit in high alkaline soil without amendments
Generally vigorous
Optional Criteria that we’ll pick for:
grows fruit quickly
diversity (the more we can breed in the better)
flavor
How to Join:
Chat to me and send a SASE - i’ll send you 100 seeds. Your requirement is to follow the acceptance criteria and return 50% of all seeds you eventually get for the first 2 or 3 generations. If you join in and continue with it you’ll get new seeds from me as i get them from everyone else
I’ve started the blueberries twice now. The first time I planted about 300-500 seeds and got 4 that grew, but they died from the soil just not draining well. Now i’m starting them in a mix of soil + perlite and the ones that sprout I move over to normal potting mix. This is working better now and I have 4 starts now of the 1000 or so seeds that i’ve planted. I’m going to keep planting another 1000 seeds every 2 or 3 weeks and potting up the ones that sprout. I figure if they sprout in our soil they’re higher up than the others, so when they get big enough to plant i’ll move them outside.
Blueberry seeds do indeed need to be stratified - chilled, as you refer to above. SO, I would highly recommend that treatment for all your seeds.
Here’s a blueberry specific stratification and planting process I used some years back:
It’s via the ‘Madeline’ blueberry genetics page on Ken Asmus’ Oikos website - he started those blueberry genetics from a wild out-cross (high and low bush varietal) standing randomly on a sand dune. The base genetics are extremely resilient (See more HERE)
sprinkle the seed in a flat filled with a smooth flat surface of peat moss or similiar soil mix. Lightly cover the seeds with sand just enough to hold them in place. Put outside or store in a polyhouse all winter. The cold weather will naturally stratify the seeds for 60-90 days. Seedlings emerge slowly as spring progresses over a two month period. These can be plucked out (note: they are very tiny) and put in pots or kept in the flat for one full year before transplanting. Sometimes it takes two years to really pop the seeds because of the hard seed coat. So do not throw out the flat thinking you failed. Another method is to put the seeds in a bag of half and half sand and peat moss. Store for 90-120 days in the fridge from 33-38F . After the cold period, sprinkle the mixture on top of a flat then wait. Most will come up in one year. A portion will come up the second year.
Ya, i’ll have to cold stratify them next year. These ones came pre-stratified. I’m growing them directly in our soil because the goal is to get only the ones that will sprout in alkaline soil
What is your seed source with these? I’d love to join you in the blueberry realm. Very worthy landrace in my mountain valley climate. Blueberries are a key crop here. I’m currently working asparagus and rhubard via seed sources - including @Alma 's seeds he sent via his time in Southern Oregon (I believe?). It’s been about 8 years since I worked blueberries - I was originally working them as a collaboration with a high school in Columbia, Missouri when I was an Edible Landscaping Director. I had several side projects going with school-aged children and young adults.
I could check with Ken, as well, about getting some of his robust genetics. I have a late spring video call with him to discuss the seeds I’m working with this spring/early summer and what I’ll be working with this fall.
I got the mixed variety. It would be great to have someone do a mix of blueberries as much as possible to send out a bunch of seeds to help. The more diverse the better for this project
I’ll chat with Ken then - I am leaning all Northern genetics for me as I am 48 N. Those Southern genetic bases don’t really do me any good as a starting base. Perhaps, further down the line as a genetic pool absotively. I’ll let you know what I learn and share here.
I have alkaline soil, but I decided to plant some blueberry bushes anyway. My next door neighbor has a pine tree right next to the fence line, so I put two of them near the trunk, where the pine needles regularly fall and rot down. I figure that’s likely to be a more acidic space than anywhere else in my yard.
I have another one that I planted near our dead maple.
All three are starting to leaf out right now and look happy so far. So far, I’m not seeing a health difference between them.
Assuming they make blueberries for me, I will definitely plant the seeds. I’d be happy to share seeds from them, too.
I’d be happy to share seeds from them, too.