Knowledgebase

Growing Blueberries Indoors #322898

Asked May 18, 2016, 8:14 PM EDT

Hi there, I'm trying to grow blueberries indoors. I have no claim to outdoor spaces and am not allowed to use window boxes. I'm curious as to what type of light cycle you recommend for vegetative and flowering stages respectively. Also, do blueberry plants require a "break" after flowering? For example, do I need a dormant/recovery stage with a different light cycle after plants have flowered and fruited? Or could I then switch back to a vegetative growth light cycle in preparation for the next fruit/flower cycle (without undue stress)? In summary, I'm primarily interested in learning about the light/dark cycle recommended for each phase of plant growth, and what kind of calendar time I should provide my plants in each phase. I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

District of Columbia County District of Columbia

Expert Response

I am sorry but I do not think you can do this with blueberries. The commercial varieties do require a dormant period or break. Wild highbush and low bush blueberries require about 700 to 1200 hours of temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees. We call this chilling. This allows wild plants to mark the passage of winter and prevents growth during warm periods in the winter. Florida and Georgia have developed low-chill varieties which only require 200 hours, southern highbush or low chill varieties. But even those do require chilling. I saw commercial planting in central Florida in April which had received no chilling and were treated with a chemical called Dormex. One variety has lots of fruit and no leaves and the other leaves but no fruit. I doubt you could grow them indoors without any chilling. If you had access to walk-in cooler, you could give southern highbush a chilling treatment.
Mark Longstroth Replied May 23, 2016, 6:15 AM EDT
Thank you! I appreciate you sharing that knowledge!
The Question Asker Replied May 23, 2016, 8:34 PM EDT

Loading ...