Knowledgebase
No Pollinators for my blueberries #875298
Asked June 29, 2024, 8:25 PM EDT
St. Louis County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Marie,
A couple things come to mind. To have the best pollination, you need to plant at least two different varieties. For example, you don't want all "Chippewa" plants. You want to plant "Chippewa" with "North Country" or another type.
Here's a list of U of M varieties that will grow here:
https://mnhardy.umn.edu/blueberries
Fruiting would be affected if you're getting freezes that damage the blossoms. And this year's rain may have inhibited pollinator activity, as many of these insects are less active when it's raining a lot.
Are you pruning your plants? Berries are produced on one-year-old wood.
From the University of Washington:
"Pruning mature blueberry plants is largely a matter of cane removal or
cane thinning. The objective of pruning mature bushes is to stimulate
the proper balance of vegetative and reproductive growth, and limit
plant size. Pruning stimulates the development of new canes which are
more productive than older canes. A general rule is to remove about 1/4
to 1/5 of the oldest canes each year (usually one to three of the oldest
canes). This will result in continuous cane renewal so that no cane is
more than three or four years old.... Most pruning is usually done immediately
after harvest during the early summer."
This page may help you:
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-blueberries-home-garden
Good luck.
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2024 9:14 PM
To: Marie Frank <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: No Pollinators for my blueberries (#0145216)
Hi Marie,
It’s worth a try (getting another plant, not the bees). Also try the devised pruning in the page I sent if you haven’t done that.
Good luck.