Can blueberries be grown in Guangdong? Growing conditions and variety selection
For a long time, everyone has believed that blueberries are suited to being grown in cold climates, but is that actually true? Can blueberries be grown in Guangdong? Let's take a look together!
Blueberries can be grown in Guangdong, but the right blueberry varieties must be chosen. The blueberry varieties suitable for growing in Guangdong include southern highbush blueberries, rabbiteye, and others.
I. Southern highbush blueberries
1. Sharpblue
A variety released by the University of Florida in 1976, bred from the cross Florida61-5×Florida63-12, a mid-season variety. Tree vigor is medium to strong, with an open growth habit. Berries are medium to large, sweetness BX15.0%, acidity pH4.00, with aroma. It has abundant juice and is suitable for making fresh juice. The fruit scar is small and wet. Chilling requirement is 150~300 hours. It has strong soil adaptability and is high-yielding, but is not suitable for transport.
2. Misty
A variety released by the University of Florida in 1989, a mid-season variety. Tree vigor is medium, with an open growth habit. Berries are medium to large, sweetness BX14.0%, acidity pH4.20, with aroma. The fruit scar is small and dry. Chilling requirement is 200~300 hours. It is the most high-yielding of the southern highbush blueberry varieties and is an evergreen variety of warm zones.
3. O'Neal
A variety released by the state of North Carolina, USA, in 1987, an early-maturing variety. Tree vigor is strong, with an open growth habit. The fruit is large, sweetness BX13.5%, acidity pH4.53. The aroma is strong, the most aromatic among southern highbush blueberry varieties. The flesh is firm. The fruit scar is small and quick-drying. Chilling requirement is 400~500 hours. It is a heat-tolerant variety and high-yielding.
II. Rabbiteye
The tree is tall, long-lived, resistant to damp heat, not demanding about soil conditions, and drought-resistant. However, its cold resistance is poor; a low temperature of -27°C can freeze many varieties. It is suited to cultivation in the hilly areas south of the Yangtze River basin in China, South China, and other regions. When developing toward the south, one must consider whether the cultivation area can satisfy the 450~850 hours of chilling requirement below <7.2°C; when developing toward the north, one must consider frost damage during the flowering period and freezing damage in winter.
1. Gardenblue
A variety released by the state of Georgia, USA, in 1958, a mid-season or late-season variety. Tree vigor is strong, upright; tree height 2.60m, crown spread 1.40m. The fruit is medium-sized, more sweet than sour, with aroma. It has little bloom, and the skin is firm. It can grow vigorously even in places with poor soil conditions, so it is suitable for cultivation in parks, along walls, and similar sites.
2. Powderblue
A variety released by the state of North Carolina, USA, in 1978, bred from the cross Menditoo×Tifblue, a late-maturing variety. The plant grows robustly, the crown is open, the fruit is large, and it is extremely high-yielding. The berries are slightly smaller than those of Tifblue, and the flesh is extremely firm. Sweetness BX15.2%, acidity pH 3.40, with aroma. The skin is bright blue, with abundant bloom. The fruit scar is small and dry. It has little fruit cracking, good storability, and high yield.
3. Baldwin
A variety released by the state of Georgia, USA, in 1983, bred from the cross Ga.6-40(Myers×BlackGiant)×Tifblue, a late-maturing variety. The plant grows robustly and upright, the crown is large, and it has a strong capacity for continuous high yields; the chilling requirement is 450~500h. It has strong disease resistance. The fruit ripening period can last 6~7 weeks; the fruit is large, dark blue, the fruit scar is dry and small, the fruit is firm, and the flavor is good. The harvest period is long, making it suitable for cultivation in home gardens and agritourism orchards.