Hello All,
I have purchased some 25-year-old blueberry bushes that were removed from a farm that will be used for other purposes. Most of the bushes I got had lost many roots when they were dug up. I would appreciate information from people that have been through this experience. Did you prune the bushes back and, if so, how far? Any other important tips would be appreciated.
I have planted the bushes in a peat moss-compost-soil mix and applied vitamin B as I planted them. I am planning on successive waterings with a vitamin B solution. Also, I am planning on NOT applying fertilizer this year.
Many thanks! 
Please let me apologize in advance for I'm about to be a bit of a wet blanket.
I'm assuming these are Northern Highbush blueberries like the ones I have.
I've been told that blueberries are most productive on perhaps 3-6 year old canes and they are generally managed by removing anything older than that to encourage new canes to grow from the crown.
Old, woody branched limbs are unikely to be productive.
perhaps 3 years ago I bought a 7' tall blueberry tree that was balled and burlapped and have yet to harvest any but a few small berries from it.
It does look pretty cool though, until mid-late summer each year when the leaves start drying and browning.
If I had to do it again I would probably try to bare-root the plant and remove more of the wood and all of the flowers the first year. But I wouldn't buy a large one like that again.
I asked about mine on Gardenweb and got some responses. Unfortunately they weren't what I wanted to hear and I held a grudge for a while blaming the messenger I suppose.
I hope you're experience is better than mine. I'm giving mine one more year for a miracle and then I'll probably remove it for something else.
Several years ago I transplanted a dozen or so mature “high bush†Blueberry plants from an Uncle who’d transplanted them himself a dozen years before. He split several ‘clumps’ by chopping through their rootball with an axe; keeping half for himself (moving them to a different yard location) and giving me the other half. I’d tried blueberries before, twice; the deer would nibble their new growth so consistently they never flourished and were eventually removed.
I’d built a substantial “Berry cage†for these larger ones, which kept the deer out. I’d also removed their flowers (extremely tedious!) two or three seasons in a row; hearing that would force energy into their root system. I may have thinned them some, but they appeared well balanced and always leafed out and bloomed. But every year they looked worse ... then larger canes began to die.
Always mulched, I hadn’t noticed the extensive vole or pocket gopher (so says my Brother) work around their root systems… The moment I discovered their damage was during the postmortem of 3 or 4 of these large blueberry plants … too late. I searched the Net for hours, days… asked everyone I thought knowledgeable … but could not figure out how to eliminate these rodents.
Conclusion: transplanting very large blueberry plants worked great for my Brother and Uncle’ - theirs are thriving! With the rodent infestation in my area, my plants became victims. If your yard is not riddled with holes of voles (or as my bro. expects, pocket gophers – not the larger “Valley Gophersâ€), it sounds to me like you're doing everything right and will be left fighting birds for blueberries.
Me? My blueberries are pretty-much history in that location; but I’m working on the rodents – more on that later…
It sounds like we picked up the same bushes from the same place at the same trime...I have followed the same procedures and I would be very interested in keeping in touch about how you do with yours...the fine fellow who sold me the bushes was very confident I will see a decent crop of berries THIS season...I hope he's right
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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