Online calendars

I was thinking of buying and planting a blueberry plant but according to the calender online. May is not the month for planting blueberries. Does this mean i should not do this . What happens if i plant a blueberry plant in May or June

 

Blueberries need very acidic soil to grow and most of the UK doesn't have very acidic soil so many folk (like me) grow them in pots using ericaceous compost and a feed for ericaceous plants (I use Miracle gro for Azaleas).

Blueberries are sold usually as potted plants so can be bought at any time of the year. Whilst 1 plant will produce a decent amount of berries, if you have 2 or 3 plants they will x-pollinate and you'll get a better yield.

I get around 6-7Kg from my 3 plants between July and late Sept.

 

OK But my question is should they be planted in May . Most of what i have read online suggests you shouldnt plant them in May

Blueberries

How much attention to people pay to these online calenders

 

If you ignore the calendar and scroll down it does say they can be planted at any time of the year.

 

If it's a container grown plant you can plant any time, just more attention to watering needed at this time of the year while it establishes.

 

On that link, I can understand it saying plant Oct to Mar - that's the dormant season.
Why the RHS would say you can plant in June but not April/May (or July - Sept) isn't clear, and it conflicts with the text further down the page which says

Blueberries can be planted in the ground (in acid soil) and in containers of ericaceous compost. They will settle in best if planted while dormant, between autumn and spring, although they can be planted at any time of year, except in hot, dry weather or into frozen ground.​

 

Its all very confusing , a lot of websites have these calenders and i dont know if they are written by experts . This one says you can plant it any time of year but i wonder if a reasom why my current blue berry failed is because it was planted in december

'Sunshine Blue' Evergreen Blueberry Bush

 

Just dump the calendar, its all bunkum.

 

Suitable conditions for planting anything isn't determined just by what month it is. If the ground is frozen or waterlogged it's not suitable whatever the date, but in a mild winter spell when the ground is moist it's perfect for planting bare-root plants and OK for container-grown too, but with container-grown plants you need to make sure you prepare the soil well, not just dig a hole just big enough, stick the plant in and backfill because that will create a sump that'll just collect water if you get a wet spell, particularly if you have clay soil.

 

@hi2uuk
As you do not include your location, how do you expect the calendar to give the correct time for you to plant ?

 

im just reading off what they put on these gardening shop websites . Are you saying they arent to be trusted ? they normally only have one calendar regardless of your location

 

Little point in relying solely on such calendars. As said above, your locality and weather conditions would be the first thing to take into account re the timing.
Pretty much the same as you find on plant labels and seed packets - a basic guide only. To be fair tho they cannot possibly include every garden or micro climate and you would be expected to take your particular conditions into account.

 

Yes.
One needs to research the likely conditions in your locality, as to climate zone. Adjust your timings according to local microclimates. If you are in Uk, use Charles Dowding calender(mid Somerset) as a base and alter according to your variation due to location/climate. For this area, Solent coast, I find one can advance sowing dates from his datum by 7 days or so. Build and record your experiences as you progress.

 

Like those on seed packets; they are there to give you an indication and are based on average UK conditions. As they cannot know where you live when you look at the website.
You need to take into account your conditions generally and also that year.
I'm in South Devon and could, like Infradig sow earlier than Charles Dowding would, but my garden is East facing the ground takes a long time to warm up so I would sow about the same time as Charles Dowding or probably a bit later.
Shrubs and plants tend to be a bit more forgiving than seeds. However if spring is very dry it would be ill advised to plant an expensive shrub and then shortly after disappear off for fortnights holiday. Also check the weather forecast if planting in spring time to see if you have a cold snap coming as you might want to protect the young plant