Session
Two:
Obtaining And Caring For Your Plants
 Plants should only be purchased from reputable
nurseries to minimize the chances of obtaining diseased plants. Extra precautions
must be taken to ensure that plant roots are protected from drying out or being damaged
after leaving the nursery and before the plants are set into the soil.
Blueberry plants can be purchased as bare-rooted or container
plants and there are three sizes of plants. The most common type of plant you can
buy is one-year old plants. These are usually bare root plants and range from eight
to twelve inches in height. The next size of plants are commonly called two-year
plants and these are anywhere from twelve to eighteen inches tall, while three-year plants
are usually around two feet tall. Two and three-year old plants are normally sold as
bare rooted or potted plants.
Determining which type of plant you buy depends a lot of
how much care you can give the plants during the first year. The small plants
will require a lot of care, particularly with weed control and water management.
Larger plants are more forgiving.
 When your plants arrive from the nursery it's important
that you inspect them carefully. The plants should have a moist root ball and the
tops of the plants should not be shriveled or damaged. You should also look for
signs of diseases, insect damage, or other sort of injury. If there is any question
about the quality of the plants contact the nursery.
Ideally you should plant the plants as soon as possible. If
you're delayed for a day or two repack them in the nursery box and put them in a cool
place. If you are going to be delayed for several days or an even longer period,
unpack the plants, dig a trench, line them out and heel them in the ground, which means
placing soil over the roots. This is temporarily planting them. You can also
heel them into a pile of damp sawdust, making sure that the sawdust covers the root balls.
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