How to Grow Blueberries in Pots in Australia
The acidic-soil and climate story that makes container blueberries thrive
Blueberries are one of the best fruits to grow in a pot, and not just because they suit a balcony or courtyard. Blueberries are fussy about one thing above all else, acidic soil, and a pot is the easiest place in the whole garden to give them exactly the sour, free-draining soil they need.
Get two things right, the type that suits your climate and the soil acidity, and a potted blueberry will reward you with handfuls of fruit and glowing autumn colour for years. This guide walks you through both, then covers pot size, sun, watering, feeding, pollination, netting and the rest.
Which Blueberry for Your Climate?
The single biggest mistake is buying the wrong type. Northern highbush blueberries are bred for cold-winter regions and need a long chilly winter to fruit, so they sulk in warm Australia. Low-chill southern highbush and heat-tolerant rabbiteye types fruit happily with far less winter cold. Pick your climate below for the right type and two varieties to start with.
The One Rule That Matters: Acidic Soil
Blueberries evolved in acidic, peaty soils and they will not thrive in ordinary soil or standard potting mix. They need a soil pH of about 4.5 to 5.5, which is quite sour. In the wrong pH they cannot take up iron, the leaves yellow between the veins, growth stalls and the plant slowly fades.
- Use an ericaceous mix. Fill the pot with a potting mix made for acid-loving plants, often sold as azalea, camellia and rhododendron mix, or an ericaceous mix. Do not use general-purpose potting mix.
- Never add lime. Lime, dolomite, wood ash and mushroom compost all raise pH and are the enemy of blueberries. Keep them well away from the pot.
- Rainwater beats hard tap water. Hard, alkaline tap water slowly pushes the pH up. Rainwater is ideal. If you only have hard water, watch for yellowing leaves and keep the soil topped up with acidic mix.
- Keep it acidic over time. If the leaves start yellowing, water with a diluted soil acidifier or feed for acid-loving plants, and refresh the top of the mix each year.
Pot Size, Position and Soil
Start a young plant in a pot around 30 to 40 cm wide and pot it on as it grows, finishing in a container of at least 40 to 50 litres. Bigger is better, as a larger pot holds moisture more evenly and gives the roots room. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes, because while blueberries like steady moisture they hate sitting in water.
Give the pot a spot in full sun for the best crop, though in hot inland gardens a little afternoon shade in summer protects the plant and fruit. Group two pots together so the bushes can cross-pollinate, and stand them where you can get netting over them when the fruit colours.
Watering and Feeding
Pots dry out fast, and blueberries have shallow, fine roots that resent both drought and waterlogging. Keep the mix evenly moist through spring and summer, checking daily in hot weather, and mulch the surface with pine bark or pine needles to hold moisture and gently keep the soil acidic.
Feed with a fertiliser made for acid-loving plants (azalea and camellia food), which is formulated to keep the pH low and supply the right nutrients. Feed lightly in spring and again after fruiting, and avoid general fertilisers and anything containing lime. Less is more, as blueberries are not heavy feeders.
Pollination: Plant Two Varieties
Many southern highbush varieties are partly self-fertile, so a single bush will set some fruit. But almost every blueberry crops more heavily, with bigger berries, when a second variety of the same type is planted nearby for cross-pollination. Rabbiteye varieties in particular need a second rabbiteye partner to fruit well. Two pots side by side is the simple answer, and bees do the rest.
Pruning and Netting
For the first couple of years just remove any weak, dead or crossing twigs and let the bush build a strong framework. From about year three, prune in winter while the bush is dormant: take out the oldest, twiggiest wood at the base to make room for vigorous young canes, which carry the best fruit.
Net before the birds beat you to it
Birds love ripe blueberries and will strip a bush in a day. Net the plant as the berries start to colour. Use proper, wildlife-safe fruit netting with a fine, tight mesh held off the plant on a frame so birds and other wildlife cannot get tangled in it. A potted bush is easy to cage with a small netted frame.
Harvest, Storage and Autumn Colour
Ripe blueberries are fully blue with a dusty bloom and come away with a gentle tug. They keep ripening over a few weeks, so pick over the bush every few days. Fresh berries keep about a week in the fridge and freeze beautifully: open-freeze them on a tray, then bag them so they stay loose.
As a bonus, highbush and rabbiteye blueberries are deciduous and turn fiery red and orange in autumn before dropping their leaves, so a potted blueberry earns its place as an ornamental as well as a fruit plant. Low-chill types in mild climates are often semi-evergreen.
Track your blueberries in the app
Add blueberries to your garden in the Planting Season app for reminders on feeding, netting and harvest, and log your picks to watch the totals add up.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
What soil pH do blueberries need?
Blueberries need acidic soil with a pH of about 4.5 to 5.5. In a pot, fill with an ericaceous or azalea and camellia mix rather than standard potting mix, and never add lime. If the pH drifts up, water with a diluted acidifier or top up with more acidic mix.
Can I grow blueberries in a pot?
Yes, blueberries are one of the best fruits for pots, partly because a container lets you give them the acidic, free-draining soil they demand. Use a pot of at least 40 to 50 litres, an ericaceous mix, a sunny spot and consistent water, and pot on as the bush grows.
Which blueberry should I grow in a warm climate?
In subtropical and warm temperate gardens with little winter cold, grow low-chill southern highbush varieties or heat-tolerant rabbiteye types. Both crop with far fewer winter chill hours than the northern highbush varieties bred for cold winters.
Do I need two blueberry plants?
Many southern highbush varieties are partly self-fertile, but almost all blueberries crop more heavily and with larger berries when you plant two different varieties of the same type for cross-pollination. Rabbiteye varieties in particular need a second rabbiteye variety.
Why are my blueberry leaves turning yellow?
Yellowing leaves with green veins is usually iron chlorosis caused by soil that is not acidic enough, which locks up iron. Check the pH, top up with an ericaceous or azalea mix, water with rainwater rather than hard tap water, and feed with a fertiliser for acid-loving plants.
Can I water blueberries with tap water?
You can, but hard or alkaline tap water gradually raises the soil pH and can cause problems over time. Rainwater is better. If you only have hard tap water, watch the leaves for yellowing, keep topping up with acidic mix, and use an acidifier or acid-loving plant food.
How do I stop birds eating my blueberries?
Net the bush as the berries start to colour, using proper wildlife-safe fruit netting with a fine, tight mesh held off the plant on a frame so birds cannot get tangled. A potted bush is easy to cage with a simple netted frame.
Do blueberry bushes lose their leaves?
Highbush and rabbiteye blueberries are deciduous and colour up beautifully in autumn before dropping their leaves, while many low-chill varieties grown in mild climates are semi-evergreen. The autumn colour makes them an attractive pot plant as well as a productive one.
See also: Blueberry in the Plant Library and our guide to growing blueberries.