Description
Bluecrop has been the most widely planted blueberry in the country for decades, and there is nothing not to like about that old generation. The berries are medium to large, light powder blue, firm, resistant to cracking, with good flavor and a small picking scar, carried in loose clusters that are easy to work through.
The bush is vigorous, upright and open, around 5 ft, and it is forgiving of ordinary mistakes in a way that newer cultivars are not. The one thing it asks is pruning: left alone it tends to overproduce, and an overcropped bush gives smaller, tarter fruit. In fall the leaves turn a striking crimson.
Overview
- Powder-blue berries, firm, good flavored, resistant to cracking.
- Ripens over about a month in midsummer, not all at once.
- Vigorous, upright and open at about 5 ft; easy to grow.
- Crimson red fall foliage.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Bluecrop’
Site and Soil: Full sun; acidic, well drained soil, pH 4.5 to 5.5
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 4
Rootstock: Grown from cuttings or tissue culture
Bearing Age: Fruits right away; full production in 5 to 6 years
Size at Maturity: Vigorous, upright, open, about 5 ft
Ripening Time: Mid season; July into August
Pollination: Self-fertile; a second blueberry variety improves size and yield
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: Prune it properly and the berries stay large. Left to carry everything it sets, Bluecrop gives you more fruit and smaller fruit.
- Regional Insight: Blueberries crop best where winters are cold enough to meet their chill and the soil is naturally acid, which covers most of the country once the planting hole is prepared properly.
- Explore more berries in our collection: Berries
