Dear Carol: I recently purchased two blueberry bushes. They are only a root with a couple of green stems coming out of a biodegradable carton.
Planting instructions are to plant them 9 inches deep and 6 feet apart in full sun. However, it doesn't say when to plant them. -- W.O., Fayetteville.
Dear W.O.: Your bushes are dormant, bare-rooted stock. They should be planted "as soon as the soil can be worked," which means as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep them in a cold, but not freezing, place and keep the material around the roots damp.
I am suspicious of biodegradable pots. They remain intact in the ground for longer than one might hope. If the directions call for planting the bush carton and all, soak it first and cut slits or tear it up so that the roots can grow through it. It is better in my experience to remove all pots, ties, tags, wires, burlap and so on before planting anything. Spreading out the roots is always a good idea. Roots keep growing in the direction they are headed. When that is around and around, the plant will never grow well.
Did you buy two different varieties of blueberries? Blueberries bear better when there is cross-pollination. This is true of many fruits, even those said to be self-pollinating. It isn't likely to be a problem with an apple tree, because there is usually another apple or crabapple tree in the neighborhood. But with a more unusual type of fruit, it is good to plant a compatible variety nearby. The online Cornell publications are useful: gardening.cornell.edu/fruit/. Blueberries also need acid soil, which the soil in Fayetteville is not. Check the pH of your soil regularly and amend it as needed.
Dear Carol: It's hard for me to plant because I have shale underneath my soil. So I've taken to planting my herbs in pots. Everything grows very well, except for my regular basil, which either doesn't grow or gets brown and looks like it's been eaten away by some sort of insect. I did buy some insect spray which a nursery told me would work, but it killed the plant. I can't understand it because the Thai and cinnamon basil grow very well. -- C.W., via email.
Dear C.W: Your pots or raised beds are the only way to go with shaley soil. Pests can be picky eaters. Japanese beetles eat regular basil. So do four-lined plant bugs, small black and yellow striped bugs that hide and are not easily seen. They make little sunken tan spots in the leaves. The centers of the spots drop out later. The best way to keep insects off basil is to grow it by itself with nonwoven row cover material over the pot like a shower cap.
Carol T. Bradford, of Syracuse, has been gardening in Central New York for more than 25 years. Her column also appears in Stars magazine Sundays. Send questions in care of Home & Garden, The Post-Standard, P.O. Box 4915, Syracuse, NY 13221, by fax to 470-2111 or by e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org. Letters might be edited for space and clarity.