Highbush Blueberry Varieties
Northern Highbush - Vaccinium corymbosum
Northern Highbush varieties are the most commonly grown around the world. They require between 750-1000 chill hours to satisfy dormancy. These high chill plants are tolerant to frost. Bushes vary in height and density and are long lived; up to 30 years. This deciduous shrub has brilliantly coloured fall foliage which is lost over the winter months.
Variety Selection Checklist
- Does your location experience frost
- Does your location experience between 750-1000 chill hours
Northland *
| Bush | Spreading, vigorous bush to 1.5m. |
| Yield | Very productive with medium size, dark, sweet fruit. |
| Fruit | Fruit hangs without dropping and gets progressively sweeter. |
| Market | Large picking scar makes fruit unsuitable for wholesale market sales, but is an excellent variety for U-pick, local sales, and for processing. |
| Area | Northland performs exceptionally well in areas of extreme summer and winter temperatures. |
Denise *
| Bush | Medium vigour and height to 1.5m,with slightly spreading growth habit |
| Yield | Heavy yields of big, attractive berries, makes this variety very popular with some growers. |
| Fruit | Fruit is very large and round, medium blue with red around stem end. Berries usually delicious but can lose flavour once very ripe. Also can tear at picking scar. |
| Market | Good for fresh sales including U-pick but does not keep well. |
| Area | Seems to perform best in warm areas. |
Bluecrop *
| Bush | Moderate vigour, but very productive, height to 2.1m. Bush requires excellent drainage. |
| Yield | Heavy yields of big, attractive berries, makes this variety very popular with some growers. |
| Fruit | Fruit is light blue, very large and firm with good flavour. Flavour is best with the first few picks and deteriorates over the season. Flavour also better when warn days are followed by cool nights. |
| Market | Small picking scar - excellent fresh fruit. Most popular variety world wide. Very easy and cheap to hand pick in relation to other popular varieties. Can have a percentage of fruit that stays red and doesn’t ripen properly, but very consistent yields year to year. |
Brigitta *
| Bush | Tall vigorous upright bush to 2.4m. |
| Yield | High production |
| Fruit | Very large, medium blue, firm fruit with good flavour. Excellent picking scar and keeping quality. Clusters can be tight and the bloom damaged easily. Ripens two weeks after Bluecrop with similar size berries. Fruit can drop easily so care when hand harvesting is required. For pollination purposes it is best if planted near another variety. |
| Market | Probably the best keeping and shipping variety available. A favourite with exporters. |
| Area | An Australian developed variety Brigitta is now being widely grown world wide. |
Caroline *
| Bush | Medium size plant. Moderate vigour with good bush shape. |
| Fruit | Fruits a week to 10 days after Brigitta with distinctive aromatic flavoured fruit. Fruit is large with the first few picks best and deteriorating as the season progresses. |
| Area | An Australian developed variety. |
Elliott *
| Bush | Medium vigour, semi upright bush. |
| Yield | Extremely heavy yields. |
| Fruit | Small to medium, powder blue, firm, slightly tart berries. Berries come off in just a few picks. Berries soften with extreme temperature. |
| Area | Suits cooler districts. |
Reka *
| Bush | Upright vigorous growth. |
| Yield | High yields. |
| Fruit | Medium sized good flavoured firm berries. Ripening between Earliblue and Bluecrop. |
| Market | Suitable for the fresh market, U-pick and processing. |
| Area | Introduced from N.Z. Reka has displayed exceptional vigour under a wide range of soil conditions overseas, suggesting it should do well in most high chill areas of Australia. |
Nui *
| Bush | The spreading bush is slow to establish. Likes humus rich soils. |
| Yield | Moderate yields. |
| Fruit | Berries are extremely large, light blue, firm, outstanding flavour and superior keeping quality. |
Puru *
| Bush | Upright, sturdy bush of moderate vigour. |
| Fruit | Fruit is Bluecrop size, light blue, small recessed scar with exceptional highly aromatic flavour. |
| Notes | A favourite variety in Japan. |
* The observations made about these plants, have been made at Moondarra in Gippsland, Victoria. Different climatic conditions and soil could show different results. Please use this information as a guide only.
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