Heintooga Blueberry - Wholesale

Description

HEINTOOGA BLUEBERRY

Vaccinium corymbosum

Origin: NC STATE (PPAF)

Highbush type cultivar.  The variety is a pentaploid, and will require pollination with any rabbiteye or highbush variety. Chilling requirement is a minimum of 800 hours, 32 to 45 F (0-7C). The mature height of the plants is 5 feet, similar to northern highbush cultivars.  The plants are moderately vigorous with a semi-upright in habit. The fruits ripe late mid-season and extending into the late with other highbush cultivars. Yields are comparable to highbush varieties, 8 to 12 pounds per plant.

Fruit size is medium to large, approximately 70 berries per cup.  The flavor of the fruits are very pleasantly perfumed with sweetness. The fruits are firm with a small dry picking scar suitable for hand harvest.  The berries have a long shelf life, similar to Legacy.  The berries average slightly less than one developed seeds, which is an advantage for customers who do not like seeds in fruits. Hand harvest is recommended to obtain the best quality.  Mechanical harvesting has not been tested although firmness of the berries and loose cluster could indicate the plants are adaptable.

Marketing should be for local or long distant marketing. Plants prefer well drained soils and will adapt to dry soils.  Blueberry stem canker and blueberry stem blight have not been observed since 1978 in North Carolina. Plants are available only in 72 cell plugs for spring of 2022, and larger plants in fall 2022. USDA Zones 8-5.