Jewel Blueberry

The Jewel Southern Highbush Blueberry is a popular, high-yielding cultivar know for producing exceptionally large, firm, and sweet-tart berries. Ideal for mild-winter regions (low-chill, 200–300 hours), it grows 5–7 feet tall and is partially evergreen. It is excellent for fresh eating, often harvested from June to July. 

Key Characteristics & Growing Tips:

• Fruit: Large, firm, light blue berries with a sweet-tart flavor.
• Chilling Hours: Low-chill (approx. 200–300 hours), making it great for CA, FL, and other warm climates.
• Hardiness: Generally hardy down to roughy −10 degrees F (Zones 5-9).
• Pollination: Partially self-fertile but produces much larger crops when planted with another southern highbush variety, such as ‘Emerald’ or ‘Star’.
• Habit: Upright, bushy, and often partially evergreen.
• Soil/Sun: Requires full sun to partial sun and acidic, well-drained soil (pH: 4.5–5.5).
• Harvest: Mid-season, typically ripening in June–July. 

Maintenance:

• Pruning: Prune in late winter to remove dead branches and again after harvest to encourage new growth for next year.
• Fertilizing: Apply a granular or liquid acid-loving fertilizer in early spring.
• Watering: Ensure consistent moisture, particularly during the flowering and fruiting stages. 

Jewel blueberries are suitable for both home gardens (in large pots or in the ground) and commercial production.

The information that follows comes from https://www.starkbros.com/

Fertilizing Blueberry Plants

Fertilizing is an excellent way to replenish the natural nutrients in your plant’s soil. We recommend a solution of Stark® Blueberry Special Fertilizer, which is specifically formulated for blueberries.

Fertilizing Tips

• Excess fertilizer easily damages blueberries; allow for rain between applications. 
• For new plants: wait until the first leaves have reached full size before fertilizing. 
• Fertilize every 6 weeks (depending on rainfall) until mid-summer. 
• For older plants: apply fertilizer when new growth begins in the spring.

Pruning Blueberry Plants

Pruning is an important part of proper edible plant care, but many people find the task overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be! Keep these things in mind: 

• You can have confidence in knowing that not everyone will prune the exact same way (even the experts). 
• It is best for your plant to do some pruning versus no pruning. 
• There are several reasons to prune: maintain the size and shape of the plant, stimulate for strong growth and overall fruit quality.

Blueberries should be pruned during the winter while the bushes are dormant. In winter, flower buds are easily visible on one-year-old wood and their numbers can be adjusted by pruning to regulate the crop load for the coming year. Blueberries do not need to be pruned in the first year. Pruning should be moderately heavy in the second year. 

Training Young Plants (1 to 3 years of age)

If vigorous, well-rooted two-year-old plants are set, they do not need cutting back the first year except to remove fruit buds shortly after planting. Pruning should be moderately heavy in the second year to stimulate strong new growth on selected canes. Do not permit plants younger than three years of age to bear more than a cluster or two of fruit, or the onset of the commercially productive period will be delayed. A large bearing area should be established in the shortest possible time.

Pruning Bearing Plants (over 3-4 years of age)

Make large “shaping cuts” — remove all low-spreading branches and the oldest canes if they are weak, particularly if in the center of the plant. “Head back” the upright “bull shoots” to the desired height to keep the bush from growing too tall. Essentially, you have then automatically selected the remaining, more upright canes to bear your crop next season and the following season.

On the remaining canes, systematically “thin out” the shorter, thinner shoots, leaving enough of the thick shoots to bear the crop and make new growth. Only experience can tell you how many shoots a particular variety of a particular age can carry and still perform well. It is probably better in most instances to prune too lightly than too heavily. Lighter pruning is usually practiced, as the plant grows older because it can carry more “wood” successfully due to a larger root system.

Renewal Pruning

When blueberries are about 8 to 10 years old, they are at their productive peak— but renewal growth has reached a minimum, and production will begin to decline from year to year. To prolong your plant’s productivity, renewal pruning is needed. Some provision must be made to revitalize the plant to prolong its productive period. 

• Weak or badly diseased canes should be removed entirely. These canes can be identified by generally poor vigor and low fruit bud production. However, in eastern NC, many varieties do not sprout new canes readily from the crown. It may be necessary to either cut the cane back to a strong lateral which is properly located, or to cut the cane severely (“dehorn”) back to within 2 to 3 ft of the ground. By the latter method, it is hoped that new lateral branches can be forced from below the cut.
• Either method may result in a 1- to 3-year crop reduction, but the plants should then bear several more good crops. However, when rejuvenation becomes necessary, it is time to start considering newer and better varieties to which your acreage may be systematically replanted in the near future.

Watering Blueberry Plants – General Guidelines

• During first two years of growth, blueberry plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. After that if summer brings about an inch of rainfall every 10 days or so, you won’t need to water them yourself. 
• If the plant gets really dry, you can give your new plant a good, thorough soaking. The best way to do this is to let your garden hose trickle slowly. This gives the water a chance to soak in instead of running off. You can also use a soaker hose to water several plants at once.
• It’s important to note that even if you’re in the midst of a brown-lawn drought, you don’t want to water too much. Once every 10 days or two weeks is plenty. Worse than dry, thirsty roots is waterlogged, drowning roots.

Harvesting Blueberry Plants

When to Harvest

You can start harvesting your berries in the second season. The berry color should be blue or pink depending on the variety. Just because they are blue or pink does not mean they are ripe, they need about 7-10 days to develop fully. Put your picking container underneath a bunch of blueberries and gentle run your hand over the cluster and the ripe berries will fall off. During the ripening season check every day for ripe berries. 

Storage

Blueberries will keep up to a week in your refrigerator. If not able to use right away put berries on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze until firm and then put them in freezer bags to enjoy all year long. 

Annual average yield per plant:

• Self-pollinating, 1½ quart 
• With another variety for additional pollination, 3-4 quarts