About the Centurion Blueberry Bush

Rabbiteye Blueberries

• Rabbiteye blueberries are more heat and drought tolerant than highbush varieties, and are generally unaffected by pests and diseases. They grow on a wider range of soil types than other blueberry species, tolerating moderately sandy or clay soils. Rabbiteye blueberry varieties can begin their harvesting season as early as May in Florida.

Centurion Variety Blueberries

• Centurion is notable for being the only rabbiteye cultivar that is self-fertile, meaning that the flowers can be fertilized with their own pollen. Many varieties of blueberries require the presence of a different cultivar for pollination and fruit set. Centurion also differs in that it is one of only four late-season rabbiteye blueberries, flowering and fruiting after most other varieties have been harvested.

Culture

• Centurion and other rabbiteye species prefer acidic soils with a pH ranging from 4.0 to 5.3. Newly established plants should be given at least an inch of water weekly throughout their first year, as well as during fruit production, to ensure large, plump fruits. In areas where clay is predominant, at least 50 percent of the native soil in the planting hole should be replaced with compost, peat and sand to improve drainage as blueberries of any type will not tolerate wet feet. The blueberry plants can be fertilized with small amounts of ammonium sulfate or azalea or camellia fertilizers in early spring and again after harvest; nitrate-based fertilizers can kill the plants. They usually don't need any fertilizer their first year and 2 ounces is enough during the second year, according to the UC Davis website.

Pruning

• Rabbiteye blueberries, including Centurion, differ from highbush varieties in that they require far less pruning. Highbush varieties yield heavier crops when canes older than three years are pruned back; rabbiteye varieties will still bear fruit on older canes, though the bush should be thinned in the middle to allow better sunlight penetration and airflow. On old, established Centurion and other rabbiteye plants, pruning cuts should be made in late summer, after harvest, to allow time for new canes to develop. Especially tall or old, unproductive canes should be removed. Those branches low enough to touch the ground should also be pruned back.

Fruit

• Plantings of Centurion rabbiteye blueberries can add several weeks to the overall harvest period. In the mid-South, Centurion begins to ripen in late June and harvest can run through August as far north as North Carolina. Compared to the widely popular 'Tifblue' rabbiteye variety, Centurion bushes produce a softer, darker fruit, but the fruit retains a good, sweet flavor. As with other rabbiteye blueberry varieties, Centurion fruit should be allowed to ripen on the bush, as the fruit does not continue to ripen after harvest.