Question
Hello,
I have dried wild blueberries from Europe and want to start some new blueberry plants from them.  Will I get any luck?  What do I need to do?
Thank you,
Svetlana.

Answer
Hi Svetlana,
Thanx for your question.  As long as the blueberries haven't been cooked or heated, the seeds may still be viable.  Remove the seed from the flesh and place in a damp paper towel.  Seal this inside a plastic baggie and leave it in the refrigerator for about 90 days.  Usually, it will just take one cold period to break the dormancy.  If you try to plant with out the cold period the seed will not germinate.  The seeds require a period of wet cold and then a warm period to break dormancy.  After storing the seeds in the fridge, take them out of the paper towel and press gently into the soil in a pot and place the pot in a warm, bright place, preferable underneath a 40-watt shoplight extended about 8 inches above the pot.  The seeds should germinate sporadically in 1-6 months.  If they don't germinate after 60 days, put them back in the fridge for another 60 days and then return to a warm environment.  If they don't begin to germinate in 60 days, the seeds are probably not viable.  Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant in separate cells.  After the last frost, place the seedlings in a shady, protected place for 10 days to harden them off and then plant them in full sun.  In this country, most blueberries are started from cuttings from parent plants.  If the seeds are indeed from wild plants the seedlings will be copies of the parent plants.  If the seeds come from a hybrid, the plants and fruit will most likely be inferior to the parent plants because hybrids are unstable and not genetically pure.  This doesn't mean the plant or fruit will be unacceptable. It will take 2-3 years to get fruit from seed.  I hope this helps.
Tom