Item Number: FV377
O'Neal Blueberry (Early Harvest)
Early Fruit, Sweet Southern Flavor
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Description
Description
O’Neal is an early Southern Highbush blueberry valued for very large berries with medium-blue color, firm texture, a clean picking scar, and excellent flavor. The vigorous, semi-upright bush suits mild-winter regions that still provide moderate chill. Its bloom and ripening period can extend longer than those of some early cultivars, helping stretch the first fresh blueberry harvests rather than concentrating them into a single week.
- Plant form: One dormant bare-root plant
- USDA zones: 5–9
- Chill requirement: Approximately 300–500 hours
- Mature size: Usually maintained around 4–6 feet tall
- Harvest: Early season, often from late spring into early summer
- Fruit: Very large, medium blue, firm, flavorful, and clean scarred
- Growth habit: Vigorous and semi-upright with a potentially extended bloom period
O’Neal is generally self-fruitful, but another Southern Highbush cultivar can increase pollination and berry size. Star is a close climate match in Zones 8–9 with an overlapping 400–500-hour chill band and early bloom. Certified-organic Pearl offers a second moderate-chill partner across Zones 6–9 at approximately 450 hours. Verify actual flowering together in your location.
Grow O’Neal in full sun with acidic, well-drained soil near pH 4.5–5.5. Maintain steady moisture through the elongated flowering and fruiting period, but never leave the crown waterlogged. Because bloom begins early, a sheltered site and temporary cold protection can reduce injury to open flowers. Mulch the shallow roots and renew older canes gradually after establishment so new fruiting wood receives light. Pick only after berries have developed full color and flavor. Browse additional blueberry plants and use the blueberry growing guide.
Fall Perennial Free Shipping
Fall Perennial Free Shipping
Mix and match six qualifying fall-season perennials within the Fall Perennial shipping group and receive free standard shipping.
Winter and spring perennial bare roots, potted plants, and bare root trees are calculated separately and do not count toward the six-plant threshold.
Fall perennial shipping generally begins in October. Please review the individual product page for its expected shipping date.
Free standard shipping applies to qualifying FedEx or UPS deliveries within the contiguous 48 states. USPS and expedited delivery are charged separately.
Shipping Information
Shipping Information
Cannot ship to the following states: HI, AK, PR, GU, VI
Shipping Weight: 3.0 lb
Dimensions: 14.0"L x 4.75"W x 4.75"H
Features
Features
- Bare Root
- Container Compatible
- Long-Lived
- Open-Pollinated
Characteristics
Characteristics
Planting & Care
Planting & Care
Useful Information
Useful Information
Guarantee
Guarantee
Limited Dormant Tree & Plant Guarantee
* Claim deadline is June 15th
We guarantee that your dormant tree or plant will arrive in good, viable condition. If your tree arrives in substandard condition, notify us within 3 days of delivery. Please email pictures of the box, inside packaging, the tree and its roots to helpdesk@groworganic.com. For qualifying claims involving perishable items that arrive in substandard condition, we will provide a refund of the affected item’s purchase price, excluding shipping costs. At our discretion, we may offer a replacement instead, subject to product availability and shipping feasibility. You may accept the replacement (if we are able to offer one) or receive the refund.
If your dormant tree or plant has not grown new leaves by May 15th, you may be eligible for our Limited Dormant Tree & Plant Guarantee. This guarantee provides for a store credit for the purchase price of the tree, excluding shipping. Please see the Instructions below.
Important Dates:
All dormant-tree and plant guarantee deadlines apply in the calendar year you receive your order. Plant by April 1. If no new leaves have appeared by May 15, contact Customer Service for assessment. Submit your claim and all required documentation by June 15 of that same year.
- April 1st Dormant trees/plants must be planted in the ground
- May 15th Contact Customer Service for assessment if no new leaves have grown
- June 15th Deadline to apply for a dormant tree/plant credit
All required documentation must be received by June 15th for your claim to be considered. Claims or documentation received after June 15th will be denied, without exception. Instructions listed below
Terms and Conditions
We cannot guarantee that your tree or plant will remain alive and healthy after it is received, or bear fruit as there are too many variables in your environment that are beyond our control (i.e. soil preparation, weed and pest control, proper irrigation, chill hours, compatible hardiness for your growing zone, proper choice of pollinator, extreme weather, rodent damage, disease, etc.).
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide a replacement tree/plant of the same species either that same growing season or in future years. Customers are responsible for all shipping fees associated with replacement trees and plants.
If we determine that the tree you purchased directly from us is not viable, we will issue you a store credit (not a refund) for the purchase price of the affected dormant tree or plant. Shipping is not included in the dormant tree/plant guarantee. Store credits can be used to purchase any product we sell. Store credit issued under the Dormant Tree & Plant Guarantee expires on July 1 of the calendar year following delivery. Previously issued credits retain their original terms.
Historically, 98% of our dormant trees and plants grow and thrive when they have been cared for and planted using our growing guides. Dormant trees and plants must be planted in the ground by April 1st in order to be eligible for credit. If the ground in your area is still frozen solid, you may temporarily plant your tree or plant in a pot.
Potted, non-dormant trees or plants are excluded from this guarantee as they are not dormant at the time of shipment. Evergreen trees such as citrus, avocado and olive trees are not available for credit under the Dormant Tree and Plant Guarantee.
Instructions
We guarantee that your dormant fruit tree or plant will leaf out, if you care for it according to our growing guides. In the unlikely event that your dormant tree or plant does not have leaves by May 15th, follow these simple steps to apply for a store credit:
Contact Customer Service with your order number, the plant name, the quantity affected, and photos of the entire plant and visible affected areas. Do not dig up a planted tree or plant for this initial review. Our team may request additional photos or guide you through a scratch test or root inspection when needed to evaluate your claim. All applicable guarantee deadlines still apply.
Green Cambium Layer / Living Trees
If the cambium layer under the bark is green, give your tree a little more time. It is still alive, but hasn’t come out of dormancy yet. Check to make sure that it is getting the right amount of deep root water, enough sunlight and that the weather is warm enough for that type of tree/plant to come out of dormancy. Every tree has its own personality and will come out of dormancy at different times. Be sure to submit the required documentation listed below by June 15th, if it doesn’t grow leaves.
Brown Cambium Layer / Dead Trees
If the scratch test shows a brown cambium layer or if your dormant tree/plant doesn’t have leaves by May 15th, please email us at helpdesk@groworganic.com. All required documentation listed below must be received by June 15th for your claim to be considered. To be considered for the guarantee claim, all required documentation must be received by June 15th. Incomplete submissions will be denied.
Required Documentation
- Order number
- Name of dormant tree/plant and the quantity affected
- Photos of each tree or plant showing:
- Visible affected areas; additional root inspection photos only if requested by our team
- The scratch test areas, only if our team requests a scratch test
- The entire tree/plant
We reserve the right to not issue credit for items that have already been replaced. We also reserve the right to require photographic evidence that the tree/plant was not killed by root rot, rodent or mechanical damage.
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