u/YogurtclosetTop7111

I’m trying to grow blueberries in containers. NorCal, Zone 9b, inland East Bay.

Repotted a blueberry (misty variety) I purchased at OSH and it’s the second plant with girdling roots. I have another one that needs to be up potted and I’m sure it will have the same issue.

It’s really hard to tell whether or not a plant has girdling roots unless it’s very obvious or you dig it out and shake off a bunch of soil medium. I bare rooted both plants as I use completely different mediums, so it’s easy to inspect the root system. As a side note, blueberries seem to handle bare rooting really well.

I guess my question is, do I need to be concerned with girdling roots in blueberries? And are there any ways to avoid purchasing a plant with this issue? Is this an issue only with big box store bought blueberries?

I’ve got a lot of Vigoro citrus and avocado fertilizer, which I’ve been using on my potted citrus. I just noticed that it lacks calcium. Trying to figure out what to supplement it with. There are several options - CalMag, but Vigoro contains magnesium, so I’m afraid to overdo it on Magnesium side. Another option is gypsum. Calcium nitrate is another option, but it contains nitrogen and Vigoro already provides plenty.
So should I go with gypsum, or is there something better?