Centurion Blueberry Plant

Centurion is a vigorous, upright-growing rabbiteye blueberry valued for its especially late harvest season. Its medium-sized, firm berries have a pleasantly sweet, aromatic blueberry flavor and ripen after many other rabbiteye varieties have finished producing. This makes Centurion a good choice for homeowners and U-pick growers who want to extend the blueberry season.

Centurion blooms later than many rabbiteye blueberries, which may help its flowers avoid some early spring freezes. It is a strong-growing variety with limited suckering and is well suited to acidic, well-drained soils.

Plant Details

• Plant Type: Deciduous fruiting shrub
• Botanical Name: Vaccinium virgatum ‘Centurion’
• Blueberry Type: Rabbiteye
• Mature Size: Approximately 6–10 feet tall and 5–8 feet wide
• Sun: Full sun for the best fruit production
• USDA Zones: 7–9
• Chill Hours: Approximately 550–650 hours
• Bloom Time: Late for a rabbiteye blueberry
• Harvest Time: Late season, often extending the rabbiteye harvest beyond many other varieties
• Fruit: Medium-sized, medium to dark blue berries
• Flavor: Sweet, aromatic blueberry flavor
• Growth Habit: Vigorous and upright with limited suckering
• Pollination: Centurion may produce some fruit by itself, but another late-blooming rabbiteye blueberry is strongly recommended for heavier crops, larger berries, and more dependable fruit production
• Soil: Moist, acidic, well-drained soil with a preferred pH of approximately 4.5–5.5
• Water: Keep consistently moist but never waterlogged, especially while becoming established and while fruit is developing
• Landscape Uses: Home orchards, edible landscapes, blueberry hedges, wildlife gardens, and U-pick plantings
• Wildlife Value: Flowers attract bees and other pollinators, while ripe berries attract birds

Best Pollinator Partners

For the best fruit set, plant Centurion near another rabbiteye blueberry that flowers during the later part of the rabbiteye bloom season.

• Ochlockonee: The strongest pollinator choice from our available varieties because both are late-blooming rabbiteye blueberries
• Tifblue: A good choice with bloom that should overlap at least part of Centurion’s flowering period
• Powderblue: Another suitable rabbiteye partner with a mid- to late-season bloom and harvest period

Southern Highbush blueberries such as Jewel, Emerald, Farthing, Galaxy, Pearl, Gupton, and Springhigh should not be relied upon to pollinate Centurion. Choose another rabbiteye blueberry for dependable cross-pollination.

North Florida Growing Note

Centurion’s estimated requirement of 550–650 chill hours can make it a good option for the colder areas of North Florida and the Florida Panhandle. Performance may vary following unusually warm winters in locations that receive fewer than approximately 550 chill hours.

Plant blueberries in full sun and amend sandy or alkaline soil with acidic organic material when needed. Blueberries have shallow roots and benefit from a 2- to 3-inch layer of pine bark or pine-straw mulch. Keep mulch slightly away from the base of the plant.

Available for local pickup at our nursery in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Limited shipping may be available for select smaller plants. Please contact us before ordering if shipping will be required.

Wholesale quantities may be available for landscapers, farms, garden centers, and other qualified buyers.

Advanced Nursery Growers
1911 McLeod Road
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435
Call: 850-391-2228
Email: info@advancednurserygrowers.com