Plants should be pruned when they are dormant, so it is important to find the right time to prune: typically in Atlantic Canada this is February to April.
Once a blueberry bush has been pruned, it will stimulate new growth; if this is done too early, it can cause damage. As a rule of thumb, any single cane that is older than 5 years, or larger than 5 cm in diameter, should be cut back to the ground.
Keep mature canes per bush and vigorous shoots per bush. After the winter, remove all the extra sprouts and let the healthiest ones go. Pruning out the older canes allows the new shoots to be more productive and take over.
The fruit develops on one-year-old wood. In the first 3 years the fruit buds should be cut back to encourage the growth of the blueberry plant, ensuring the best possible yields for the future. When pruning a blueberry bush it is necessary to keep in mind the optimal shape for the plant. They are tight at the bottom with an open and spreading centre. Removing some of the canes and cutting back in the centre will help the plant develop into the right shape, preventing the interior of the plant from becoming too dense with leaves.
Jersey: A late mid-season berry. The fruit is medium sized, has medium scar, fair colour and flavour, and is firm. The bush is very vigorous and productive. The clusters are long and loose. Grows 1. Duke: An early variety, with striking autumn foliage of yellow and orange.
Blueberries will continue producing at their best with some maintenance pruning. In the first two years, remove any flowers that appear. Your plants will get bigger and more vigorous because of this. You can leave the flowers on for the third year. Beginning in the fourth year, prune your blueberry bushes in early spring while they are still dormant. Prune out any dead, broken, crossed, or weak branches.
The goal is to open up the bush, so light can reach the middle. Maintenance pruning in subsequent years should aim at thinning out the older branches to encourage new growth.
Cut back the oldest, thickest branches to near ground level, and prune back branches that have gotten too long or that are growing too thin. Older branches will look gray; newer branches will have more of a reddish tinge.
Like many woody shrubs, blueberries can be propagated by taking softwood cuttings and rooting them. Not only is this a cost-effective way to get a new plant, but it also helps to thin out mature plants. The best time to do this is in the early spring. Here's how:. Before blueberry seeds can be planted, they first must be put in the freezer for 90 days to break their rest period. Fall is the best time to plant seeds in warm climates while spring is best in cool climates.
Fill a flat tray with moistened sphagnum moss, sprinkle seeds over the moss, and then just lightly cover them with more moss. Cover the tray with newspaper, and place it in a room that stays between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the moss consistently moist. Seedlings should emerge in about a month, at which point you should remove the newspaper and keep the tray in bright, indirect light.
Once the seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, they can be planted in an equal mix of peat, sand, and soil. Continue to keep them moist. They should be large enough to plant in the garden in their second year in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. Choose a container that comfortably fits the root ball, fill it with fresh potting mix, and replant your shrub at the same depth it was in the previous container.
However, they can be susceptible to fluctuating winter temperatures that trigger new growth. To protect your shrub and help to maintain consistent soil temperatures, add a layer of mulch around it prior to winter. By far the biggest problem growing blueberries is keeping away birds. Putting netting over your blueberries can be successful if you have only a few bushes.
But if you have a large blueberry patch, consider using a bird deterrent that sends out a bird-in-distress call, which will repel birds. Insects to be on the lookout for include: blueberry tip borer, cherry fruit worm, cranberry fruit worm, and plum curculio. If these are common pests in your area, check with your local extension for the prescribed deterrents and treatments.
There are some fungal diseases that can affect blueberries, including powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases. Your best defense is to plant genetically resistant varieties. It also helps to give your plants plenty of space for good air circulation , plant in full sun, clean up any fallen debris, and replace the mulch annually, so the spores cannot overwinter in the area. If you should experience problems, you might need to use a fungicide labeled for use on edible plants. Some other common blueberry diseases to keep an eye out for include:.
I had success growing tomatoes, which is the only fruit or food I have ever grown. I now want to learn how to grow everything I love to eat, like blueberries.
Thank you so much for your help. I only have quince in my NC garden. It fruits every year. My son and I plan to grow fruit plants, starting from blueberry and apple this year. So we really could use some advices. Please count us in! We are beginning to get a good crop from our blueberries bushes. I just wish our pear trees were doing as well. I planted 6 blueberries 2 yrs ago when the acid reading was about 6.
Today is Oct 7 in Michigan. Could I add soybean mix now? Can I add sulfur now? Also how can I raise the beds? Hi there, great advice for blueberry planting. The fruits I have had success in growing are tomatoes and raspberries.
I had rotten heirloom tomatoes from my garden last year. I just threw some in my raised bed garden and they sprouted! I also had some growing in my compost. Hi, Shirley. The pots will have to be really big, and if you can locate more dwarf varieties that will be ideal. I see that the newish Brazelberries breeding program of containr-size fruit plants now has a low-chill hardy as warm as Zone 10 blueberry.
Blueberries require a pH between 4. If the pH of the soil is over 5. Add an acidic soil amendment such as sulfur or sphagnum peat to the soil to lower the pH before planting. Sulfur is preferred, because the environmental consequences of sphagnum peat mining are becoming an increasing concern. It is best to amend the pH with sulfur the fall before planting, because it takes several months for sulfur to change the soil pH.
To do this, add elemental sulfur to the soil in the planting area. Elemental sulfur is widely available in garden stores. The amount of sulfur to apply depends on the soil pH and soil type. To determine how much to apply, follow the product label. Since sulfur takes months to alter the pH, gardeners wishing to plant immediately may need to create an acidic planting medium to plant into. Adding sphagnum peat can serve this purpose if the original pH is between 5.
Since these are general guidelines, and every soil responds differently to inputs, submit another soil sample from the planting area about 6 months after planting. This will show whether the soil has reached the correct pH, or of more amendment is needed.
As the soil settles and decomposes over the years, you will need to continue adding sulfur to the planting bed. Coffee grounds are not always acidic and should not be relied upon as a pH amendment for blueberries. Even if the coffee grounds you use happen to be acidic, a massive amount would be needed to change the soil pH, and the results would not be reliable. If you see light-green or red leaves in the summer or not much shoot growth, it is likely that the soil pH is no longer in the optimum range of 4.
Choose an organic acid fertilizer, such as one recommended for azaleas and rhododendrons. Blueberry plants are widely available at local and online nurseries. If buying plants online, most likely they will arrive dormant and bare root. Order early to get the best selection. Most nurseries ship bare root plants at the appropriate time for planting in early spring. Keep dormant plants in a dark, cool, moist place until you're ready to plant. Make sure the roots stay moist but not saturated, and plant as soon as possible.
Soak roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. If you buy plants at a local nursery, keep potted plants well-watered in a sunny location until planting and plant as soon as possible. The University of Minnesota fruit breeding program has developed blueberry varieties that are perfectly suited to our climate. Recommendations are based on trial results. Planting at least two varieties is best, as more berries of larger size will be produced if flowers are fertilized with pollen from another variety.
Bumblebees and other native insects are enthusiastic pollinators of blueberries. The more insects working the plants, the more fruit you will harvest.
University of Minnesota bred varieties are in bold and include the date of introduction. Average yield is based on data collected in east central Minnesota from mature plants, planted in full sun with other varieties, and watered regularly. Zone hardiness lists zone 4 first then zone 3.
Blueberries grow best in full sun. Plants will tolerate partial shade, but too much shade causes plants to produce fewer blossoms and less fruit. If a plant seems to be weak or growing at a non-vertical angle, a stake may be driven into the ground close to the main stem, and the stem gently tied to the stake with a wide tie such as those used for trees, or with a strip of fabric. Insects and wildlife cause minimal damage to blueberries.
Because of the acidic soil requirements of blueberries, you are much more likely to have nutritional issues than pest issues. This highlights how important correct diagnosis is in addressing issues. Spotted wing drosophila is an invasive fruit fly that lays its eggs in ripe fruit, leading to soft, damaged berries.
The bright green and bronze colored Japanese beetle feeds on the leaves of blueberry plants, which can make them susceptible to winter injury. In the late fall and winter, rabbits and deer enjoy nibbling on the stems of blueberry bushes. This may drastically stunt the plant. Protect plants by surrounding them with chicken wire or similar fencing in the fall and winter.
Careful pruning will help prevent disease infection. Prune out and dispose of any part of the plant that is dead or dying.
For more information on disease and insect pests, see Pest management for home blueberry plants , Viruses of backyard fruit and Blueberry witches' broom.
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