Ready to grow your own blueberries? the following pointers will assist you to grow great blueberry bushes.
WHERE TO PLANT BLUEBERRY BUSHES
Blueberries are a really rewarding shrub to grow reception and can produce buckets of fresh blueberries each summer under the proper conditions. Location is extremely important for permanently blueberry picking. Blueberry bushes like full sun with well-drained soil. they’re often found growing wild in sandy areas, which are best suited to the shrubs.
You may be lucky enough to possess good blueberry-growing conditions in your yard or property already, but shop around before planting: you don’t want them near existing wild blueberries. Not only will they compete for resources, but they’re also likely to cross-pollinate, leading to smaller berries on your plants. Another consideration is going to be cold-hardiness.
Wild blueberries grow in cold climates with early and late frosts, but cultivated blueberries won’t be ready to produce the maximum amount fruit in shorter growing seasons, so maximum production comes in additional moderate climates.
SOIL FOR GROWING BLUEBERRIES
Blueberry bushes like very acidic soil, and can grow in soils that are downright inhospitable to other plants. Sandy, acidic soils during a pH range of 4.0 to 5.0 are best. Test your soil’s pH before planting, and if it’s below 7.0 to start, it’ll be possible to feature sulfur, peat or other acidic soil amendments to urge it to an honest pH for blueberries. If your soil is above 7.0, find a replacement spot to plant, because it is going to be impractical to bring the pH down far enough.
Aerate soil thoroughly by digging it up and thinning it out with sand, leaf mold, sawdust, or sphagnum.
POLLINATING BLUEBERRY BUSHES
For the simplest blueberry yield, the bushes should be pollinated thoroughly. If you’re worried about natural pollinators, you’ll help to draw in birds, bees, and butterflies to the world with bird feeders, insect feeders, or attractive plantings with brightly colored flowers and sweet nectars. To make certain of excellent cross-pollination among your bushes, make certain to plant two cultivars of blueberries that are well-suited to your local climate.
In Northern areas, Chippewa, Northblue, Northcountry, and Polaris are good blueberry strains to settle on from. Most home gardeners choose highbush sorts of blueberry bushes, but lowbush blueberries may fit your garden or yard better. Cultivars suited to more temperate climates with longer growing seasons include Jersey, Nelson, or Blue Gold.
SEASONAL look after BLUEBERRY BUSHES
Pick the flowers off the blueberry bushes, preventing them from fruiting, for the primary two summers. This forces the bush to place its energy into growing strong enough to offer good fruit crops within the following years.
After two years, begin to prune within the winter or early spring to encourage the simplest growth. Berries are produced on one-year-old wood, so cutting the blueberry bushes back annually helps fruit production.
If you’ve got lowbush blueberries, you’ll use a lawnmower to chop them back within the winter, when the plants are dormant. Prune any weak, old, diseased or dying stems, and stop several of the larger, older shoots evenly around the bush. When the bushes begin to bud within the spring, mulch around the base with a light-weight layer of mulch, and apply an acid-producing fertilizer like for azaleas.
Stop fertilizing after blooms mature, and steel oneself against berries by netting the bushes. this may protect the juicy berries from attack by birds. Netting supported by a light-weight frame is best, with the netting well-secured so birds can’t get in. Rabbits and deer also like blueberries. A high chicken-wire fence will help keep these away.
Once the berries are harvested for the year, get the bushes ready for fall by mulching again to guard the plants, and stop watering to permit them to travel dormant for the winter.
