Planting Blueberries

Choosing A Location

A sunny locations are best for blueberries. Avoid planting around or under trees. Too much shade from trees take away the water and nutrients needed for blueberry to thrive. Blueberry bushes have very specific soil requirements, the soil needs to be well drained and high in organic matter with a pH range between 4.5 and 5.5.

Blueberry Planting

Spread roots as wide and shallow as the root ball will allow, being very careful to set the crown of the plant (where the main stem joins the roots) level with the ground. Acid compost or peat moss may be mixed with your soil and firmed around the roots when they are set, but avoid firming heavy clay soils over the roots or around the plant. A mulch of aged sawdust (not cedar) or an acid planting mix, up to 6” in depth, over the entire planting will prove beneficial in discouraging weeds while keeping the plant evenly moist. Do not fertilize during the initial planting. Apply a well balanced slow release acidic loving fertilizer after four weeks of growth.

Blueberry After Planting Care

Remove all the blossoms the first year after planting. This will allow your plant’s roots to become more established. Add an additional couple inches of aged sawdust or acid planting mix as mulch each year. Acidic fertilizer should be applied each February and again in the late spring each year.

Blueberry Pruning

By the third year remove weak twiggy growth. If shoots appear too crowded remove some older shoots entirely. Blueberries can be thinned out to increase fruit size and quality. Otherwise, pruning is not necessary. All pruning should be done in the winter and early spring when the plant is dormant.

Blueberry Harvest

Berries will ripen over a 2-5 week period depending on weather and variety. Berries occur in clusters of 5-10. Don’t be too excited to pick the berries when they first turn blue. They will develop better flavor if you leave them for a few days.

Video: Blueberry High Production Tips

Blueberry Plant Photo

Photo: Wikipedia