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Quick Guide
- Blueberries need full sun.
- Blueberries require acidic soil.
- Plant two or more varieties for successful pollination.
- Plants won’t have much fruit the first 2 to 3 years.
- Harvest is bigger after 5 years.
- Blueberry plants grow slowly and reach full size in 8 to 10 years.
- Each winter, prune out old, weak and dead wood.
Grow blueberries
Blueberry plants grow slowly, and they may not seem to get much bigger from year to year. It takes a blueberry bush about 10 years to reach mature size, but this also means they will live a long time. It will be 2 or 3 years before you start getting large harvests, but it is definitely worth the wait. The bushes are very attractive and will be a beautiful addition to your yard while you wait for fruit.
Care
- March – Prune bushes before new growth begins, after coldest weather has passed.
- April – May – Plant new blueberry bushes.
- May – June – Apply mulch for growing season.
- July – Harvest.
- July – September – Apply soil amendments.
- September – October – Apply mulch for winter protection and enjoy fall color.
- November – December – Put fencing around plants
Soil
- Have your soil testedto determine pH.
- Blueberries require a pH between 4.0-5.5. If the pH of the soil is over 5.5, then the soil is not acidic enough for blueberries.
- 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.
Fertilizer and mulch
- 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 optimal range from 4.0 to 5.0, or nitrogen is needed. Choose an organic acid fertilizer.
- Throughout the life of the plants, maintain a few inches of wood mulch around them.
Planting
- Avoid areas surrounded by trees.
- Space blueberry plants about 3 feet apart. If the variety you purchase is listed as growing larger than that, then space them a little further apart.
- Plant young blueberry bushes in late April or early May.
- Dig the holes large enough to accommodate all the roots and deep enough so you can cover the uppermost roots with 3 to 4 inches of soil.
- Pack the soil firmly around the roots, then mulch the planting with 2 to 4 inches of sawdust, peat moss, oak leaf or pine needle mulch.
- Water thoroughly after planting to ensure moisture reaches the deepest roots.
- Water the plant frequently and deeply, enough to keep the soil moist but not saturated.
Weeds
In the first two years, remove flowers in the spring to encourage plant growth. This is necessary to ensure healthy, productive plants for years to come. Production of flowers and fruits stunts growth when plants are too small or weak. A good-sized, healthy canopy is needed to support the fruit. Blueberry plants grow slowly, which is one reason they live so long. The plants will put on plenty of fruit after the first few years, but don’t be surprised if the plants stay small, as mature size is usually not reached until the plants are 8 to 10 years old. Remove weeds regularly to keep your planting neat and clean and to prevent competition for water and nutrients. Mulch helps prevent weeds.
Pruning
At planting, prune only to remove any broken, dead or dying parts of branches. After the first year, prune the bushes annually in the early spring before growth starts.
Fruit is produced on one-year-old wood. The largest berries are produced on the healthiest wood, so a good supply of strong, one-year-old wood is desirable.
Harvest
· Harvest ripe fruit regularly
- Berries will turn from green to blue and are ready for harvest when they’re completely blue and are springy when gently squeezed.
- Taste a few berries that look ripe to get a good idea of how ripe fruit looks and feels.
- Fruit will ripen on one bush over a period of a couple weeks.
- Gently pull berries off the plant. Some stems might remain attached to the berries.
Storage
Place berries in a firm container in the refrigerator shortly after picking. Avoid layering berries more than a couple inches deep to prevent the lower berries from being damaged. Do not wash berries until ready to eat. This will prevent them from molding in storage. Blueberries last longer in the refrigerator than many other berries. Generally, plan to use the berries within a week or so.
