Can you identify her? External description of blueberries

The external description of blueberries is very similar to blueberries, which is not surprising - they belong to the same family. Blueberry is a low perennial shrub up to 60 cm tall with branched shoots. The stems range in color from green to brown depending on age. Blueberry leaves are small - up to 3 cm, elliptical, with noticeable veins.

Blueberry flowers are located on last year's branches in the form of small drooping jugs. The flowers have a white-pink hue. Flowering begins in early summer. Blueberries bear fruit in August with blue berries up to 12 mm. The fruits have a pronounced bluish bloom. The pulp is green, sweet and sour. The berries have medicinal value and are widely used in folk medicine. Blueberry leaves and berries are used for medicinal purposes. Blueberry flowers are self-pollinating, but pollination by insects is preferable - in this case, the yield increases several times. Large-fruited varieties give a good harvest of up to 5 kg per bush. Fruiting begins at the age of 8 years.

The root system of blueberries is superficial, going deep up to 25 cm. The roots are hairless, but have mycorrhiza - symbiosis with fungal mycelium. This explains the choice of acidic peat soils.

Blueberries prefer to grow in swamps, as well as in damp coniferous or mixed forests. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, found in central Europe, Asia and North America.

Blueberries have many names: blueberry, gonobobel, durnik. She was nicknamed Durnika because she felt worse after eating the berries. But a completely different plant is to blame. Ledum, which is a poisonous plant, often grows next to blueberries. Its pollen settles on the berries, and eating them can cause headaches.

Blueberries are found in several types: swamp and highbush blueberries. Tall grows in large quantities in North America and reaches a height of up to 2 m.

Foliar feeding of blueberries

Foliar feeding of blueberries is carried out in order to introduce the necessary microelements. Fertilizing in this way is very effective and economical. It can be used as a quick remedy in case of heavy rainfall or drought.

Nutrient deficiencies mainly affect blueberry leaves. Their development and growth slows down, color, shape and size change. Many leaves may dry out and fall off. In case of nitrogen deficiency, fertilizing with urea is used. To replenish the supply of phosphorus and potassium, blueberries are treated with a superphosphate solution.

Important: When foliar feeding, you must make sure that the applied substance contains components to improve absorption. This is necessary due to the fact that blueberry leaves have a waxy coating and can repel the solution. When treating a plant, it is better if the spray is fine.

Lack of microelements can affect plant development and fruiting. If you do not take measures to compensate for nutrient deficiencies, you may lose your harvest. When fertilizing, it is necessary to ensure that the acidity level of the soil does not change. Sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate have an alkalizing effect and are therefore not suitable for blueberries.

It is best to use complex fertilizers designed specifically for blueberries.

Mineral foliar feeding is carried out 2 years after planting a young plant. If the general condition of the bush is good, then fertilizing is carried out in small quantities in the spring. The time for feeding is in the morning or evening, but you should not feed blueberries immediately after precipitation.

Blueberries in a pot - growing

Growing blueberries in a pot gives good results, so the plant grows well even at home. Growing this way will make it easy to provide acidic soil in confined spaces. While in open ground this is more difficult to do. Blueberries have a decorative appearance and are quite easy to care for.

When growing blueberries, special attention must be paid to planting material. Seedlings with a closed root system take root better. Buy blueberry seedlings from a nursery - this will allow you to get the desired variety with good yield. Such seedlings are resistant to many diseases and pests.

Young plants are planted in wide containers with a volume of up to 20 liters. In this case, the height of the container does not matter much. Blueberry roots occupy more space in width, but go only 40 cm in depth.

The bottom of the container should allow air to pass through well. If necessary, you can make several holes. The soil for planting is used with high acidity. For this, a mixture of high-moor peat and sand is used. You can also use a pine mixture. Sulfur can be used to acidify the soil.

Before planting, seedlings are soaked in water for 1 hour. This is necessary so that the plant can freely free itself from the container along with the earthen lump. The roots must be straightened so that their growth continues in the right direction and placed in a prepared container. Next you need to fill it with soil and compact it a little. The soil is watered and mulched with shavings, sawdust or peat. The pot can be placed on the windowsill or on the sunny side of the loggia. It is better to plant several blueberry seedlings for better pollination.

In the summer, when the weather is warm, pots of blueberries can be placed in a flower bed or in any other place on the site. It is necessary to constantly keep the soil moist, mulch and carry out preventive treatments against diseases.

Darrow blueberry - variety description

A description of the Darrow blueberry variety will be useful to those who decide to plant medium-sized blueberry varieties on their plot. The Darrow variety is well suited for growing in both northern and warm areas. The shrub does not exceed one and a half meters in height and has large fruits that ripen in late summer. The berries are dense with a slight coating and tolerate transportation well. The size of the berries is up to 20 mm in diameter. Productivity – up to 8 kg.

The Darrow variety has good frost resistance and can withstand slight waterlogging of the soil. Darrow has spreading branches with a highly dense crown. This variety needs frequent thinning, otherwise the berries will become very small and sour.

The variety has a decorative appearance, so it can be used for landscaping. It is best to plant on the sunny side.

Blueberries - beneficial properties and storage for the winter

Proper storage of blueberries for the winter, the beneficial properties of which are difficult to overestimate, will allow you to enjoy this delicious berry all year round. Due to the content of the vitamin-mineral complex, blueberries are used to treat vitamin deficiency, colds and accompanying complications. Berries have a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Eating blueberries is worth it to prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Berries have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and also remove heavy metals from the body.

To ensure that the content of nutrients does not decrease, it is necessary to ensure proper storage of the berries. The fruits can be frozen or dried. When freezing, use only ripe, undamaged berries, separating them from excess debris. The berries are placed in an even layer in a small container and sent to the freezer.

Tip: There is no need to wash the berries before freezing - this can ruin their integrity.

You can freeze berries in sugar syrup. Blueberry fruits lend themselves well to canning. They can be added to various salads, appetizers and main courses.

In order to dry the berries, you can use the oven or the air-solar method. The berries are placed in a thin layer on a flat surface and left to dry, turning occasionally. Dried berries can be stored for at least 1 year.