Blueberries in the garden, planting and care

Planting and care of blueberries in the garden must be carried out in compliance with the necessary rules and regulations of agricultural technology. This will help grow a healthy plant and get a good harvest.

Blueberry is a small shrub of the heather family. Close relatives of blueberries: blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries. Growing blueberries in garden plots became possible thanks to breeding work that began in the USA in 1908. A few years later, blueberries began to be successfully grown in gardens in northern and temperate regions. In Russia, it is widespread both in the middle latitudes and in the Urals and Siberia. Blueberries grow well in Europe and North America.

In order for blueberries to take root on the site, it is best to choose varieties intended for a specific region. It is best to plant the plant in the spring, especially when the seedlings are young and not strong enough. Over the summer, the plant adapts to a new location and can better withstand the winter cold.

If the plant is planted in the fall, then all weak branches must be removed during the winter. The rest are shortened by half. This procedure is carried out only with young seedlings up to 2 years of age.

The soil for planting and caring for highbush blueberries should be light , well drained and acidic. The planting site is treated with steam in the fall. Blueberries do not tolerate companions near them and will not grow well in untreated soil in which other plants grew.

After planting, the plant needs to be watered and mulched. Blueberries are a moisture-loving plant that often grows in nature in marshy areas. She loves water, but does not tolerate flooding of the soil. Watering should be done twice a week, twice a day. Since the root system of the plant is fibrous and superficial, water consumption from deep layers of soil is impossible. The soil should remain moist, but if the water stagnates for more than two days, this threatens death for the plant.

After watering, the soil must be mulched, this will prevent premature evaporation of moisture. Mulch also protects against weeds and the spread of disease.
Young seedlings need weeding because it will be more difficult for them to obtain nutrients by competing with weeds.

Young blueberries are not pruned. If necessary, you can only remove weak, frozen and diseased branches. Serious pruning for blueberries begins only at 10 years of age and is carried out in order to increase yield. Because it is at this age that blueberries begin to shrink.

Timely feeding has a good effect. Mineral fertilizers must be given twice in the spring. They replenish nutritional deficiencies and help blueberries grow better.

Where is the best place to plant blueberries

Many gardeners wonder: where is the best place to plant blueberries? The answer is very easy to find, just know the preferences of this plant. Blueberries can grow both in open ground and in greenhouses. Special varieties are used for growing in greenhouses. The advantage of this method is that blueberries grow well regardless of weather conditions. This allows you to harvest a large amount of crop in a short time and without significant losses from pests. The quality of the greenhouse blueberry harvest is superior to that of plants grown in open ground. It also allows you to focus on an industrial scale.

For open ground, a sunny, windless area is selected. Blueberries do not like strong winds and do not grow well in shady areas. Despite the fact that in nature the plant often grows in the shade, this significantly affects the size and taste of the berries. It is best to choose a site on the south side, protected from the wind.

Important: Blueberries need to be planted in a place where groundwater does not lie close to the surface.

It is best to use group planting, this will allow the bushes to grow better and produce a good harvest. The space between the rows is about 1.5-2 meters, depending on the blueberry variety.

Blueberries, what soil for planting

What soil for planting blueberries will be best for the plant? Knowing the characteristics of the soil is very important, since it is the determining factor for the comfortable development of the plant. Blueberries grow well in sandy or peaty soils. Clay soils are less suitable for the plant, but they are not excluded if good drainage is used.

Blueberries love acidic soils with a pH of 3.5 to 5.0. It is this soil that will have the necessary conditions for good nutrition of the roots.

If the soil on the site has a different composition, this can be corrected. To do this, a mixture of peat, sand, sawdust and sulfur is placed in the prepared planting hole. Sulfur will acidify the soil and make it suitable for blueberries.

Advice: The amount of sulfur should not exceed 60 g per bush.

Citric acid is used to create acidic soil. 3 teaspoons of acid are diluted in 10 liters of water. Instead of citric acid, you can take malic or oxalic acid. All organic fertilizers alkalize the soil, so their application will be detrimental to the plant.

Before planting blueberries, the area should be steamed to remove all weeds and excess debris. Blueberries will not grow well if another crop has recently been grown in this area.

Blueberries, how to plant a seedling

How to plant a blueberry seedling so that it takes root and gets used to a new place?

Seedlings must be purchased with a closed root system. Spring is a good time to plant a young plant. Planting holes are prepared in advance with a depth of up to 60 cm. Planting begins before the sap flows so that blueberries can better adapt to a new place and conditions. Before planting, the seedling is placed in a container with water for 10 minutes. This is done so that the earthen lump gets wet. After this, you can carefully untangle the roots without damaging them. The walls and bottom of the pit must be loosened - this will make it easier for oxygen to flow to the roots. The seedling is deepened into a hole 5 cm above the root collar. Then you need to compact the soil and water the plant well. Blueberries need to be mulched with pine sawdust, which will also acidify the soil and enrich it with nutrients.

Tip: It is best to plant several varieties of blueberries to increase fruiting and improve the taste of the berries.

In order for blueberries to delight you with their tasty and healthy berries, they need good care, which will include watering, weeding and fertilizing. Before choosing seedlings for planting, we recommend looking at all descriptions of blueberry varieties so that you can choose the most suitable ones for your region.

What to plant next to blueberries

For good plant development, you need to know what to plant next to blueberries. Northern berry is very capricious in terms of sharing soil with its neighbors. Often such proximity can lead to poor growth, disease and poor fruiting. But if there is a need to somehow decorate the bush, to create a group landscape, then it is best to choose plants that have similar agricultural techniques. If you plant blueberries between two plants that require organic matter as fertilizer, this will disrupt the acidity of the soil and the blueberries will become lethargic. Due to lack of nutrients, the plant may wither and die.

It is not recommended to plant flowers and vegetables next to blueberries. She does not like berry bushes and fruit trees.

Blueberries feel best in the vicinity of their close relatives: blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries. You can plant blueberries near coniferous trees, with which they often coexist in nature. Sorrel and some mushrooms, except champignons, grow well in acidic soil. Plants of the heather family are also often found in nature next to blueberries.
Growing blueberries in your garden is not difficult, but you will have to adhere to certain rules in order to achieve a healthy, well-groomed appearance of the plant and maximum productivity.