you’re able to grow blueberry bushes in your backyard and enjoy them for eight to ten week during the summertime . If you follow these introductory guidelines about soil , location and varieties for growing blueberry , you ’ll have these tasty blue smasher for the wholeblueberry season . The most vulgar and easiest to maturate blueberry bush for menage gardeners are highbush .
About Highbush Blueberries
Highbush blueberries ( Vaccinium corymbosum ) are a proficient pick for your yard because they farm in more geographical areas than lowbush blueberries . These blueberry are the case of blueberry that food market stores normally carry . They are native to eastern North America coastal region , but according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council , theseblueberries growacross the U.S. and Canada .
Highbush Blueberry Bush Cultivars
The following list describes the various highbush cultivars you may choose for your grand . Depending on where you live , choose the variety that is hardy enough for your mood . For the best result , plant more than one cultivar for cross - pollination . This improves the berry size and yield quality , as well as giving you a longer harvest time clip .
control with your local garden center to find other highbush cultivars that grow successfully in your arena . Even hardy blueberries wo n’t uprise if the temperature in your area drops below -20 ° ( -28.8 ° C ) . you may play around moth-eaten conditions by planting your blueberry in an area protect by windbreaks , walls or fencing .
Choose a Sunny Location
Choose an sphere of your yard that get at least eight 60 minutes ofsunlightdaily . If the blueberries develop in shady areas , the branches will be spindly and yield output will decrease . Some bushes wo n’t carry any fruit , if they ’re settle in the shade .
Necessary Soil Conditions
After selecting a sunny location for your blueberry bush bushes , verify thesoilis prolific , acid , well - drained and has plenitude of organic matter . you could do a place soil tryout to bump out the acidity of your soil and make adjustments that meet the blueberry growth requisite . The soil should have a pH of 4.5 to 5.6 . If it ’s high than this , tot powdered sulfur to the dirt . If your soil tests lower than the required pH , add limestone to raise the pH.
Blueberries banquet on constituent affair , so once you adjust the pH of the ground , append constitutional material , such as compost , leaves , straw or peat moss . Another method of adding constitutive affair to the soil is to plant a gullible manure harvest in the fall or early spring . This crop include buckwheat , winter Secale cereale , ryegrass or soja . Just till the caryopsis into the soil before it gain maturity .
How to Plant Highbush Blueberries
If you ’re planting more than one blueberry bush bush , space them 2 to 6 feet aside . dustup of bushes should also be 2 to 6 feet apart , depending on the variety you chose and how big it is when to the full raise . Weed between the rowing and water oftentimes . When efflorescence blossom during the first year , fray them off the arm to help shew the bush .
Second Season
During the spring of the 2d yr of growth , circulate about 4 to 8 inches of mulch around your blueberry bushes . you may use woodwind instrument chipping or back but avoid sawdust . works solid ground cover between the rows of bushes . A few suited ground covers are bluegrass or hard fescue . Mow it a couple of times during the twelvemonth .
untested blueberry bush President George W. Bush do n’t want fertilizer . They get all the nutrient they need from the territory . In fact , over fertilizing causes weed growth and winter hurt to the bushes .
Prune any stagnant or humbled ramification to boost new growth . Once again , remove any blossom during the second year . Do your pruning in the winter , while the blueberry bush is still inactive . Trim off any branches growing close to the earth , since this further the plant life to grow upright .
Three Years and Over
After the first three year , your blueberry bush George W. Bush grow from six to 12 branches or cane occur up from the ground . Trim off any unaccented - depend shoot or former , gray - brown stems , leaving no more than 12 . The shoots that are three to six years sometime produce the most berries . With the proper care , your chaparral will produce blueberry for 40 years .
Harvesting Blueberries
It ’s seems like a long wait between the fourth dimension you engraft your first blueberry Dubyuh until the time to glean , but it ’s deserving the wait . Most blueberries are ready for harvesting from late July to the middle of August . Some cultivars have berries until the first frost arrives . If you planted early , mid - time of year and belated - season varieties , you ’ll can have blueberries from July to October .
Pick the berrieswhen they ’re entirely puritanical . Green blueberry are sour . stash away your blueberries in the refrigerator to preclude deterioration . The good temperature for store blueberry is 32 ° F ( 0 ° nose candy ) .
