09/03/2024
Blueberries like ACIDIC soil, so if you don't know your soil's ph, you can have it tested thru the extension office, but I can tell you from experience that our entire county is very ALKALINE.
So, to be successful, amend your soil with good compost (NOT MANURE) pine needles, and elemental sulfur.
Growing blueberries
Edible: eat berries fresh; use in pies & other desserts; freeze, dry or can them for later use.
Long fruiting season: it extends from late June through September.
Long-lived: Highbush blueberries, deciduous shrubs, live 40 to 50 years.
Attractive plants: white or pink blossoms in spring, colorful fall foliage, and attractive bark in winter.
Selecting a Cultivar
Plant more than one cultivar: cross-pollination produces larger berries & lengthens the harvest season.
Examples of blueberries grown in home gardens (in order of ripening): Duke, Earliblue, Spartan, Patriot,
Bluecrop, Jersey, Blueray, Legacy, Chandler and Elliot.
Selecting a Site
Place in a sunny location: Avoid areas surrounded by trees that compete for water and nutrients, and that
interfere with air movement around the plants.
Preparing the Soil
Acid soil of pH 4.5 to 5.5 is ideal; test your soil to determine pH and lower pH with sulfur as needed.
Improve drainage and add organic matter, such as Douglas-fir sawdust or bark.
Establishing Your Planting
Timing: Plant healthy, 2-year old plants in October or March through April.
How: Set plants no more than ¾ inch deeper than they were grown in the container. Tamp soil lightly to
remove air pockets, and water thoroughly. To encourage root growth, prune off flower buds in year one,
and reduce fruit production in year two.
W**d Control
Keep at least a 4-foot area around the plants free of weeds during the growing season.
Blueberries have shallow roots. To prevent damage, keep cultivation very shallow and not too close to the
plant.
Mulching
Mulch keeps the soil cool, conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, adds organic matter, and improves soil
structure and acidity.
After planting, apply a mulch of Douglas fir sawdust or bark to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.
Increase the depth of the mulch to 6 inches over a period of years.
You may have to apply 25 percent more nitrogen fertilizer on mulched plantings, depending on how fresh
the sawdust. Fresh sawdust “ties up” nitrogen while it decomposes, so you need to add more for the
plants to grow properly.
Fertilizing
Types: ammonium sulfate, rhododendron fertilizer, urea
Application: Sprinkle the fertilizer evenly within 12 to 18 inches of each plant, not directly on the crown or
stems. The following chart explains the fertilizer usage using ammonium sulfate.
Planting year: 1 ounce of ammonium sulfate per plant in late April, repeat in early June and in late July.
Year 2: 1.2 ounces of ammonium sulfate per plant in April, May and June.
Year 3: 1.4 ounces of ammonium sulfate per plant in April, May and June.
Year 4 & thereafter: 4 ounces of ammonium sulfate per plant in April, May and June.
Watering
Blueberry roots are close to the surface. They need an adequate water supply from blossom until the fall
rains arrive. Drip irrigation or another form of under-canopy irrigation is ideal.
Pruning
Timing: Minimal pruning is needed the first 5 to 6 years. Older plants are pruned every winter, January to
early March.
How: Remove old wood; promote the growth of strong, new wood to maintain good fruit production.
The following step-by-step system will make pruning easier:
1. Cut out any wood that’s dead, damaged, or diseased.
2. Remove whips smaller than pencil size in diameter, but leave larger whips to develop into good fruiting
wood.
3. Cut out one or two old, unproductive canes. Fourth-year or older wood with small, weak growth is
unproductive. Cut these canes back to the ground or to a strong new whip growing near the base.
4. Remove excess whips and weak, twiggy wood –especially from the top of the plant –to allow light to reach
the center.
5. Some plants do not produce many whips from the base of the plant. Instead they produce whips higher
up on an old cane. These bushes will have fewer canes at the base but more new growth or renewal wood.
