If you’re tempted to find out how to grow blueberries, you’ve probably heard about their impressive superfood credentials. It’s true: this luscious, juicy fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, as well as being super-low in calories. These berries help to lower blood pressure, fight cancer, reduce cholesterol, and boost memory. All that, and they taste sublime, adding an unusual pop of color to your edible garden exploits.

What might be surprising is how easy it is growing blueberries. Most varieties maintain a manageable size, making them ideal for small raised beds, containers, and patios. As native fruiting shrubs, their needs are modest once you’ve mastered the basics of their soil and water preferences. And given the range of varieties available in the US, you can mix and match both early and late-fruiting breeds to guarantee weeks of sumptuous berry bliss.

Furthermore, even when they’re not fruiting, blueberry plants deliver some of the most stunning foliage displays in the fall, often showcasing vibrant coral and magenta leaves. They truly earn their keep as edible ornamentals. Here’s how to cultivate your own delectable super-blues.

Quick Blueberry Facts

Planting Blueberries

To grow blueberries well, you must first consider the best spot for your shrubs. Allowing for your planting zone, there are a couple of key factors that can determine overall health and yield. Get this right and these perennial plants will thrive for years. Unlike many garden vegetables that prefer neutral soil, blueberries are calcifuges. This means that they hate lime and alkaline conditions, and love acidic conditions.

Planting blueberries is remarkably easy once the site is prepped. While these easy fruiting shrubs are famously hardy, they do require a bit of front-end work regarding their environment. Most gardeners find that planting a mix of varieties not only extends the harvest season but ensures better pollination. Whether you have a sprawling backyard in the Midwest or a sunny balcony in Florida, there is a blueberry planting strategy for you.

Soil Needs

Soil pH is critical when learning how to grow blueberry bushes. Blueberries must be grown in acidic conditions. Ideally, this should be in soil with a pH of 4.5-5.2. If soil pH is too high (alkaline), the plant cannot absorb nutrients (specifically iron), leading to yellow leaves (chlorosis) and poor growth.

If you aren’t sure about your soil type, it’s worth testing soil with a soil pH kit so you can determine how acid, alkaline, or neutral your ground is. For those who have had success growing other acid-loving plants like rhododendrons, camellias, and azaleas, the good news is that you should have no problems growing blueberries in your soil.

However, if you have alkaline soil, you can adjust acidity by adding granulated sulfur or pine bark, though this should be done several months before planting to allow the chemistry to shift. As well as needing acidic conditions, growing blueberries is far easier with sandy, well-draining soils.

If you aren’t sure, it’s a good idea to test soil ahead of planting so you can make small adjustments as necessary. Use a reliable soil meter like the Yamron 4-In-1 Soil Meter from Amazon to test soil pH levels, moisture and light levels, and nutrient loads ahead of planting.

Light and Warmth

Blueberries are sun-lovers. To get the sweetest fruit and the most flowers, aim for a position that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. While they can tolerate a little afternoon shade (especially in hotter US climates like Georgia or Texas), too much shade will result in fewer berries and leggy growth.

Temperature is also a factor here. Blueberries require chill hours (hours below 45°F) during the winter to set fruit in the spring. Northern Highbush varieties need 800–1,000 chill hours, while Southern Highbush varieties only need 150–400. Always check your local USDA zone to ensure your variety will thrive in your specific climate.

Planting Step by Step

When you plant your blues, make sure the roots are moist. Aim to get your plant in the ground within a couple of days after buying it. Once you’re ready to get your blues in the ground, follow this easy guide:

• Ensure the site is free of weeds and grass. Blueberries have shallow, fibrous roots that don't like competing with aggressive weeds.
• For a container-grown shrub, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. If your soil is heavy clay, mix the excavated soil 50/50 with acidic peat moss or aged pine bark.
• Place the shrub in the hole. Plant so the soil level matches that of the nursery pot. Planting too deep can cause root rot.
• Gently firm the soil around the roots to remove air pockets. Water immediately and deeply with rainwater or acidified water.
• Finish with a 2-4 inch layer of bark chips or pine needles to keep the roots cool and moist.

How to Care for Blueberries

Blueberries are generally low-maintenance once established, but they aren't “set and forget" plants, by any means. Because they have shallow roots, they are susceptible to drought and nutrient fluctuations. Due to regional variations in humidity and heat fluctuations, you'll need to keep a closer eye on them during the peak of summer.

Watering

Blueberries need consistent moisture but won't tolerate wet feet (standing water). Aim for 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of water per week. During the fruiting season, watering deeply is non-negotiable. If the soil dries out, the berries will shrivel or drop early.

Stick to a consistent watering routine, especially during fruit development. Otherwise, berries may shrivel or crack before they reach their prime. Try a watering wand like the Green Mount Watering Wand from Amazon for a targeted spray. And remember, rainwater is better than tap water, which can be alkaline.

Fertilizing

Do not fertilize blueberries in the first year; let them get their roots established first. From the second year onwards, apply an acidic fertilizer in early spring just as the buds begin to break.

Use a fertilizer specifically formulated for acid-loving plants (often labeled for azaleas or camellias). You can buy Down to Earth Organic Acid Mix from Amazon. Avoid fertilizing with nitrates or chlorides, as these can be toxic to blueberry roots. Ammonium sulfate is a common choice for growers looking to maintain a low pH while providing nitrogen.

Mulching

Mulching blueberries is arguably the most important care task after getting the soil pH right. Because blueberry roots are extremely shallow and lack root hairs (the tiny filaments that help other plants absorb water), they are very sensitive to soil temperature swings and drying out. A thick layer of organic mulch (3-4 inches/8-10 cm) acts as a protective blanket, suppressing weeds that might steal nutrients, and keeping the delicate root system cool during blistering summers and warm in winter.

When choosing a mulch, focus on acidic materials. Pine bark nuggets, pine needles (often called pine straw in the South), and aged sawdust are the gold standards for mulching. These materials break down slowly and help maintain that vital low pH. Avoid using "hot" manures, mushroom compost, or wood chips from cedar or treated lumber, as these can either burn the shallow roots with too much nitrogen or raise the soil pH to dangerous levels. Always leave a small gap around the base of the stems to prevent rot; the mulch should look like a donut, not a volcano.

Use an organic mulch such as Back to the Roots Organic Mulch with Natural Wood, available from Amazon. Pine needles (pine straw) or aged sawdust are also excellent choices as they naturally help maintain acidity.

Transplanting

If you need to move a blueberry bush, the best time is during the dormant season (late winter or very early spring) before any new growth appears. Ensure you take as large a root ball as possible. Blueberries are actually quite resilient to transplanting if you maintain their acidic soil requirements in their new home.

Hydrate well when transplanting, ideally by puddling the plant. Maintain good levels of hydration for the first few weeks after transplanting. Optionally, you might wish to remove flower buds for the first year after moving, in order to give the roots a chance to develop and get strong in the plant’s new location – but that is up to you.

Pruning & Deadheading

Pruning is essential to prevent your blueberry bushes from becoming a tangled mess of unproductive wood. For the first two years, you should be quite ruthless and remove any flower buds that appear. This sacrifice forces the plant to put its energy into building a strong skeletal structure rather than producing a handful of berries too early. By the third year, you can let it fruit, but you must start an annual pruning regimen in late winter, while the plant is still dormant, to keep it productive.

The core goal of pruning blueberries is renewal. You want to maintain a balance of young, vigorous canes and older, established ones. Start by removing the 3 Ds: dead, damaged, or diseased wood. Next, look for low-growing branches that will touch the ground when heavy with fruit. Finally, identify the oldest canes. These are usually gray and have peeling bark. Remove one-third of these oldest canes at the ground level. This stimulates the plant to send up new, vibrant red shoots from the base, which will provide your best fruit in two years' time.

Proper tools make a world of difference. A sharp cut heals faster and reduces the risk of fungal infections like Botryosphaeria (canker). If you have older, thicker bushes, you may need a pair of loppers for the base, but for most work, a high-quality hand pruner is best. We love Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears, available from Amazon, for clean, precise cuts.

Blueberry Care Calendar

Great Blueberry Varieties

You won’t be struggling for choice when it comes to yummy blues. There is a massive selection of blueberry varieties available. Choosing the right one depends on your climate zone, as well as personal taste, but here are the main types:

• Northern Highbush: Best for the North and the Midwest (USDA zones 3–7). These highbush blues need significant winter chill. Varieties include 'Bluecrop' (reliable classic), 'Duke' (early season cropper), and 'Chandler' (huge fruit). You can buy ‘Chandler’ Blueberry Plants from Nature Hills.
• Southern Highbush: Perfect for the South and California (USDA zones 7–10). They tolerate heat and need fewer chill hours. Varieties include 'Sunshine Blue' (compact and evergreen) and 'Misty'. You can get ‘Misty’ Blueberry Plants from Nature Hills.
• Rabbiteye: Native to the Southeastern US. Very productive, heat tolerant and pest-resistant. However, they need a second variety for pollination. Varieties include 'PowderBlue' and 'Tifblue'. You can buy ‘PowderBlue’ Plants from Amazon.
• Lowbush: These are the wild blueberries, growing only 1–2 feet (30-60 cm) tall, but they are very hardy. Lowbush varieties include 'Top Hat' (which is perfect for pots). You can buy ‘Top Hat’ Blueberry Plants from Nature Hills.
• Pink Varieties: Try 'Pink Lemonade' for bright pink, super-sweet berries for something different that adds a beautiful contrast to your garden. You can buy ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry Plants from Amazon.

Special Considerations

One major deal-breaker for blueberry success is water quality. In many parts of the US, tap water is hard (which means that it is high in calcium). Over time, watering with hard water will raise the soil pH, thereby neutralizing your acidic environment. If possible, it’s a good idea to collect rainwater in a water butt or similar. If you must use tap water, you may need to periodically add sulfur to compensate.

Another consideration is pollination. While many varieties are self-fertile, they will always produce larger berries and a heavier crop if they are cross-pollinated with a different variety that blooms at the same time.

Growing Blueberries in Containers

If your garden soil is naturally alkaline or you simply don't have space for a full fruit patch, container gardening is the way to go. Blueberries are well-suited to life in pots, because you can curate their environment perfectly and have total control over the soil pH, amongst other things.

When growing blueberries in containers, the key is starting with the right home. Choose a container at least 12–15 inches (30-40 cm) in diameter for a young plant, and be prepared to pot up to a 20-inch (50 cm) container like a classic whiskey barrel as the shrub matures. Ensure the pot has excellent drainage. Blueberries love water, but hate sitting in a swamp.

The most common mistake in container growing is using standard garden soil, which is often too heavy and not acidic enough. Instead, use a dedicated ericaceous or acid-loving potting mix. These are often marketed as azalea, camellia and gardenia mixes. For an extra boost, mix in about 20% perlite or pine bark to ensure the roots stay aerated. Because nutrients leach out of pots quickly with frequent watering, you’ll need to feed container blueberries more regularly than those in the ground. Use a liquid acidic fertilizer every 2-3 weeks during the growing season.

Keep a close eye on moisture. Pot-based soil dries out faster than the ground, especially in porous ceramic or terracotta. In the height of summer, a containerized blueberry might need watering every day. Using a mulch of pine bark on top of the pot can help retain that moisture. It will also stop the sun from baking the shallow roots through the sides of the container.

Overwintering Blueberries

Blueberries are naturally cold-hardy, but container-grown plants are more vulnerable, because their roots aren't insulated by the earth. In colder USDA zones (5 and below), it’s important to wrap your pots in burlap or bubble wrap to protect the root ball from the freeze-thaw cycles. Alternatively, you can care for blueberries in winter by moving pot-based blueberry plants to an unheated garage or shed once they go dormant. In-ground plants only need a fresh layer of mulch to survive the winter.

Propagating Blueberries

Propagation is a wonderful way to expand your berry patch for free. Generally, the best way to do this is by softwood and hardwood cuttings. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer from the current year’s growth. Cut a 5-inch (12 cm) tip, remove the lower leaves, dip the end in rooting hormone like Garden Safe TakeRoot Rooting Hormone from Amazon, and stick it into a 50/50 mix of peat moss and perlite. These need high humidity, so covering them with a plastic dome or clear bag is essential until roots form (usually in 6–8 weeks).

Take hardwood cuttings in late winter while the plant is dormant. These are sturdier, woody stems about the thickness of a pencil. Cut 6-inch (15 cm) lengths, ensuring you have several buds on each. Unlike softwood, these don't need a humidity dome, but they do take longer to root (possibly the following spring). Keep them in a sheltered spot outdoors, in a pot of sandy, acidic soil.

While blueberry seed propagation is possible, blueberries do not grow true to seed (the same as their parent plant). This means that a seed from a 'Duke' blueberry (for instance) might grow into a plant that produces small, sour fruit. Cuttings, however, are clones of the parent plant, so you get the same delicious fruit quality every time.

Common Blueberry Problems

While blueberries are tough, they aren't invincible. The biggest blueberry problems and pests are usually the winged kind, but fortunately there are a few ways to protect burgeoning blues.

• Birds: Robins, pigeons, and starlings love blueberries and can strip a bush in hours. To protect blues from birds, use 1/4-inch bird netting draped over a simple PVC frame to keep the mesh from touching the berries, or the birds will just peck through it. Alternatively, try bird scarers. You can get Reflective Helix Wind Spinner Bird Scarers from Amazon.
• Aphids: These small, pear-shaped insects cluster on new growth. They suck sap from young shoots and cause leaves to curl, and they also leave a sticky residue called honeydew. Spray with a strong stream of water to dislodge them, followed by an application of neem oil spray, such as Bonide Captain Jack’s Ready-To-Use Neem Oil Spray from Amazon and repeat every few days until things clear up.
• Japanese Beetles: This is a major pest that can skeletonize leaves in mid-summer by eating the tissue between leaf veins. Hand-pick the beetles into a bucket of soapy water in the morning when they are sluggish, or use organic pyrethrin-based sprays for heavy infestations.
• Mummy Berry: This fungal disease causes berries to shrivel into hard mummies. Sanitation is key. Rake up and destroy all fallen berries in the fall, and apply fresh mulch to bury remaining spores.
• Chlorosis: Yellow leaves with green veins indicate iron deficiency, and are a telltale sign your soil pH is too high, so test the soil. If the soil pH is above 5.5, apply a soil acidifier like elemental sulfur or chelated iron for a quick green-up.

Harvesting Blueberries

The most important rule of harvesting is to ignore the calendar and trust the color. Blueberries usually turn blue several days before they are actually sweet. If there is even a hint of red or pink around the stem, the berry isn't ready and will be tart. Patience is key. Wait until the berry is deep indigo and pulls away from the stem with the slightest touch. If you have to tug, it’s not ready.

The berry harvest window varies by region, but generally, early-season varieties ripen in June, while late-season ones can go into August. Because berries on the same cluster ripen at different times, you'll need to harvest every few days. A mature highbush plant in the right conditions can yield 10 pounds of fruit per season.

Once picked, don't wash your berries until right before you eat them. Washing them early removes the bloom (the natural waxy coating) and causes them to spoil faster. They will keep in the refrigerator for a week, or you can spread them on a baking sheet to freeze them individually before bagging them for long-term winter storage.

Companion Plants for Blueberries

The number one best thing to grow with your blueberry plant is another blueberry plant. Though one blueberry plant will crop by itself, more berries will set if bushes are cross-pollinated by a different variety of the same species. Growing 2 or more varieties together also means you can enjoy more weeks of berries, particularly if you get early and later-maturing breeds (as long as they share a period of flowering).

In the main, blueberries appreciate neighbors which enjoy the same acidic conditions and don't compete for surface nutrients. These include:

• Thyme & Basil: These low-growing herbs act as a living mulch, keeping the soil cool without competing with the blueberry's shallow roots. Basil and thyme don't mind acidic soil and help provide ground cover to suppress weeds.
• Cranberries: These are cousins of the blueberry and thrive in the exact same boggy, acidic conditions, making them a perfect groundcover. Cranberries share the exact same soil and water requirements.
• Azaleas & Rhododendrons: These share the same acid-only diet. If you have a spot where azaleas thrive, your blueberries will be very happy there.
• Pine Trees: While they can offer too much shade if too close, the falling needles provide a constant, natural supply of acidic mulch. Trees also offer wind protection.

Blueberries are a rewarding investment that offers three seasons of interest: delicate spring flowers, delicious summer fruit, and fiery fall foliage. With just a little attention to soil acidity and consistent watering, you'll be harvesting your own blue gold for decades to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Blueberry Quiz

Blueberry Care Essentials

• Test your soil is the right pH with the Raintrip 4-In-1 Soil Meter from Amazon, which can also help determine moisture and light levels, and nutrient loads before planting.
• Use a specially formuated organic mulch with acid-bearing pine needles or pine bark, such as Pine Bark Mulch Nuggets from Amazon, to manage moisture levels, suppress weeds, keep those shallow roots cool, and regulate soil temperatures.
• Keep blues in better shape with Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears from Amazon, renowned for their clean and precise action, great for canes an inch or less thick.
• Tackle aphids with a swift, repeat application of Bonide Captain Jack’s Ready-To-Use Neem Oil Spray from Amazon.
• Nourish your blues during active growth and fruiting seasons with targeted feed, such as the 4-3-6 blend of Down to Earth Organic Acid Mix from Amazon, specially designed to keep that soil pH balanced and suitable for acid-loving shrubs.

Need more ideas for timely gardening jobs and seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Ever plucked your blueberry plant in eager expectation and felt underwhelmed? Perhaps your crop seemed tiny, hard, bitter, or full of seeds crunching between your teeth? Tiny blueberries can be disappointing, particularly when you’ve been patiently waiting for that juicy harvest. That bush might look productive with plenty of clusters, but the harvest barely fills a bowl and most berries don’t feel worth picking.

The problem usually isn't the variety or soil – it's too much old wood hogging the plant’s resources. Unpruned bushes split their energy across hundreds of weak fruiting sites, instead of focusing on quality clusters. That’s where this clever pruning trick can help – and now’s the best time to do it. Pruning blueberries in January cuts away the deadweight before buds swell. Proper blueberry care needs this annual reset, ensuring the plant puts its heart and soul into fewer, fatter, sweeter berries.

Doing it now is the real sweet spot, as the plant is fully dormant so there is less chance of exposing cuts to stress or disease. Yet most people skip it out of fear they'll cut off the harvest, when really they're guaranteeing a better one. Don’t panic – this is one of the best things you can do for your precious blues.

Why Less is More for Blueberries

Blueberry bushes are ambitious in their way, but they don't self-regulate very well. They'll attempt to set fruit on every available branch whether that wood can actually support quality berries or not. Old canes (branches) that might be past their prime will still produce flower buds, but those buds will then yield small, seedy fruits on exhausted wood. This is because the wood’s internal plumbing has slowed down, so it lacks the vigor to pump sugars into the fruit.

An unpruned blueberry bush finds itself spread thin across too many fruiting sites. Each berry gets a tiny fraction of resources, resulting in clusters of small, hard, unpleasant-tasting disappointments. By blueberry pruning, you are intentionally creating scarcity. Cutting back forces the bush to concentrate energy into fewer, stronger branches. It pushes more carbohydrates and water into the remaining emerging fruit clusters, and each berry gets adequate sugars and water to size up properly. So fewer branches equals bigger blueberries and better flavor.

Know Your Wood: Old versus Young

Knowing how to prune blueberries the right way starts with an assessment of the canes. Before you make your first cut, you need to identify what you’re looking at. Blueberry owners can be a little timid about getting stuck in. If you’re not sure which parts to hone in on, this quick guide will help:

• Old Wood: Look for rough, gray, shaggy-looking bark. These canes are usually thick and produce lots of twiggy side growth that looks dense but fruits poorly. Bark feels brittle when you bend it.
• Young Wood: This is your fruiting gold. It has smooth, reddish-brown bark that looks tight and glossy. These canes are thinner and grow upright with less branching. Young wood bends easily without snapping.
• Check Buds: Look closely at the tips. Fruit buds are fat, round, and plump (like a tiny teardrop), while leaf buds are flat, thin, and pressed tight against the stem. Your goal is to keep the wood with those fat, healthy fruit buds.

Prioritize keeping canes that are 1-3 years old, since these produce the best fruit, while canes over 6 years old need to be retired completely. However, if your bush is very young (1–2 years old), avoid heavy pruning. Instead, simply pinch off any flower buds you see. This feels heart-breaking, but it forces the plant to build a massive root system now so you get huge future harvests.

What You Need for January Pruning

Because blueberry wood can be tough, sharpness is essential to avoid crushing the stems. Invest in a pair of good bypass pruners like industry-leading Fiskars Bypass Pruners from Amazon, which will slice through canes efficiently and cleanly. For older blueberry canes over an inch in diameter, use a pair of loppers such as Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Loppers from Amazon, to reduce the risk of damaging wood.

If you see canes thicker than a thumb, use a small hand saw like the Garden Guru Pruning Saw from Amazon for better control and a cleaner finish. Remember, twiggier blueberry canes can jab, so grab some sturdy gloves, like the WZQH Leather Work Gardening Gloves from Amazon. And keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol nearby. Wiping blades before and after use cuts down the risk of spreading pathogens.

How to Prune Blueberry Bushes

This late winter pruning trick shouldn't be a guessing game. By following these steps in order, you’ll ensure the plant stays healthy, while maximizing its full fat fruit-bearing potential.

1. Balancing the Canes – the Rule of 6

First, clear the clutter by removing any obviously dead, damaged or diseased wood (the 3 Ds). Then check the main canes. A mature highbush or rabbiteye blueberry bush will do best with 6-8 productive canes. Count the main stems coming up from the base. If you've got 12-15, that's way too many fighting for resources. Remove the oldest, thickest canes entirely by cutting them flush at ground level.

Aim for a generational mix, with a couple of 1-year-old canes for next year, a couple of 2-year-old canes for peak fruiting, and two 3-4-year-olds if they still look strong. Doing this ensures you have fruit today and "replacement" wood for tomorrow. This rotation keeps harvests consistent year after year.

2. Cleaning the Base and Improving Airflow

Blueberries often get choked at the base by thin growth. Anything thinner than a pencil. These shoots (which tend to be thinner than a pencil) will never produce quality fruit. They just block airflow, steal energy from strong canes, and invite fungal diseases. Cut them all out at ground level using your bypass pruners.

You want the base of the plant to look clean, allowing air to circulate freely through the center of the bush. This also helps sunlight reach the middle, which is essential for ripening the berries. The goal is an open, vase-shaped bush with good air circulation through the center.

3. Precision Cuts for Strength

This final step forces the plant to send all its energy into the remaining buds on that branch, making the berries much larger. Once you've thinned down to 6-8 main canes, shorten any tall or spindly canes you are keeping by roughly a third. Cut just above a fat flower bud that's facing outward from the bush's center. This pushes new growth away from the middle and forces energy into the buds you left behind.

Focus on leaving sturdy, thumb-thick wood with plump flower buds spaced along the upper half. Each flower bud should turn into a cluster of 5-8 berries. Leaving 20-30 good buds gets you around 200 fat berries, instead of 500 tiny disappointing ones. That's the purpose of this brave “less is more” January prune – fewer clusters of fatter, sweeter fruit.

Post-Prune Pampering

After pruning, give your blueberry a little TLC to help it recover for spring. Mulch blueberries with a layer of acidic mulch, about 2-3 inches (5-8 cm), around the base. Pine needles, bark, or oak leaf compost all do the job, or you can buy Natural Pine Bark Mulch Nuggets from Amazon. It keeps roots cozy, retains water, and lowers the soil pH into the 4.5-5.5 range. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the stems.

If you have a dry winter, ensure the roots don't completely dry out. Wait to feed until the leaf buds start swelling in late March or early April before giving your plant a feed. Use a product specifically meant for blueberries or azaleas, like Down to Earth Acid Mix from Amazon.

Checklist for Better Blues

Hopefully this trick shows that you don’t have to fear this chop. Blueberries are resilient. It is better to prune a little too much than to leave a congested, unproductive bush. Just remember the following:

• Don't get too aggressive and remove every fat flower bud. You still need fruiting wood for this season, just less of it than the bush wants to carry naturally. Leave at least 15 flower buds spread across your canes.
• Avoid cutting into green, living wood during hard freezes, which can cause dieback. Also, don't prune in fall, since cuts stimulate new growth that winter cold will kill. Wait for a day above freezing if possible. Late January usually sits in that sweet spot.
• Check your variety. This trick is great for highbush blueberries, and also works for rabbiteye types. Rabbiteye blues are more vigorous, so it’s OK to leave 8-10 canes. However, lowbush berries require a different approach and are usually pruned by cutting the whole plant back to the ground every other year.

Essential Blueberry Care Kit

This clever late winter pruning trick is a crucial part of your ongoing plant care, but this is just the beginning of your year! Keep these essentials close for better blues:

Need more ideas for timely gardening jobs and seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Mulch for blueberries is a magic recipe for success. If you are looking for a reliable, efficient and easy way to make sure your blues are well serviced as they enter their growing season, mulching blueberries will prove to be the best few minutes of plant care you can carry out. And as it turns out, winter is the perfect time to carry out this essential task. Those of us who love our backyard blueberries will spare no expense in winter to keep those sweet, antioxidant-packed berries coming in summer. Supplying mulch for blueberry plants right now guarantees more fruit come June.

Organic mulches are oh-so-good for the soil, since they break down over time to enrich it. Mulches such as acidic bark and even pine needles are really good for blueberries when added over winter (surely great news, once you have finished using your Christmas tree). When it comes to mulch for blueberry bushes, the small time spent now during the dormant period will reap dividends next year when you see the fruits of your labors. Read on to find out how to mulch blueberries in winter.

Benefits of Mulch in Winter

Mulching provides so many services for many blueberry varieties that it should get the prize for multitasking. A thick layer of mulch prevents weeds from growing around ground-based blueberries, both highbush and lowbush varieties. That’s because it blocks sunlight from hitting the soil, preventing weed seeds from germinating. Fewer weeds means less work in spring. But that’s just the beginning.

The best mulch for blueberries will also regulate soil temperature, keeping it warm during cold winters and cool during hot summers. Another benefit of applying mulch is that it helps to keep soil moist for longer periods of time. If you opt for organic mulch (like compost, pine needles, wood chips or chopped fallen leaves), it will ultimately disintegrate into the soil, adding nutrients. A good mulch for blueberries will accomplish all this, and more.

Winter is the best time to mulch blues because it protects their shallow roots from the freeze-thaw cycle of the chiller months. Applying mulch between November and February is ideal as a way of safeguarding blueberry plants, helping plants through dormancy, and making sure the soil is optimized for spring growth. However, it’s important to avoid one of the common mulching mistakes and check the soil before you add your mulch of choice.

Checking Soil Acidity

Blueberries are not a difficult crop, but they are picky about soil. The soil around your blues must drain well – and it must be acidic. Soil acidity may well be the single most important factor in keeping a blueberry bush healthy and productive. So before you start mulching, make sure you test your soil.and get a solid sense of soil pH levels. A dependable moisture meter can assist with scheduling. The Yamron 4-in-1 Soil Meter from Amazon provides accurate readings, and also helps determine moisture levels and nutrient loads.

When I first put in my blueberries, they were struggling for a while. So I checked the pH of the soil around these acid-loving plants. It was 6.5, slightly acidic and perfect for veggies, but not acidic enough for blues. The ideal pH range is between 3.8 and 5.5. Blueberries simply will not thrive in soil with a pH of 6.5. So I had to make adjustments.

Mulching Blueberry Plants

So how did I lower the soil pH for my blueberry patch, while keeping the garden pH at 6.5? Simple: I used acidic mulch for the blueberries. I applied a 4-inch (10cm) layer of pine-needle mulch over the soil in the berry patch. The soil pH dropped, the blueberries recovered, and they have now been going strong for a decade. Since these berrying bush types have shallow roots, mulching is especially important, whether you cultivate blueberries in the ground or grow blues in containers.

Acidic mulch doesn’t have to be pine needles, but it worked for me, since I had pine trees in the landscape. And if you are mulching your blueberries in winter in the period immediately after Christmas, you may well have a lovely extra stash of pine in the form of a tree you might not be looking to keep. A single pine tree will drop sufficient pine needles to mulch many blueberry plants. Pine needles work well as mulch, keeping down the weeds, retaining soil moisture, and lowering soil pH.

But this is not the only acidic mulch out there. Any part of a pine tree will prove acidic. A top choice for blueberry mulch is pine bark nuggets, such as Rio Hamza Natural Pine Bark Mulch Nuggets from Amazon. As pine bark decomposes, it will make the soil more acidic. Sawdust or wood chips from untreated pine can also lower the pH and make blueberries happy. If you plan to use fresh sawdust, compost it first or mix it with grass clippings to prevent the tying up of nitrogen during breakdown.

Action Plan for Mulching

Now you know the right materials and timing for your blueberry mulching, you’re all set. Just follow these simple tips to mulch blueberry bushes like a pro, and prime them for a fine season of fruiting:

1. Clean the soil around your blueberry plants before you apply your mulch. Remove weeds and detritus, along with any prior applications of mulch that have not deteriorated. Apply the mulch generously. It should be 4-6 inches (10-15cm) deep.
2. Do not allow the mulch you use to touch the stem of the blueberry plant directly. This can cause the stem to rot. You need to leave a small gap, while layering generously at a safe distance to the stem.
3. Mulch like pine needles can get packed down over time and block water from entering. Make sure you fluff it with a garden rake occasionally. Use a rake like the Nohovu 14 Tine Heavy Duty Rake from Amazon to keep mulch in good condition.
4. Mulch is not a ‘one and done’ activity. When you mulch blueberries, it will deteriorate over time and this is a good thing, since deteriorating mulch supplements soil with organic material. It just means you need to replenish it. Otherwise, roots become exposed as mulch deteriorates.

Blueberry Essentials

Keeping your blueberries in tiptop shape starts with a solid assessment of the ground and a dedication to keeping it well conditioned. Here are the key items you’ll need to maintain the best foundation for your future blues.

Need more ideas for expert advice and seasonal jobs, delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

If you love blueberries, you might like to grow your own. The question then becomes -- when is the best time to plant blueberry bushes? Can you plant blueberries in the fall, or is another time of year better? Read on to learn when to plant blueberries.

What to Know Before Planting Blueberries

Blueberries need acidic soil to produce fruit so before even thinking about planting a blueberry, have a soil test done. Most fruit like a neutral soil pH of 6.5 to 7.5 but blueberries are unique in that they thrive between 4.3 to 5.5 pH. Growing them in a neutral soil will result in slow growth, stunted plants with yellowing leaves, and little to no fruit.

The pH factor in soil is amended by incorporating sulfur to the soil, either with sphagnum peat moss, elemental sulfur or some other sulfur amendment. Which amendment you use to correct the pH depends on when you plan to plant your berry. If using sulfur, it’s best to amend your soil in the fall prior to planting, as it takes months for the sulfur to change the soil’s pH.

Sulfur is found at garden centers and may be labeled soil acidifier, soil sulfur or sulfur. The application amount varies depending upon the results of your soil test.

If you want to plant in the spring and the soil has not had any amendments, it is best to use sphagnum peat moss, especially if the soil test reveals your soil to be 5.0 to 7.0.

Keep in mind that the entire planting area must be amended, and not just the planting holes, since the roots of the plants will spread outward from the hole. Add 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm.) of peat to the top 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm.) of soil, incorporating it either with a rototiller or shovel.

Soils with a pH closest to 7.0 require more peat, up to 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 cm.), and those at the lower range of 5.5 to 6 less peat, about 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.7 cm.). Since all soil is different, redo the soil test six months after planting to determine whether the soil is indeed in the correct pH range.

Also blueberries have shallow roots and thus should be planted in loose, well draining soil.

When Can You Plant Blueberries?

If you live in the milder regions of the country, USDA zones 7-9, you can plant blueberries in either the spring or fall. If you live in the cooler regions, zones 3-6, plants should be set in the spring otherwise they will struggle to establish before the ground freezes.

So when do you plant a blueberry bush in fall? Planting blueberry bushes in fall should occur by mid-October to allow them time to acclimate prior to winter. Otherwise the ideal time to plant blueberries is between November and February after severe frosts have passed.

How to Plant Blueberries

Once your soil has been amended as needed, and you have your blueberry bush(es) it’s time to plant.

If you are planning on planting multiple bushes, dig holes two to three times the width of the plant’s container. Break up the root ball of the plant and settle it into the hole gently spreading out the roots. Backfill with soil dug from the hole. Create a ring of soil around each plant to temporarily hold water. Water each plant with 1 to 2 gallons (4-8 l) of water.

Spread a deep layer of organic mulch around the planting area, taking care to avoid getting near the plant’s stems. Water the blueberry bushes every 5 to 7 days with 1 to 2 gallons (4-8 l) of water, or use less if it has rained.

Keep the areas surrounding the blueberries free from weeds and grass. Side dress each plant with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) 10-10-10 granular fertilizer in mid-summer.

When you say Southern berries, it suggests a plethora of fruits. Berries can run the gamut from blueberries to blackberries, from raspberries to elderberries, from huckleberries to mulberries and everything in between. But what are some berries for the South that will do well in heat and humidity?

Here are some juicy berries to grow in the South. 

Berries for the South: The Best Southeast Berries

While opinions vary on the best berries to grow in the South, here are some indisputable favorites:

• Blackberry – There are thorny and thornless varieties of blackberries that do well in Southern landscapes. Cultivars will produce high quality fruit and fewer pests than wild plants. Choose an area with well-draining soil in full sun; blackberries do not tolerate wet feet. Sandy loam soils with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 are best. Plant blackberry plants or root cuttings in late February or early March. Blackberry canes are biennial; they fruit in the second year and die out. New canes will emerge to start the cycle again.
• Blueberry – In the South, choose the native rabbiteye or cultivated Southern highbush varieties of blueberry. They both need acidic soil in the range of 4.5 to 5.5 in full to part sun. Soil should be moist and well drained. Plant two or more varieties for cross pollination and fruit set. Rabbiteye ripens in June and July. Southern highbush fruits in May.
• Elderberry – Elderberry grows into an attractive shrub with white flowers in spring and black clusters of berries in late summer. Plant in well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Ripe elderberries are good fresh or made into jelly, pie, or wine. Avoid unripe, green berries which are toxic. 
• Huckleberry –These Southern berries are related to blueberries but they contain larger seeds. They grow in moist, acidic soil, with a pH from 4.3 to 5.2. Pruning is only needed to remove dead or diseased stems. Taste is sweet after cooking. Huckleberry is better in jellies and drinks than eaten raw. 
• Mulberry – White, red, and black mulberries can be grown wild or cultivated. Buy a grafted mulberry to get fruit in a year. They can be pruned as a shrub or allowed to grow into a medium sized tree. Once established, they require little irrigation or fertilization. Lots of sweet fruit is produced. 
• Raspberry – Varieties include thornless as well as trailing and erect varieties. Raspberry plants will not tolerate clay soils. Amend the soil to a sandy loam consistency with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Choose a sunny site close to its water source. Primocane varieties produce fruit on the first-year canes. In the winter, the canes can be cut to the ground. 

Check with your local cooperative extension service for the best Southern berry varieties in your area.

Do you long for fresh homegrown blueberries for pancakes, muffins and pies? Blueberries are not difficult to grow, providing you choose the correct type for your hardiness zone. For colder climates, half-high blueberry bushes are often recommended. But what is a half-high blueberry? 

What is a Half-High Blueberry

Half-high blueberry plants are a cross between the big-berry producing highbush varieties and the cold-tolerant wild lowbush species. Hardy in USDA zones 3-5, half-high blueberry bushes are less likely to suffer from winter damage than highbush plants. In zone 3, where highbush plants won't survive, cultivating half-high blueberry varieties gives growers an alternative to the small wild berries of the lowbush species. 

As the name suggests, the hybrid half-high blueberry matures at an intermediate height of 2 to 4 feet (.6 to 1.2 m.). The compact size makes half-high blueberry bushes easy to maintain and keeps the fruit within reach for easy harvesting.

Half-high blueberry plants require the same care and cultivation as other types of blueberries. They need an acidic soil with an optimal pH of 4.5 to 5. Plant blueberries in a well-drained site or use raised beds to prevent soggy conditions. Avoid hoeing, as hybrid half-high blueberry roots are shallow and near the soil surface. Instead, mulch to prevent weeds and retain moisture during dry spells.

Half-High Blueberry Varieties 

When choosing half-high blueberry varieties, consider characteristics such as harvest time, projected yields, and fruit quality. Like other species of blueberries, many half-high blueberry bushes are self-pollinating but will produce larger yields when cross-pollinated with varieties which have overlapping bloom times. 

Consider these popular half-high blueberry varieties:

• Chippewa: Mid-season variety. Produces moderate yields of medium to large flavorful blueberries.
• Northblue: Early to mid-season variety. Produces low to moderate yields of large, dark blue berries. Mummyberry resistant.
• Northcountry: Early mid-season variety. Produces low yields of small, exceptionally sweet blueberries. Northcountry berries are less firm than other varieties.
• Northland: Early mid-season variety. Produces high yields of medium to large blueberries. 
• Northland berries have a mild flavor and soft texture. Susceptible to mummyberry. 
• Northsky: Mid-season variety. Produces low yields of medium-sized, sweet berries with a mild flavor. Excellent for processing. Mummyberry resistant.
• Polaris: Early season variety. Produces medium-large, firm blueberries with excellent flavor. Moderate yields. Well-suited for container growing.
• St. Cloud: Early season variety with moderate yields. Produces medium-sized, dark blue berries with a sweet flavor. St. Cloud blueberries have a firm texture and stores well.

Blueberries are delicious to us; unfortunately, a host of insect pests enjoy the plant too. Bugs on blueberry bushes can destroy the crop and diminish the plant's health. It is important to look frequently for pest damage on blueberries and take appropriate steps immediately. Continue reading to learn more about blueberry pest control and protect your tasty harvest.

Foliar Pest Damage on Blueberries

There is a long list of blueberry insect pests that damage fruit, shoots, leaves, flowers, and roots. The list is so long, in fact, it is actually overwhelming.

Oriental beetles attack roots, their damage is hard to see above ground and often deadly by the time you do see it. Other bugs on blueberry bushes are easier to see and, therefore, easier to control.

The flea beetle bothers all sorts of plants. Its damage appears as small shot holes in leaves. Floating row covers and applications of neem oil can control these insects.

The Japanese beetle skeletonizes leaves. Parasitic nematodes can help kill overwintering larvae in soil, while neem oil, row covers, and hand picking can reduce the adult population.

Thrips stipple foliage, making leaves curl and distort. Prune off infested areas. Sticky traps and applications of neem oil or insecticidal soaps can help prevent most pest damage.

Some other common foliar pests are:

• Aphids
• Blueberry tip borer
• Scale
• Sharp-nosed leafhopper
• White marked tussock moth
• Gypsy moth
• Blueberry gall midge
• Blueberry stem gall wasp

How to Control Blueberry Pests on Flowers and Buds

Mites can be hard to see, but if you put a piece of white paper under a stem and shake it, you can observe tiny black specks. Horticultural soap is helpful.

Cutworms and spanworms nibble around buds and can take off the entire flower in one night. Go out at night with a flashlight and hand pick these icky creatures.

Blueberry blossom weevil is a small, dark, rusty beetle with white flecked wings and a snout. During warm spring days, shake the stems to remove the weevils. It is important to scout frequently for these insects, as their damage to flowers can reduce the berry yield significantly.

Blueberry Insect Pests of Fruit

If you have successfully fended off the above pests, you will have your work cut out for you once fruit forms. Rodents and birds will feed off the plant as well as numerous insects.

The blueberry maggot is the offspring of a fly which lays its eggs in the developing fruit. The larvae will eat the berry from the inside out. Use a low residue pesticide every seven to ten days if you spot rotten fruit.

Fire ants love blueberries. They eat the fruit but don't do much damage. They may even be beneficial, eating other insect pests.

Cherry and cranberry fruit worms live in and eat fruit. Remove debris around the plant where they can overwinter and apply a pyrethrum spray. Encourage natural predators and apply recommended methods to protect your crop.

Even more pests include:

• Spotted wing drosophila
• Three lined flower beetles
• Plum curculio
• Stink bug

For big berries with a delicious aroma, try growing Camellia blueberry plants. What is a Camellia blueberry? It has no affiliation with the camellia flowering bush but has a vigorous, upright cane growth. This blueberry variety is a southern highbush type that produces prolifically and is tolerant to heat.

What is a Camellia Blueberry?

Blueberry lovers across the globe have to be very specific on the variety they grow. That is because many types are cool season, while others can be grown in warm regions. Additionally, each plant has a slightly different flavor, height, and form as well as berry size. The Camellia southern highbush blueberry is suited for the warmer regions.

These blueberry plants produce midseason. They were developed by the University of Georgia and bred to show tolerance for high heat and produce large berries. A three-year-old plant can produce up to 5 pounds (2 kg.) of big, juicy berries with exceptional flavor. The scent of the fruit is described as tropical. Fruit ripens in tight clusters at the ends of stems. The Camellia blueberry variety can grow up to 6 feet (2 m.) tall with a width of 4 feet (1 m.).

Growing Camellia Blueberries

The Camellia southern highbush blueberry has a moderate growth rate and can get quite large. It needs rich, slightly acidic soil in full sun. The plant is suitable for USDA zones 7 through 8 and needs up to 500 hours of chilling time to produce fruit.

Prior to planting, incorporate some sand and compost into the planting hole and install at the same depth as the nursery pot. Water young plants until established and prune out smaller growth to form an open center and promote stronger stems.

This plant is self-fruitful, but you will get bigger yields with cross pollination of other varieties. Suggested varieties are Star and Legacy.

Care of Camellia Blueberries

Once planted, spread some good quality bark mulch around the root zone of the plant. This will prevent weeds and conserve moisture.

A few weeks after planting, feed the plant with one ounce of balanced fertilizer, blood meal, or well-rotted compost tea. Use the same amount the next year, but thereafter increase the fertilizer by a factor of one gradually per year until year twelve.

Plants need 1 to 2 inches (5 cm.) of water per week during the growing season. By year three, prune out old or diseased canes. After year six, remove the oldest canes and leave six vigorous two to five-year-old canes. The oldest canes can be identified by their gray bark.

Blueberries are easy to grow and with a few simple steps you can enjoy big, perfumed, juicy berries year after year.

Blueberry shrubs are supposed to have shiny green leaves and round blue fruit. Occasionally, you’ll see that those blueberry leaves have dark spots on them. Leaf spots on blueberries tell you something you may not want to hear: there is something amiss with your plant. If you see spots on blueberry leaves, your shrub has developed one of several blueberry leaf spot diseases. Most leaf spots on blueberries are caused by fungal diseases. Read on to learn more.

What Causes Blueberry Leaf Spot?

Spots on blueberry leaves are usually caused by a fungus and some can ruin an entire crop. If you have blueberry shrubs, you’ll need to learn about what causes blueberry leaf spot diseases and ways to treat them early. The two most common leaf spot diseases are anthracnose and septoria. The fungi causing these problems live in the soil or fallen leaves beneath the shrubs, overwintering there. The fungi are transferred to other plants with rainfall. Another of the main diseases causing leaf spots on blueberries is Gloeocercospora. It doesn’t do significant damage to a blueberry patch, however. Alternaria leaf spot is another fungus that causes blueberries with leaf spot. Fungal diseases often appear in spring when the rains begin. Wet, warm conditions are ideal for fungal diseases to thrive. The organisms overwinter in the soil and become active in moisture.

Treating Blueberry with Leaf Spot Disease

It is interesting to learn about the causes of spots on blueberry leaves. However, the real question that gardeners want answered are about what steps they can take to treat the problem. First, you should try to prevent your shrubs from getting attacked. If you think about this sufficiently early, you can purchase blueberry plants that are resistant to blueberry leaf spot diseases. A second important step is to remove all plant debris from your berry patch after harvest every year. The fungi live in soil but also on fallen leaves beneath the plants. A good clean-up can go a long way to preventing this. If the fungus causing blueberry leaf spot diseases has found its way into your berry patch, tread carefully. Take care not to spread the fungus yourself when you are working in the garden. Disinfect your tools each time you use them. Finally, treating these shrubs with the correct fungicide early can help your blueberries remain vigorous. Take in a sample of leaf spots on blueberries to your garden store and ask for a fungicide that will work. Use it according to label directions.

Blueberry plants are not only hardworking edibles, but can also be beautiful landscape plants, providing seasonal displays of dainty blooms, bright berries, or outstanding fall color. Blueberry plants also attract pollinators and birds to the garden. With all that they do for us, it is important to keep our blueberry plants healthy and productive. In this article, we will discuss a common disorder of blueberry plants known as blueberry mummy berry. Continue reading to learn what causes blueberry mummy berry and how to control it.

How to Treat Blueberry Mummy Berry

Caused by the fungal pathogen Monilinia vaccinilicorymbosi, blueberry mummy berry is a relatively common but serious affliction of blueberry shrubs. In small plantings of blueberries, the disease may be manageable. However, in large commercial fields, blueberry mummy berry can be devastating to the whole crop. The symptoms generally appear early in the season as an overall browning around major leaf veins. As the disease progresses foliage, new shoots, buds, and blossoms may wilt, turn brown, and drop. New shoots may also curve back toward the plant like a hook. In spring, these symptoms can be mistaken for frost damage. When an infected blueberry shrub produces fruit, it may seem normal at first, but if immature fruit is cut open, it usually will have spongy, white, fungal flesh inside. As infected fruit ripens on the shrub, they will suddenly turn pink or gray and shrivel up into mummified blueberries. Eventually, the mummified blueberries will drop to the ground, where, if left, they will produce thousands of spores that will be carried on wind and rain the following spring to infect new plants.

What to Do for Mummy Berry of Blueberries

Proper sanitation is always key to controlling fungal outbreaks in the garden. If you have a blueberry bush with mummified fruit, be sure to prune infected branches back, pick up all debris around the plant, and destroy it with fire if possible. Sanitize pruners between plants to reduce the risk of spreading the disease to uninfected plant tissues. Throughout the growing season, inspect blueberry plants for symptoms of mummy berry to stay on top of pruning and sanitation. Mummified blueberries are small, black, and difficult to see, and a few may get missed. The fungus depends on this and overwinters in the fruit. In spring, warmer temperatures, rain, and increased sun trigger the fungi to produce spores. Heavy mulching in early spring or using a winter cover crop have been shown to inhibit spread of blueberry mummy berry by blocking out sun and preventing splash back. Preventative lime sulphur dormancy sprays or early spring soil sprays of urea are also effective treatments of blueberry mummy berry.

Stem blight of blueberry is especially dangerous on one to two year plants, but it affects mature bushes as well. Blueberries with stem blight experience cane death, which can result in the fatality of the plant if it is widespread. The disease has very obvious symptoms for which to watch. Failure to start blueberry stem blight treatment in a timely manner could mean more than the loss of the sweet berries; the loss of the entire plant is possible too. Knowing what to do when stem blight of blueberry occurs on your bushes can help you can save your crop.

Blueberry Stem Blight Info

Blueberry stem blight starts insidiously with just a few dead leaves in a single part of the plant. Over time it spreads and soon stems are exhibiting signs of the disease as well. The disease is most common in areas with poor soil or where excess growth has occurred. It is a fungal disease that lives in soil and discarded plant debris as well as several wild hosts. Stem blight is the result of the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. It occurs in both high bush and rabbit eye varieties of blueberry. The disease enters through wounds in the plant and seems to be most prevalent in the early season, although infection can occur at any time. The disease will also infect host plants such as willow, blackberry, alder, wax myrtle, and holly. Rain and wind carry the infectious spores from plant to plant. Once stems receive injury from insects, mechanical means, or even freeze damage, it travels into the vascular tissue of the plant. From the stems it travels into the foliage. Infected stems will rapidly wilt and then die.

Symptoms on Blueberries with Stem Blight

The first thing you might notice is browning or reddening of the leaves. This is actually a later stage of infection, as most fungal bodies enter the stems. The leaves do not drop but remain attached at the petiole. The infection can be traced to some sort of injury in the branch. The fungus causes the stem to become reddish brown on the side of the injury. The stem will turn nearly black over time. Fungal spores are produced just under the surface of the stem which spread to neighboring plants. Spores are released all year except winter but the majority of infection occurs in early summer.

Blueberry Stem Blight Treatment

You can read all the blueberry stem blight info around and you still won't find a cure. Good cultural care and pruning seem to be the only control measures. Remove infected stems to below the area of infection. Clean pruners between cuts to avoid spreading the disease. Discard diseased stems. Avoid fertilizing after midsummer, which would produce new shoots that can get cold frozen and invite infection. Do not over-prune young plants, which are most prone to infection. Clear the area of nesting sites that termites might use. The majority of the insect damage that causes infection is through termite tunneling. With good cultural care, plants that are caught early enough can survive and will recover the next year. In areas prone to the spread of the disease, plant resistant cultivars if available.

Mummified blueberries are not Halloween party favors but are actually signs of one of the most destructive diseases affecting blueberries. Mummified or dried out blueberries are only one stage of the disease that, if left unchecked, can destroy an entire blueberry crop. So, what exactly is blueberry mummy berry, and can it be controlled? The following article contains blueberry mummy berry info regarding blueberries with mummified berries.

What is Blueberry Mummy Berry?

Mummified blueberries are caused by the fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi. Primary infections begin in the spring, arising from overwintering mummies. At this time, tiny mushroom-like structures called apothecia begin growing from mummified berries. The apothecia release spores, lots of them, which are then carried by wind to leaf buds.

Symptoms of a Blueberry with Mummified Berries

The first symptom of a blueberry with mummified berries is browning along the leaf veins on new leaves. These leaves wilt and curve. A light gray powdery mat of spores develops at the base of the leaf. These spores, in turn, infect flowers and fruit. Infected berries become slightly ridged, rubbery, and a pinkish tan in color as the fruit begins to ripen. The interior of the berries contains a gray fungal mass. Eventually, the infected berries fade, shrivel, and drop to the ground. Once the exterior of the fruit sloughs off, the infected berries look like small black pumpkins.

Additional Blueberry Mummy Berry Info

The fungus overwinters in mummified blueberries on the ground and then begins to grow in the early spring as the leaf buds begin to open. Tiny, trumpet-shaped brown mushroom cups begin to protrude from the dried-out blueberries. This fungal disease may not appear until years after planting. Once it does make an appearance, control measures need to be taken every year. To control mummy berry, ideally, plant resistant varieties but in lieu of that, thoroughly rake under the blueberries in the early spring prior to bud break to remove as many mummified berries as possible. Do a thorough job, as mummies may be partially hidden in the soil, mulch, or leaf debris. Also, apply a couple of inches (5 cm.) of mulch to bury any remaining fallen mummies. You may also choose to apply urea, lime sulfur, or a concentrated fertilizer beneath the blueberry bushes to try and “burn” out any exposed apothecia. This last cultural practice can be a bit tricky since the application has to be timed just right to be effective. Keep a close eye on the blueberries. If you see any apothecia, you may need to apply a fungicide. Fungicides also are time sensitive and must be applied at primary infection, early in the spring at bud break. New growth is still susceptible until the shoots are a couple inches (5 cm.) in length, so reapplication of the fungicide is crucial. Reapplication should occur about every week depending upon the fungicide. As always, read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them.

Septoria leaf spot, also known as septoria blight, is a common fungal disease that affects a number of plants. Septoria leaf spot of blueberries is widespread in many parts of the United States, including the southeast and the Pacific Northwest. Although septoria in blueberries isn’t always fatal, it can take hold and weaken plants so severely that they are unhealthy and unable to bear fruit. The bad news is that you probably won’t be able to completely eradicate the disease. The good news is that septoria leaf spot control is possible if you catch it early enough.

Causes of Septoria Leaf Spot of Blueberries

The fungus that causes septoria leaf spot in blueberries lives on weeds and plant debris, especially infected leaves that drop from the plant. It thrives in damp conditions, and the spores are splashed on stems and leaves by wind and water.

Symptoms of Blueberries with Septoria Leaf Spot

Septoria leaf spot on blueberries is easy to recognize by the small, flat or slightly sunken lesions on stems and leaves. The lesions, which have gray or tan centers with purplish brown margins, tend to be more severe on young plants with tender leaves, or on the lower branches of larger plants. Sometimes, tiny black spots, which are actually spores, develop in the center of the spots. Soon, leaves may turn yellow and drop from the plant. Symptoms tend to be more severe on young blueberry bushes with tender leaves, or on the lower branches of larger plants.

Treating Blueberry Septoria Leaf Spot

Septoria leaf spot control begins with prevention.

• Plant disease-resistant cultivars.
• Spread a layer of mulch beneath the blueberry bushes. The mulch will prevent spores from splashing on the foliage. Water at the base of the plant and avoid overhead irrigation.
• Prune blueberry bushes properly to ensure proper air circulation. Similarly, allow sufficient distance between plants.
• Control weeds. Spores often live on the foliage. Rake and burn fallen leaves and plant debris, as the spores overwinter in infected plant matter.
• Fungicides may help if you spray them before symptoms appear, and then repeat every couple of weeks until the end of summer. A number of chemical fungicides are available, or you can try organic products containing potassium bicarbonate or copper.

Spotting on leaves may mean more than a cosmetic problem. There are several types of blueberry leaf spot, most of which are caused by different fungi, which can seriously affect the crop. Blueberries with leaf spot often look like they were injured with chemical sprays or hail, but other signs can help discern fungal diseases from mechanical or environmental injury. Early leaf spot control on blueberry with selected fungicide can help prevent these diseases from taking hold and causing defoliation and reduced vigor.

Types of Blueberry Leaf Spot

Blueberries with leaf spot are common at any point in the growing season. While there may be some signs of disease on flowers, stems or even fruit, the primarily affected part is the leaf. As the disease progresses, the leaves begin to die and fall off. Such defoliation reduces a plant's ability to photosynthesize. Recognizing disease symptoms is key to designing effective blueberry leaf spot treatment and prevention of disease the next season. Anthracnose and Septoria are the two main causes of leaf spotting. Each is a fungal organism that overwinters in soil or plant debris and spreads primarily through rain splashing. Alternaria is another common leaf spot fungus which attacks many types of plants. Gloeocercospora leaf spot is also prevalent on blueberry crops but causes little major damage. Valdensinia is a relatively new disease that causes early leaf drop and low plant vigor. No matter the fungal organism, most types of blueberry leaf spot occur during wet periods. The moisture causes the overwintered spores to flourish and spread. Symptoms may appear as early as three days after infection but, in most cases, take up to 4 weeks to appear. Most infections occur in early spring when temperatures are warming and rains are most prevalent and attack the newest growth. Mature leaves are rarely affected severely. The best leaf spot control on blueberry is clean up post season. Most disease overwinters in dispelled plant matter, which should be removed and destroyed.

Symptoms on Blueberries with Leaf Spot

The overall symptoms are very similar in each disease organism. A closer look can help define which disease type is affecting the plant.

• Double Spot – Initial spots are tiny but grow larger in late summer. Spots spread to a classic fan shape with secondary necrosis around the original spot. The necrosis is darker on one edge of the original spot.
• Anthracnose – Small reddish flecks on leaves and stems. Large brown lesions on leaves which eventually infect stems. Stems of current year growth develop red circular lesions at the leaf scars which progress to the rest of the stem.
• Septoria – The heaviest infection is from June to September. Small white spots with tan to purplish borders.
• Gloeocercospora – Large dark brown, circular lesions on leaves in mid-summer. The edges of the lesions become a lighter tan.
• Alternaria – Irregular to round brown or gray spots surrounded by a red border. Symptoms appear very early in spring after cool, wet weather.
• Valdensinia – Large round bull's eye spots. Spots spread rapidly to stems within days and cause early leaf drop.

Blueberry Leaf Spot Treatment

End of season cleanup is crucial. There are several cultivars that have been bred with resistance to many of these diseases and include:

• Croatan
• Jersey
• Murphy
• Bladen
• Reveille

Fungicides should be used in areas with leaf spot problems. An early application is recommended followed by treatment every 2 weeks from harvest until August. Benlate and Captan are the two most used fungicides in blueberry production. Avoid walking around blueberry stands as a single leaf transmitted to an uninfected blueberry can spread infection. In some cases, the disease can move on contaminated machinery, containers and tools. Disinfect each as you move from plant to plant. Many commercial growers top their plants after harvest, removing old foliage. The new foliage that emerges will nourish the plant and generally is free of disease. The use of resistant cultivars combined with fungicides and good hygienic practices can drastically reduce leaf spot disease and its movement from plant to plant. Note: Any recommendations pertaining to the use of chemicals are for informational purposes only. Specific brand names or commercial products or services do not imply endorsement. Chemical control should only be used as a last resort, as organic approaches are safer and more environmentally friendly.

What is botrytis blight in blueberries, and what should I do about it? Botrytis blight is a common disease that affects blueberries and a variety of other flowering plants, especially during extended periods of high humidity. Also known as blueberry blossom blight, botrytis blight is caused by a fungus known as Botrytis cinerea. Although eradicating blueberry bloom blight is unlikely, you can take steps to manage the spread. Read on to learn more.

Symptoms of Botrytis Blight in Blueberries

Recognizing blueberry with botrytis blight can help some, but prevention is always the best line of defense. Blueberry blossom blight affects fruit, blossoms, and twigs. All plant parts can be covered with a hairy, gray fungal growth, and tips of shoots may appear brown or black. Infected flowers take on a brown, water-soaked appearance, which can spread to the twigs. Unripe fruits shrivel and turn bluish purple, while ripe berries are tan or pale brown.

Preventing Blueberry with Botrytis Blight

Plant blackberries in light, well-draining soil and ensure plants are exposed to direct sunlight. Also, provide adequate spacing to allow for air circulation. Avoid overfeeding blueberry plants. Thick, lush foliage takes longer to dry and increases risk of disease. Water blueberries with soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems. Irrigate in the morning to allow sufficient time for leaves to dry before nightfall. Spread a generous layer of mulch around plants to create a protective barrier between the fruit and the soil. Reapply as needed. Practice good weed control; weeds limit air movement and slow drying time of blooms and fruit. Keep the area clean. Prune blueberries when the plants are dormant. Remove old canes, dead wood, weak growth, and suckers.

Blueberry Botrytis Blight Treatment

As previously stated, controlling blueberry botrytis blight is best done through prevention. That being said, fungicides may be effective when used in conjunction with the above preventive steps. Consult your local cooperative extension office for detailed information. Use fungicides judiciously, as the fungus that causes blueberry blossom blight may become resistant when fungicides are overused.

Blueberry shrubs in the garden are a gift to yourself that just keeps on giving. Ripe, juicy berries fresh from the bush are a real treat. So, if you see stem cankers on blueberry bushes, you may panic. There are currently no effective blueberry stem canker treatments available in commerce, but you can take steps to manage the problem. Read on for information about botryosphaeria stem canker, including tips on what to do if you have blueberries with stem canker.

Identifying Blueberries with Stem Canker

If you live in the southeastern part of the country, your blueberries are at risk for botryosphaeria stem canker. This is a serious fungal disease of the berry shrubs and requires quick action on your part. That means you’ll want to recognize stem canker on blueberry plants rapidly. The first signs you are likely to spot if your berry bushes have botryosphaeria stem canker are lesions appearing on the stems of the shrubs. Initially small and red, the canker swells and grows over the next months. Deep cracks appear in the stems, sometimes girdling the plants. Current year stems are infected in springtime by the fungus. It then overwinters on the plants and infects new canes in spring.

Treating Blueberry Stem Canker

Unfortunately, you’ll have a hard time treating blueberry stem canker. Since stem canker on blueberry is caused by a fungus, you may think that fungicides can be used for blueberry stem canker treatment. This is not the case. You may be able to save your shrubs by fast action when you see stem canker on blueberry canes. Using sterilized pruners, clip out the bushes 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm.) below the lowest signs of stem disease or discoloration. Burn or dispose of the diseased portions of the stems. Although you can’t find effective blueberry stem canker treatment, you can take steps to prevent this disease. First on your list should be checking shrubs for canker before you buy them. Be sure you bring home disease-free plants. Second, try to purchase disease-resistant blueberry cultivars. If your garden store doesn’t have any, ask them if they might order them, or buy online from a reliable nursery that offers them.

Growing blueberries at home can be a challenge, but they are so delicious when homegrown, it is definitely worth the effort! Blueberry plants come in two main types: highbush and lowbush. Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) grow in a wider geographic range than lowbush, and they are a common choice for home gardeners.

What are Highbush Blueberries?

Highbush blueberries are the ones you usually find in grocery stores. They are members of the Vaccinium genus, along with lowbush blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries, and lingonberries. The highbush blueberry is native to eastern coastal regions of North America. Along with azaleas, mountain laurels, and rhododendrons, Vaccinium species belong to the Ericaceae or heather family. Like other heather family plants, highbush blueberries are acid-loving plants that are adapted to living in low-fertility habitats such as bogs and heaths.

How to Grow Highbush Blueberry Plants

Highbush blueberry plant care begins with proper site selection and soil amendment. Blueberries are long-lived perennials, so taking care at the beginning will pay off for years. The most important thing to remember when growing highbush blueberries (or any plant in the heather family) is that the soil needs to be quite acidic, in the range of pH 4.5-5.2, for highbush blueberry plants to take in nutrients effectively. Sometimes, gardeners are puzzled because they’ve grown healthy-looking blueberry plants that fail to produce fruit. The reason might be that they haven’t made the soil quite acidic enough. Aluminum sulfate or, preferably, finely ground sulfur are used to reduce the pH for blueberries. Invest in a soil test to determine how much to add, and keep in mind that sandy soils require half the sulfur quantity as clay soil to reduce pH the same amount. Avoid adding sulfur year after year without testing, because this will eventually make the soil too acidic. Plant your highbush blueberries in a well-drained site with full sun. The soil should be high in organic matter and should preferably be sandy. Growing highbush blueberries in clay soil is difficult. To increase the organic matter in the soil, dig a large planting hole, remove ½ of the soil and replace it with peat and/or compost. Mix well, and use this to fill in the planting hole. Then, place organic mulch over the plant’s root zone.

Additional Highbush Blueberry Plant Care

One month after planting and once each year, feed the blueberries with 1 ounce (30 g.) per plant of 12-4-8 fertilizer. Also, fertilize each year with magnesium, an important nutrient for blueberries. Or use an azalea/rhododendron fertilizer. Water the plants regularly during the growing season. In the spring of the first two years, remove all flower clusters to allow the plant to establish itself well. Allow a few flower clusters to develop in the third year. Wait until the plant’s fourth or fifth year to allow plants to produce a full crop of blueberries. After that, a healthy plant can produce berries for more than 40 years. Highbush blueberry plants typically produce ripe fruit from mid- or late July until mid-August. Protect the berries from birds by placing netting over the plants.

Most of the blueberries you see in grocery stores are from highbush blueberry plants (Vaccinium corymbosum). These cultivated blueberries have a less common, delightful cousin – the wild or lowbush blueberry. Its small but very flavorful berries are almost candy sweet, with an intense blueberry flavor. Although lowbush blueberries are typically found growing in the wild or on farms in a few U.S. states and Canadian provinces, it is also possible to grow them in a home garden. That is, if you can provide the specialized growing conditions they need.

What is a Lowbush Blueberry?

Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are often harvested in the wild, where they are found growing in sandy forest clearings and meadows and near the edges of bogs. Lowbush blueberries are also grown in semi-wild patches that are managed by blueberry harvesters. Most lowbush blueberries are produced in Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Gardeners in a wider geographical region can grow them on a small scale.

Lowbush Blueberry Information

Lowbush blueberries are very cold-hardy plants, and most varieties grow in zones 3 to 6. Some varieties can grow in zone 2 or in zone 7. Like highbush blueberries and other plants in the heather family, lowbush blueberries are acid-loving. They require soil that is high in organic matter, and they’ll grow best in sandy, well-drained soil. Each plant can grow to between 6 and 24 inches (15-61 cm.) tall, depending on its genetics and growing site. They can, therefore, be used as a low-maintenance groundcover. The plants typically flower in spring, and the berries are ready to pick in mid to late summer. Wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated highbush blueberries, but their flavor is more concentrated.

How to Grow Lowbush Blueberries

The best sign that your land is suitable for lowbush blueberries is that you’ve found some already growing there. In that case, remove surrounding vegetation to encourage them to spread. Growing lowbush blueberry plants from seed or rhizomes, either purchased or collected in the wild (your own property or with permission granted), is possible too. Plant rhizomes or seedlings 8 inches (20 cm.) apart in well-drained soil amended with peat, compost, or sawdust. Amend the soil to a pH of 4.5 to 5.2 using sulfur or ammonium sulfate. Keep the plants watered during the growing season. Remove the flowers from each plant for the first year or two to ensure strong growth of the roots. Flowers are produced on second year growth. Lowbush blueberry care includes pruning every other year to maintain berry production. Prune just after harvest to remove older, less productive growth. You may also need to prune around the edges of your patch to control the plants’ spread. Large plantings can be renovated by mowing them in the fall after they shed their leaves. Fertilize the blueberries yearly with an azalea/rhododendron fertilizer or another source of soluble ammonium and with a magnesium source.

Chlorosis in blueberry plants occurs when a lack of iron prevents the leaves from producing chlorophyll. This nutritional deficiency is often the cause for yellow or discolored blueberry leaves, stunted growth, reduced yield, and in some cases, eventual death of the plant. Read on to learn what you can do about chlorosis in blueberry plants.

Reasons for Blueberry Chlorosis

What causes blueberry chlorosis? Most often, chlorosis in blueberry plants isn’t caused by a lack of iron in the soil, but because the iron isn’t available to the plant because the pH level is too high. In other words, the soil is too alkaline for healthy growth of blueberries. Alkaline soil is often present in areas where rainfall is low. Blueberries require a low soil pH, and chlorosis occurs when a high pH level binds up the iron in the soil. Although the optimum pH level may vary somewhat between different cultivars, a pH above 5.5 is often cause for chlorosis in blueberry plants.

Blueberry Chlorosis Treatment

The first step in blueberry chlorosis treatment is a soil pH test. Your local cooperative extension office may provide tests, or you can purchase a testing kit relatively inexpensively at a garden center. If leaves are looking puny, a foliar iron spray is a temporary fix that will get the plant through a rough patch while you are figuring out the next steps. Be sure the spray is marked “chelated” iron. Reapply the spray as new leaves appear. A longer-term solution involves application of sulfur to lower soil pH, and this is where things can get complicated. For example, method and rate of application will vary considerably if your soil is loam, sand, or clay. There are a number of products on the market, including powdered sulfur, pelleted sulfur, elemental sulfur, lime sulfur, aluminum sulfate and others. The best sulfur for blueberry chlorosis treatment depends on soil pH, soil type, moisture, timing and other factors. Your cooperative extension office will have plenty of fact sheets and other free information about blueberry chlorosis treatment in your area. In the meantime, there are other steps you can take to improve the situation for your blueberry bushes. However, none should be considered substitutes for correction with sulfur products.

• Water regularly, especially during dry periods.
• Mulch well with bark chips, pine needles, oak leaves, or other acidic materials.
• Fertilize regularly using a high-acid fertilizer.

.

If the only blueberries you see are in baskets in the supermarket, you may not know the different types of blueberries. If you decide to grow blueberries, the differences between lowbush and highbush blueberry varieties becomes important. What are the different types of blueberries? What are highbush and lowbush blueberries? Read on for information on highbush vs. lowbush blueberry crops.

Different Types of Blueberry Bushes

Blueberries are a great choice for gardeners since they are both a delicious fruit crop and an attractive landscape shrub. The berries are easy to grow and easy to pick. Blueberries can be eaten right off the bush or used in cooking. Their high antioxidant content makes them a very healthful treat. You’ll have to select the particular varieties best suited to your garden, goals, and climate. Two types are commonly available in commerce, highbush and the lowbush blueberry.

Highbush vs. Lowbush Blueberry

What are highbush and lowbush blueberries? They are different types of blueberry bushes, each with their own varieties and characteristics. You’ll find lowbush or highbush blueberry varieties that might work for you.

Highbush blueberries

Let’s look first at the highbush blueberry variety. It will come as no surprise that highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are tall. Some cultivars will grow so tall that you have to look up at them. When you are comparing lowbush and highbush varieties, remember that highbush berries are bigger than lowbush. They also grow more abundantly. Highbush blueberries are deciduous, perennial shrubs. They have showy red leaves in the spring that mature into blue-green. The leaves blaze in fiery shades in the autumn. The blossoms are white or pink, appearing in clusters at the stem tips. These are followed by the blueberries. You’ll find two varieties of highbush plants in commerce, the northern and the southern highbush forms. The northern type grows in areas with cold winters like those in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 7. Southern highbush blueberries don’t like such cold weather. They thrive in a Mediterranean climate and can grow in warmer climates up to USDA hardiness zone 10. Southern bushes do not require winter chilling.

Lowbush Blueberries

The lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is also called the wild blueberry. It is native to the colder regions of the country, like New England. They are hardy shrubs, thriving in USDA growing zones 3 through 7. Lowbush blueberries grow to knee-height or shorter. They sprawl as they mature. The berries are small and very sweet. Don’t try growing them in warmer climates since the fruits require winter chilling.

Lowbush and Highbush Blueberry Varieties

The best lowbush and highbush blueberry varieties that are often grown most frequently in gardens include:

• Northern highbush cultivars– Blueray, Jersey, and Patriot
• Southern highbush cultivars– Cape Fear, Gulf Coast, O'Neal, and Blue Ridge
• Lowbush varieties- Chippewa, Northblue, and Polaris

As long as you have acidic soil, blueberry bushes are a real asset to the garden. Even if you don’t, you can grow them in containers. They’re worth having for their delicious, abundant fruit that’s always better fresh than in the store. You can buy blueberry bushes at most nurseries, but if you’re feeling brave, it’s always fun to try propagating things yourself. Keep reading to learn more about how to start a blueberry bush.

Methods for Propagating Blueberries

There are several ways to propagate blueberries. These include seed, sucker, and cutting propagation.

Seed Propagating Blueberries

Growing blueberries from seeds is possible, but it tends to be restricted to lowbush blueberry plants. Blueberry seeds are tiny, so it’s easiest to separate them from the fruit in large batches. First, freeze the blueberries for 90 days to stratify the seeds. 

Then pulse the berries in a blender with plenty of water and scoop off the pulp that rises to the top. Keep doing this until you have a good number of seeds left in the water. 

Sprinkle the seeds evenly in moist sphagnum moss and cover lightly. Keep the medium moist but not soaked and in a somewhat dark location until germination, which should occur within one month. At this time the seedlings can be given more light. 

Once they’ve reached about 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) tall, you can carefully transplant to individual pots. Water well and keep in a sunny location. Set them out in the garden after the threat of frost has passed.

Growing Blueberry Suckers

Blueberry bushes will sometimes put up new shoots several inches (8 cm.) from the base of the main plant. Carefully dig these up with roots attached. Prune back some of the stem before transplanting, or the small amount of roots won’t be able to support the plant. 

Growing sucker plants from blueberries is easy. Simply pot them up in a 50/50 mix of potting soil and sphagnum peat moss, which should provide enough acidity as they form new growth. Give them plenty of water but don’t drench the plants. 

Once the suckers have formed adequate new growth, they can be transplanted to the garden, or you can continue growing the plants in containers.

Growing Blueberry Bushes from Cuttings

Another very popular method of propagation is growing blueberry bushes from cuttings. Blueberries can be grown from both hard and softwood cuttings. 

Hardwood cuttings – Harvest hardwood cuttings in late winter, after the bush has gone dormant. Select a healthy-looking stem that’s one year old (last year’s new growth) and cut it into 5 inch (13 cm.) lengths. Stick the cuttings in growing medium and keep them warm and moist. By spring they should have rooted and produced new growth and be ready to transplant outside. 

Softwood cuttings – In early spring, select a healthy-looking shoot and cut off the last 5 inches (13 cm.) of that season’s new growth. The cuttings should be starting to get woody but still flexible. Remove all but the top two or three leaves. Never let the cuttings dry out, and plant them immediately in moist growing medium.

No, bilberry is not a character in Lord of the Rings. So, what is a bilberry? It’s a native shrub that produces round, blue berries that look like blueberries. However, wild bilberries have far more nutrients than cultivated blueberries. Read on for bilberry plant information as well as data on bilberry benefits.

Bilberry Plant Information

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is also called whortleberry, European blueberry, and huckleberry. It’s a small shrub. Bilberry grows wild in the arctic and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The bilberry shrub produces round, blue berries also known as bilberries. If you are wondering about the difference between blueberry and bilberry, you aren’t alone. Bilberry plant information tells us that both are berry shrubs in the Vaccinium genus. The fruit of the two species look alike and both taste good. However, the blueberries you purchase are usually from cultivated shrubs while bilberry usually grows wild.

Bilberry Cultivation

Although bilberries are wild shrubs, they can be cultivated. Bilberry cultivation works best in cool climates in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. If you are going to try bilberry growing in warm climates, protect the shrubs from too much heat. You’ll do your best to buy container raised bilberry seedlings. Generally, once these shrubs get their roots in the ground, they prefer not to be disturbed. Like blueberries, bilberries thrive in acidic soil. Pick a location with full sun in cooler areas but opt for partial shade in warmer climes. Bilberries are very tolerant of wind, so shelter is not needed. When you read the information on bilberry care, you’ll learn that it is an easy shrub to cultivate. The plants require no fertilizer and little irrigation. Plant them in spring and pick the berries in fall.

Bilberry Benefits

With bilberry cultivation so easy and bilberry benefits so great, there’s no reason not to include these shrubs in your garden. Bilberries have been used for many years as an herbal medicine in Europe. The berries and foliage are used to treat assorted ailments from diarrhea to kidney stones to typhoid fever. The anthocyanosides in bilberries are potent antioxidants. These build strong blood vessels and capillary walls. They also benefit red blood cells, stabilize tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, and lower cholesterol. Bilberries have been used to increase night vision since they increase retinal pigments.

If you grow blueberries in your yard, chances are you have had to battle the birds to get your share of the bounty. You may have even lost the battle and thrown in the towel. It’s time to take back your blueberry bushes by protecting the blueberry plants from the birds. The question is how to protect blueberry plants from birds? Read on to find out several ways to protect blueberries from birds.

How to Protect Blueberry Plants from Birds

Blueberry plant protection may involve more than one tactic. Birds, like most any other creature, become accustomed to things over time, so what may initially work suddenly ceases to deter them within a couple of weeks. So, blueberry plant protection may become an ongoing, ceaseless process. That is, of course, unless you try exclusion. Exclusion just means you’re going to prevent the birds from entering the blueberry patch by means of netting. Protecting blueberry plants from birds with netting can be as simple as draping netting over the bushes or building an actual reverse aviary. If you are going to drape the netting directly over the bushes, wait until after the shrubs have bloomed and the fruit is forming. If you do it when the bush is in bloom, you’re in danger of damaging them and with no flowers you get no fruit. Carefully drape the netting over the bush or stretch of bushes and tuck the edges around all of the fruit. Cover the plant to the ground if possible. This will keep the birds from hopping under the netting and getting at the fruit that way. As far as the netting goes, that’s all there is to it. However, there is a possibility that some little bird might get tangled in the netting, so keep an eye on it. Otherwise, to create a reverse aviary, use 7 foot (2 m.) bamboo poles or the like to create a structure that surrounds the blueberries and then cover that with netting. Staple the net into place. You could also use hoops to build a tunnel covered with netting if you have a long line of berries or purchase a crop cage or bird control pop-up net that fits over raised beds. There are other ways to protect blueberries from birds besides netting. There are chemical repellents that are said to keep the birds away, but it sounds like the results are short term-- about three days post application. Commercial growers also apply sugar syrup to blueberry shrubs. The downside of this is that while it does indeed repel birds, it increases the incidence of Japanese beetles and yellow jackets. Audio scare tactics are another way to dissuade the birds. Cannons, gunfire, firecrackers, taped noises, radios, you name it, have all been tried. The call of hawks does seem to work for a time, but blueberries ripen over such a long period, the birds eventually get used to the sound and go back to gorging on the berries. A combination of audio and visual scare tactics seems to work the best. An example of this is an owl model that is powered by a solar cell, and shrieks at intervals. Some people try lighting, such as strobe lighting, to deter the birds. There are also other products available that claim to keep the birds from crops. Most of them are just that, claims. The best way to keep the birds from the blueberries is via exclusion with netting or by trial and error with the combination of visual and audio scare tactics combined with chemical deterrents.

So, you’ve planted some blueberries and are anxiously awaiting your first harvest, but the blueberry fruit will not ripen. Why are your blueberries not ripening? There are a number of reasons for blueberry fruit that will not ripen.

Why are My Blueberries not Ripening?

The most likely reason for blueberries that won’t ripen is the type of berry. Some varieties require longer periods of cold winter temps to fruit properly. If you live in a warmer region, the plants may not have had a long enough chill period. Blueberries bud in summer and flower the following spring, yielding berries from early summer to early fall. Shorter fall days combined with cooler night temperatures signal to the plant that it is time to become dormant. Warm winter temps trigger the early opening of the buds. Late winter or early spring frosts can then kill them. So, blueberries have evolved to require chilling periods; that is, a certain amount of time at winter temperatures below 45 degrees F. (7 C.). If this chilling period is cut short, berry development and ripening date will be delayed. If you are concerned about your blueberries not ripening, it may be for the simple reason that you don’t know when blueberries ripen. It may be because of the cultivar that you have planted. Some cultivars ripen in the late summer or early fall and stay green longer than other types of blueberries or, as mentioned above, require longer chilling times. Be sure to select the correct cultivar for your region. If you live in a warmer region, be sure to plant low-chill blueberry varieties, most likely a cultivar of Rabbiteye or Southern Highbush blueberry. Research the cultivar carefully, as not all low-chill blueberries are early bearers.

• Early maturing Rabbiteye blueberries are native to the southeastern United States. They thrive in USDA zones 7 to 9 and need 250 or fewer chill hours. The earliest maturing of these are ‘Aliceblue’ and ‘Beckyblue.’
• Early southern highbush varieties are hardy to USDA zones 5 to 9. The earliest maturing of these is ‘O’Neal,’ but it needs a whopping 600 chill hours. Another option is ‘Misty,’ which is hardy to USDA zones 5 to 10 and only needs 300 chill hours, fruiting in early summer and again in early fall. Other cultivars include ‘Sharpblue,’ which needs only 200 chill hours, and ‘Star,’ which requires 400 chill hours and is hardy to USDA zones 8 to 10.

Lastly, two other reasons for blueberries that won’t ripen might be a lack of sun or soil that is not acidic enough. Blueberries like their soil to have a pH or 4.0 to 4.5.

How to Determine Ripeness in Blueberries

Once the ripening of blueberries occurs, it helps to understand exactly when they will be ready for harvesting. Berries should be blue overall. They will typically fall from the bush easily. Also, ripened blueberries that are grayish blue will be far sweeter than those that are glossier in color.

Why leave your blueberry shrub alone in your garden? The best blueberry cover crops and appropriate companions for blueberries will help your shrubs stay thrive. You’ll need to pick blueberry plant companions that share a blueberry’s love for acidic soil. Read on for more information about what to plant with blueberries.

What to Plant with Blueberries

Blueberry shrubs grow happily in small groups and also work well in a hedge row. These berry plants get about three feet (1 m.) high and almost as wide. They tolerate cool weather, which means that gardeners in many regions around the country get bumper crops. Blueberry plant companions can help the shrubs to grow. If you want to make life as easy as possible for your berries, you may not want to leave them in solitary rows. Planting blueberry cover crops before you plant the blueberries improves the shrubs’ vigor and increases the yield of your blueberry patch.

Cover Crops

Some of the best companions for blueberries are cover crops. Many of these work best if you grow them and plow them under well before the blueberries are planted. These types of blueberry cover crops also improve the structure of the soil by adding organic matter. Good blueberry cover crops for pre-planting include grasses and grains. Since these companions for blueberries have low nitrogen content, plow them under the fall before spring blueberry planting. If you grow legumes as your blueberry cover crop, you can plow them in a month up to 30 days before planting the berries.

Other Blueberry Bush Companions

Ripe, homegrown blueberries are so sweet it is hard to remember that they only thrive in acidic soil. But it’s true that they do best in soil with a pH of about 4.5. Any blueberry bush companions you decide to plant will also need to thrive in acidic soil too. So what to plant with blueberries? The best buddy for a blueberry plant is a rhododendron since these plants also thrive in sunshine and acidic soil. Rhodies are generous with their beautiful blossoms, adding ornamental value to your garden. The foliage of the rhododendrons offers valuable shade to the sensitive blueberry roots during the summer heat. This means that they are great blueberry bush companions. Herbs also make good blueberry plant companions. Basil, for example, enjoys moderately acidic soil and only gets to about 2 feet (0.5 m.) tall, so it won’t cast your blueberries into the shade. Its leaves are useful in the kitchen. Thyme is another herb that works well and looks pretty around blueberry bushes. It tolerates moderately acidic soil and offers clusters of small, purple flowers in early summer. Other acidic-soil plants include yew, pine trees, and grape hyacinth. Additionally, plants having adaptable tolerance to various soil and pH types, like catchfly, work well with blueberry plants too.

Nutritious and delicious, blueberries are a superfood you can grow yourself. Before planting your berries though, it’s helpful to learn about the different types of blueberry plants available and which blueberry varieties are suited to your region.

Types of Blueberry Plants

There are five major varieties of blueberry grown in the United States: lowbush, northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye, and half-high. Of these, northern highbush blueberry varieties are the most common types of blueberries cultivated throughout the world. 

Highbush blueberry varieties are more disease resistant than other blueberry varieties. The highbush cultivars are self-fertile; however, cross-pollination by another cultivar ensures the production of larger berries. Choose another blueberry of the same type to ensure the highest yield and size. 

Rabbiteye and lowbush are not self-fertile. The rabbiteye blueberries need a different rabbiteye cultivar to pollinate and the lowbush varieties can be pollinated by either another lowbush or a highbush cultivar.

Blueberry Bush Varieties

Lowbush blueberry varieties are, as their name suggests, shorter, truer bushes than their highbush counterparts, growing under 1 ½ foot (0.5 m.) generally. For a bountiful fruit yield, plant more than one cultivar. 

These types of blueberry bushes need little pruning, although it is recommended to cut the plants back to the ground every 2-3 years. Top Hat is a dwarf, lowbush variety and is used for ornamental landscaping as well as container gardening. Ruby carpet is another lowbush that grows in USDA zones 3-7. 

Northern highbush blueberry bush varieties are native to the eastern and northeastern United States. They grow to between 5-9 feet (1.5-2.5 m.) in height. They require the most consistent pruning of the blueberry varieties. A list of highbush cultivars include:

• Bluecrop
• Bluegold
• Blueray
• Duke
• Elliot
• Hardyblue
• Jersey
• Legacy
• Patriot
• Rubel

All range in their recommended USDA hardiness zones. Southern highbush blueberry bush varieties are hybrids of V. corymbosum and a Floridian native, V. darrowii, that can grow between 6-8 feet (2 to 2.5 m.) in height. This variety of blueberry was created to allow for berry production in areas of mild winters, as they require less chilling time to break bud and flower. The bushes blossom in the late winter, so the frost will damage production. Therefore, southern highbush varieties are best suited to areas with very mild winters. Some southern highbush cultivars are:

• Golf Coast
• Misty
• Oneal
• Ozarkblue
• Sharpblue
• Sunshine Blue

Rabbiteye blueberries are native to the southeastern United States and grow between 6-10 feet (2 to 3 m.) in height. They were created to thrive in areas with long, hot summers. They are more susceptible to winter cold damage than northern highbush blueberries. Many of the older cultivars of this type have thicker skins, more obvious seeds, and stone cells. Recommended cultivars include:

• Brightwell
• Climax
• Powderblue
• Premier
• Tifblue

Half-high blueberries are a cross between northern highbush and lowbush berries and will tolerate temperatures of 35-45 degrees F. (1 to 7 C.). A medium-sized blueberry, the plants grow 3-4 feet (1 m.) tall. They do well container grown. They need less pruning than highbush varieties. Amongst the half-high varieties you will find:

• Bluegold
• Friendship
• Northcountry
• Northland
• Northsky
• Patriot
• Polaris

Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, blueberries are touted as one of the “superfoods.” Sales for blueberries and other berries have increased exponentially, as have prices. This has led many gardeners to cultivate their own blueberries. While it’s more than worth it to grow your own berries, cultivating blueberries is not without its share of pitfalls. Amongst the disasters that might befall your berry plants is blueberry bud mite damage. What are blueberry bud mites and how can you control blueberry bud mites?

What are Blueberry Bud Mites? 

Blueberry bud mites (Acalitus vaccinii) are tiny arthropods that live and feed inside the fruit buds of both huckleberries and blueberries. 

These tiny creatures can be found through most of eastern North America extending from the ocean provinces of Canada to southern Florida and into Texas. Mild winters in the southern areas of its reach result in the most severe infestations.

Identifying Blueberry Bud Mites 

Blueberry bud mites are white and only about 1/125 inch (0.2 mm.) long. Since they are so tiny, how do you go about identifying blueberry bud mites? Well, yes, you would need a microscope that would show it to be a soft arthropod with two pairs of stubby legs near its anterior end; other mites have four pairs of legs. The mite is spindle-shaped, sac-like, and, with only two legs, can barely move.

In extreme cases of blueberry bud mite infestation, you certainly won’t need a microscope to see blueberry bud mite damage. These mites feed on the buds' scales and leaf and floral parts within the bud. The resulting damage appears as red blisters within two weeks of infestation. Continued feeding by the mites may eventually kill the whole bud. 

As a result of this damage, fruit, of course, will be affected. Berries will be misshapen and uneven often accompanied by the signature red blisters of blueberry bud mite damage. Large mite populations can decimate most, if not all, of the berries. 

How to Control Blueberry Bud Mites 

Learning about the life cycle of the mites will make blueberry bud mite control more accessible and understandable. First off, mites spend most of their life inside the fruit buds. Eggs are laid inside the bud scales whereupon the nymphs hatch and begin eating. Within 15 days, mites reach sexual maturity.

As spring buds open, mites leave their overwintering sites and move up the stem to the base of young shoots to feed and eventually procreate. As the population grows, the mites move farther into the center of the bud. By late summer, mites are deeply rooted in infested buds. There is continued feeding, egg laying, and colony growth through the fall and winter, peaking in December or January. Mild winters tend to boost population growth, followed by the most severe bud damage in the spring.

Just as most organisms, bud mites have several natural enemies. A fungal parasite and several types of predatory mites have been shown to feed on blueberry bud mites. Unfortunately, they have not been shown to be very effective in blueberry bud mite control. 

Once the evidence of blueberry bud mites has been ascertained, an application of an approved miticide one month apart (immediately following harvest) can give sufficient mite control. Apply the spray as early as possible before the mites infiltrate too deeply into the buds, destroying the tissues that produce the successive year’s fruit.

Also, while no cultivars are completely immune to bud mites, certain varieties seem to be more susceptible. Those that ripen early in the season and set buds late in June are more prone to infestation. Thus, V. ashei, a late ripening species is less likely to be heavily infested than say, the early season highbush blueberry, V. coymbosum. Look for blueberry varieties that ripen later in the season to curtail the incidence of blueberry bud mites.

Lastly, pruning out old canes can aid in reducing the bud mite population in mature plantings.

If pink blueberry bushes seem to you like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, you aren’t alone. Plenty of people haven’t experienced pink blueberries yet, but ‘Pink Lemonade’ might be the cultivar to change all that. Read on for information on growing pink lemonade blueberries and harvesting pink blueberries.

Can Blueberries Be Pink?

Pink blueberry bushes with pink fruit are not a fantasy. In fact, pink blueberry plants have been around a long time. The cultivar ‘Pink Lemonade’ was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture some 50 years ago, but nurseries were sure people wouldn’t like pink berries on a blueberry plant and the bush went nowhere fast. But ‘Pink Lemonade’ is staging a come back as gardeners increasingly want blueberries for their cancer-fighting antioxidants. And no cultivar deserves it more. It is truly an ornamental shrub, with pretty spring flowers and color-changing berries that ripen into a deep pink in autumn.

Pink Blueberry Plants

Blueberry varieties are generally divided into four types: northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye, and lowbush (a groundcover species with small berries). ‘Pink Lemonade’ bushes are the rabbiteye type of berry. Rabbiteye berry bushes are fairly compact and require fewer cold hours to set fruit than other species. ‘Pink Lemonade’ stays under 5 feet tall and only needs 300 hours of temperatures under 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 C.) to produce. The foliage on ‘Pink Lemonade’ plants isn’t pink at all. It grows in a silvery bluish color in the early spring. The leaves turn yellow and red in autumn, staying on the bushes deep into the winter. The attractive yellowish-red twigs provide winter interest. The flowers on these pink blueberry bushes aren’t very pink either. In spring, ‘Pink Lemonade’ bushes produce bell-shaped white blossoms. These stay on the shrubs most of the summer, until the plant begins to set fruit. The fruit of pink blueberry plants grows in green, then turns white and light pink. The berries mature to a lovely shade of dark pink.

Growing Pink Lemonade Blueberries

If you fall for the many charms of ‘Pink Lemonade,’ plant these blueberry bushes in a site with full sun. Although they grow in partial shade, the plants won’t give you much fruit. Choose a site with acidic soil that is moist but well drained. The pink blueberry plants are hardy to USDA Zone 5 and warmer.

Harvesting Pink Blueberries

Some blueberry plants set fruit all at once, but that isn’t the case with ‘Pink Lemonade.’ It begins to set fruit mid- to late summer, producing one large first crop, then fruiting continuously through October. Mature fruits will be bright pink in color. ‘Pink Lemonade’ is twice as sweet as ordinary blueberries, which makes it delicious right off the bush. The berries are also great in desserts.

There are so many reasons to plant blueberries in your garden. I put in a berry patch in France to provide food for wild birds when I am not around to fill the feeders. I grow blueberries in San Francisco because organic blueberries are so expensive at the farmers’ market. Some people even grow extras to gift or sell to neighbors Everybody loves blueberries these days, as word spreads of more and more health benefits.They are packed with heart-healthy antioxidants, they support brain function and they aid digestion, they reduce inflammation, and they lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Growing blueberries isn’t difficult as long as you know what they need and are ready and able to provide it. Knowing how and when to transplant blueberries gives you a golden opportunity to revitalize your shrubs and boost their health and vitality. Whether you are moving established shrubs or transplanting container plants, the steps are the same. So don't let transplant shock kill your crop. Follow our guide on how to transplant blueberry bushes the right way.

What Do Blueberry Plants Need?

I think of blueberry plants as hardy, easy-going plants. But that’s because mine are already installed in a situation that meets their needs. If you are just getting started with your blueberry patch, or are relocating your shrubs, you’ll find that their requirements are few, but definitely non-negotiable. Blueberries need a full sun location (at least 6 hours) and well-draining soil. They will not grow in heavy or clay soil. Finally, they must have acidic soil, with a soil pH of 4-5.

It’s also important to consider the buddy system if you are thinking of transplanting blueberry bushes. Most blueberries require a pollination partner (another variety that blooms at the same time) to produce a good crop. If you are moving one bush, make sure its partner is relocated nearby, within around 50 feet (15 m), so the bees can still do their work.

When to Transplant Blueberries

Are you wondering when to move blueberry bushes? Like most shrubs, blueberries are best transplanted while they are dormant. In the US, this timing depends on your USDA hardiness zone. For northern gardeners (USDA zones 3-6), early spring just as the ground thaws is ideal. For those in the south (zones 7-10), late fall or early winter is often better, as it allows roots to settle before the summer heat arrives.

Transplanting blueberry bushes in the summer would be a bad idea. A plant dug out on a balmy July day would not establish very well (or maybe not at all) when replanted. It would require daily, deep watering just to survive. While transplanting during the growing season causes major stress, moving them during dormancy builds in a recovery period. Note that container-based blueberries offer more wiggle room, since their roots aren't being severed. That said, aiming for spring or fall is still the safest bet.

How to Transplant Blueberry Bushes

While moving a shrub might seem like a daunting task, learning how to transplant blueberry bushes is straightforward if you break it down into 3 phases: preparation, extraction, and installation. The key is to move quickly and gently. By having your new site ready before you touch your shovel, you minimize the amount of time the roots are exposed to the air, which is the best way to prevent transplant shock. Grab your flat-head spade, and follow these steps to give your shrub a seamless move.

1. Prepare the Site

Before you bring out the shovel, you need to pick your new planting site. Test the soil pH to be sure it’s in the acidic sweet spot. Use a home-test kit or a Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil pH Meter from Amazon.

If your soil isn't acidic enough, you can mix in some peat moss or elemental sulfur, or a product like Down to Earth Organic Sulfur Acidifier from Amazon. Verify the location gets at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. Dig out any weeds and loosen the soil to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm).

2. Prepare the Plant

The next step is to dig out the blueberry plant. Blueberries have fine, shallow feeder roots that sit close to the surface. To protect them, use a flat-head shovel like the Fiskars D-Handle Square Shovel from Amazon. Place 12 inches (30 cm) away from the main stem and dig straight down into the soil. A foot deep is fine, given these shallow roots.

Continue until the cut surrounds the plant. You want to keep as much of the original root ball and soil intact as possible. Slide the shovel under the roots and lift gently. If you are using a container-grown plant, simply tip it out, using a garden knife to loosen the edges if it's root-bound.

3. Plant the Shrub

Replant immediately to prevent the roots from drying out, and give it the best chance to establish quickly. Dig a planting hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper than the plant was originally sitting. Set the plant’s roots in the hole, backfill with soil, and firm down gently. Cover the soil with an acidic mulch like pine needles or pine bark. This mimics the acidic forest floor where blueberries naturally thrive.

The next step is vital: water the blueberry shrub well immediately after transplanting. Prevent transplant shock by watering every day for the next few days, then watering regularly. The goal is to keep the top of the soil moist. Remember, the root system is not deep, and shallow roots dry out more easily. These plants need an inch of water (2.5cm) every week, sometimes more.

What Happens After Transplanting

The first few weeks after a move are the most critical for a blueberry bush. Immediately after transplanting, the plant’s primary goal is to re-establish its delicate root system. You may notice some slight drooping or pouty leaves. To help it bounce back, focus entirely on hydration. Water the base of the plant daily for the first 2 weeks, aiming for consistently moist but not soggy soil. Resist the urge to fertilize right away, as fresh salts can burn recovering roots.

Give your blueberry a little TLC to help it recover. Mulching blueberries at this time is a good idea. Spread a layer, 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) thick, around the base. Use pine needles or a pine-based mulch. You can buy Natural Pine Bark Mulch Nuggets from Amazon. It keeps roots cozy, retains water, and lowers the soil pH into the 4.5-5.5 range. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the stems to prevent rot.

Between 1-3 months later, your blueberry bush should show signs of life, such as new leaf buds or greening stems. At this stage, you can transition to a weekly deep watering schedule, aiming for an inch (2.5 cm) of water per week. A light application of an acid-loving fertilizer can be applied once you see active new growth. Use a product meant for blueberries, like Down to Earth Acid Mix from Amazon.

If your bush tries to produce flowers in its first year after moving, pinch them off. This feels heartbreaking, but it forces the plant to pour its energy into roots rather than fruit, ensuring a bigger harvest next year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more ideas for timely gardening jobs and seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Do you have blueberry plants that are not producing fruit? Maybe even a blueberry bush that isn’t even flowering? Fear not, the following information will help you sleuth out common reasons for a blueberry bush that is not flowering, and about getting blueberries to bloom and fruit.

Help for Blueberries Not Fruiting

Blueberries, and their relatives, the cranberries, are the only native crops of North America that are commercially produced. There are two types of blueberry -- the wild lowbush (Vaccinium augustifolium) and the cultivated highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). The first hybrid blueberries were developed for cultivation in the early 1900’s. There may be a number of reasons for no flowers on blueberries. While blueberries can grow in a number of soil conditions, they will only truly thrive in acidic soil with a pH below 5.5, ideally between 4.5 and 5. Test your soil to see if you need to amend it. If the soil pH is above a 5.1, incorporate elemental sulfur or aluminum sulfate. Blueberries, like most plants, also need well-draining soil. Although they need consistent irrigation during the growing season, blueberries dislike “wet feet.” You should also plant them in full sun. A shaded area may prevent the plant from blossoming, hence setting fruit.

Additional Reasons for Blueberry Plants not Producing

Pollination

While blueberries are self-fruitful, they will benefit from the close proximity of another blueberry plant. If you have no flowers on your blueberries, you may have insufficient pollination. Planting another blueberry within 100 feet (30 m.) of another will help bees cross pollinate the blossoms, boosting your chances for fruit production. In fact, planting a different variety nearby may result in larger as well as more plentiful berries.

Pests

If it seems that your blueberries are not fruiting, maybe you need to think again. Not only do we love fresh blueberries, but our bird friends do too. The blueberry may have fruited, but if you have not kept a close eye on it, the birds may have gotten to the fruit before you did.

Age

The age of your blueberry may also result in low or non-existent production. First year blueberries should have their blossoms removed. Why? By doing so, you will allow the plant to put all of its energy into producing new foliage, which will lead to better fruit production the next year. That said, one-year-old blueberries have a high mortality rate. It’s better to plant two to three-year-old blueberries that are more established.

Pruning

Older plants need to be pruned. Regular pruning is important to the health of blueberries and can affect fruit set. The most fruitful canes are not the largest. The most productive canes will be between four to eight years old and 1-1 ½ inch (2.5-4 cm.) across. When you prune the plant, the goal is to have a plant that has 15-20 percent young canes less than an inch (2.5 cm) across, 15-20 percent older canes that are around 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter and 50-70 percent in-between canes. Prune when the blueberry is dormant in the fall to spring. Remove low growth around the base of the plant and any dead or weak canes. You should prune the plant in this manner each dormant season, removing about one-half to one-third of the wood.

Fertilizer

Getting blueberries to bloom and fruit will probably also require some fertilization. Nitrogen for blueberries must be in the form of ammonium since nitrates are not taken up by blueberries. Don’t fertilize the first year the plant is set out since the roots are easily damaged. Once the blueberry has flowered in the second year, apply 4 ounces (113 g.) of ammonium sulfate or 2 ounces (57 g.) of urea to the plant. Just sprinkle it in a ring around the plant; don’t work it into the soil. For each year of growth, increase the amount of ammonium sulfate by one ounce (28 g.), or ½ ounce (14 g.) of urea, up until the bush's sixth year. Thereafter, use 8 ounces (227 g.) of ammonium sulfate or 4 ounces (113 g.) of urea per plant. A soil test will help determine if you need any supplemental NPK fertilizer.

Blueberries have it all – they are small, a pretty color, tasty, and full of antioxidants. Growing your own blueberries is a pleasurable way to boost your intake of nutrients from this edible champion. But for anyone who has limited ground space or is worried about soil issues, growing blueberries in pots is not only possible but an ideal way of getting the most from these gorgeous fruiting specimens.

Here’s how to tackle growing blueberries in containers, from pot selection through to winter care, so that you can be assured of a satisfying superfruit crop from year to year.

How Easy Is It To Grow Blueberries in Pots?

If you don’t have a big backyard, a dedicated berry patch is probably out of the question. But growing blueberry plants in pots is a viable solution for edible gardeners keen to cultivate superfruits. It may be impractical to grow highbush blueberry plants in containers, since they are capable of growing rather tall, but most dwarf or half-high varieties work well.

Going for container gardening with your blueberry plants is practical in other ways as well. Blueberries require not just well-draining soil, but acidic well-draining soil. The best pH is between 4.5 and 5. If your backyard soil is compacted, clay or lacking drainage, or even if it doesn’t have the proper pH, it’s easier to grow blueberries in containers than to lower soil pH. It also makes it simple for you to regulate the moisture and sun exposure that your plants will need.

Choosing the Right Container

Once you have decided that you are growing blueberry plants in containers, one of the first decisions to make is which sort of pot to use. The right container for growing blueberries is a large pot that has adequate drain holes. Ideally, it should be weather-proof and able to sustain a reasonable level of both rainfall and sun exposure. Avoid selecting a classic black plastic container, which can heat up quickly and make the soil too warm for the plants.

Consider the size of your container, and plan for a decent amount of growth in the first few years. Pick a five-gallon pot to plant a young plant. As the plant grows, move it into a larger container or a wooden barrel. To generously accomodate blueberry plants in pots, the minimum size container for a mature plant is 24 inches (60cm) deep and wide.

Best Blueberry Varieties for Pots

It is easiest and best to select dwarf or half-high blueberry varieties if you want to grow them in pots. Standard blueberry bushes can reach heights of 6 feet (1.8 meters), which is awfully tall for a container plant.

Good cultivars include ‘Northblue’, ‘Jelly Bean’, ‘Northsky’, ‘St. Cloud’, ‘Polaris’, ‘Chippewa’, ‘Northland’ and ‘North Country’. Alternatively, use lowbush cultivars like ‘Top Hat’ if you don’t mind getting smaller fruit. These top out at one foot (30cm) and have a spreading growth habit.

Note that you will need a second cultivar to cross-pollinate your bushes if your blueberry cultivars are not self-fruitful. Most are self-fruitful, but there are exceptions like ‘St. Cloud’ and ‘Polaris’. Planting more than one cultivar is a good idea anyway, since it can make pollination easier and help you grow bigger berries.

Caring for Blueberries in Pots

Growing blueberries in containers is a relatively easy process. In some ways, it is easier to grow blueberries in large pots, as it is easier to regulate optimum growing conditions. However, if you want to avoid some of the common pitfalls and blueberry growing mistakes, keep these cultivation essentials in mind to ensure success.

• Light & Warmth: Blueberries need plenty of sun, but can also flourish with some dappled shade. Ideally, there should be some protection from direct sunlight during very hot afternoons. However, a sunny spot is more likely to result in a more generous crop of sweeter fruits, as well as a more dazzling foliage display in fall.
• Watering: Blueberries need regular water to keep soil moist. However, blueberry roots are shallow and don’t like sitting in water. When growing blueberry plants in containers, water frequently (but lightly) to keep soil moist. Also water deeply every two weeks or so to drench the soil and get rid of excess soil salts. Stick to rainwater if possible. Using an acidic mulch like pine bark or chipped hardwood bark can help to keep moisture in the soil.

• Soil: Blueberries thrive in well-draining, acidic soil. Look for appropriate potting soil at the garden store, or make your own by mixing equal amounts of potting soil and peat moss. You can make an acidic soilless medium by mixing one-part sphagnum peat moss and one-part shredded pine bark. Another popular mix that works well for container blueberries is equal amounts of coir (shredded coconut husks) and sphagnum peat moss with some perlite tossed in.
• Fertilizer: Apply an acidic-based fertilizer to your container blueberry plants in early spring before bud break. Use a slow-release acidic blueberry fertilizer four weeks after planting the first year, then top-dress the following spring, following the recommendations on the label.
• Pruning: Trim out the blossoms in the first year to promote root establishment and stronger stems. After that, trim annually while dormant, either in late winter or early spring. Focus on diseased, damaged or crossing branches. The aim is to create better air flow and productivity, balanced across the whole shrub. If possible, ensure a balance of ages of wood, from newest to mature growth.
• Repotting: If a young plant has outgrown its container, it’s a good idea to repot into a larger pot either in late autumn or early spring, when the plant is dormant. Choose a pot that is around 6-8in (15-20cm) wider in diameter than the old one. Make sure the potting mix remains acidic.

Problems, Pests & Diseases

Birds love blueberries almost as much as we do. One of the main problems you will face when growing blueberries is keeping them from becoming a meal for wild birds in your area. Bird netting is your best bet. Use a cage or a frame structure for this netting. Make sure the net is taut and well secured, to prevent trapping birds.

Other common blueberry pests include thrips and aphids. Swift intervention with organic controls can curb pest numbers. Try a repeat application of a diluted neem oil spray and remove damaged leaves. Another common foe is the blueberry blossom weevil, which may pose a threat during spring. Silly as it sounds, shaking the stems of your blueberry plant can help to dislocate and remove resident weevils!

Overwintering Potted Blueberries

Growing any plant in a container makes it more vulnerable to the cold of winter; instead of being deep underground, the roots are separated from the cold air by just a thin wall. Because of this, you should subtract one number from your local hardiness zone when considering buying a container-grown blueberry. This will help select a variety with a better chance of continued health and cropping success.

The best way to overwinter your blueberry plant is to bury the container in the ground in mid-autumn. Choose a spot that’s out of the wind. Later in the fall, before the risk of snow, mulch with 4-8 inches (10-20cm) of straw and cover the plant with a burlap bag. Water occasionally. Dig the container up in spring. Alternatively, store the potted shrub in an unheated building like a barn or garage over winter, with occasional watering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not only absolutely delicious, of the full range of fruits and vegetables, blueberries are ranked number one in terms of their antioxidant benefits. Whether you grow your own or go to a U-Pick the questions are when is blueberry harvesting season and how to harvest the blueberries?

When to Harvest Blueberry Bushes

Blueberry bushes are suited to USDA hardiness zones 3-7. The blueberries we eat today are a more or less recent invention. Prior to the 1900’s, only North American natives utilized the berry, which, of course, was only found in the wild.

There are three types of blueberry: highbush, lowbush and hybrid half-high. Regardless of the type of blueberry, combine their nutrition aspects with ease of growing and minimal diseases or pests (except the birds!), and the only question is when to harvest blueberry bushes? Harvesting blueberries is a simple process but, even so, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First off, don’t rush to pick the berries too soon. Wait until they turn blue. They should fall off right into your hand with no tugging on the delicate berry required. Blueberry harvesting season can be anywhere from late May through mid-August, depending upon the variety and your local climate.

For a more bountiful crop, plant two or more varieties. Blueberries are partially self-fertile, so planting more than one varietal can extend the harvest season as well as inducing the plants to produce more and larger berries. Keep in mind that full productions may take until the plants are about 6 years of age.

How to Harvest Blueberries

There’s no great secret to picking blueberries. Beyond the actual picking of the blueberries, there isn’t an easier fruit to prepare and serve. You don’t need to peel, pit, core or cut plus they freeze, can or dry for long-term storage if you don’t make short work of them as a pie, cobbler or just a snack.

When harvesting blueberries, choose those that are blue all the way around the berry - white and green blueberries do not ripen further once they are picked. Berries with any blush of red are not ripe, yet may ripen further once picked if kept at room temperature. That said though, you really want to only pick ripe gray-blue berries. The longer they stay on the bush to ripen fully, the sweeter the berries become. Gently, using your thumb, roll the berry off the stem and into your palm. Ideally, once the first berry is picked, you will place it in your bucket or basket and continue in this vein until you have harvested all the blueberries you want. However, at this juncture, we can never really resist tasting the first blueberry of the season, just to make sure it’s truly ripe, right? Periodic tasting tends to continue throughout the picking process.

Once you are done harvesting the blueberries, you can use them immediately or freeze them for later use. We like to freeze them and throw them straight from the freezer into smoothies, but however you decide to use them, you can be assured their amazing nutritive properties are well worth an afternoon at the berry patch.

When you pop freshly-picked blueberries into your mouth expecting sweet, delicious fruit, then sour blueberry fruit is a great disappointment. Unless you’ve selected tart berry cultivars, altering your care and harvest of blueberries may solve the problem. Read on to learn why blueberries are sour and what to do with sour blueberries.

What Makes Blueberries Sour?

The first thing to do when garden blueberries are sour is to determine the characteristics of the cultivar you have chosen. With hundreds of types of blueberries available, the cultivar fruit taste can vary from tart to sweet. If your bushes are intended to produce tart or sour fruit, you may want to select new cultivars. A common cause of sour blueberry fruit is over-production on a bush. If your bush is newly planted, you’ll get sweeter, bigger berries if you remove all blossoms for the first year or two to allow the root system to establish. Even mature blueberry bushes can over produce some years and, if left to their own devices, produce abundant but sour fruit. Keep your eye on buds and thin back when needed. Let your berries ripen on the bush. It is not a good idea to pick berries early. Even if you can get sour blueberry fruit to soften by storing them beside apples or bananas, they will not sweeten any further. If blueberries are sour when picked, they will remain so. You can’t sweeten sour blueberries once you take them from the bush. Try eating a few berries before beginning your harvest and remember that all berries do not ripen simultaneously. Even in one cluster, some may be ripe and some unripe. Identify unripe berries by the reddish hue, but even solid blue berries need to stay on the bush for a few days before they develop true sweetness. Waiting is a good way to sweeten sour blueberries. Blueberries can remain on the bush for 10 days after they begin to ripen, so don’t be in a hurry. The fruit size and sweetness increase very quickly at the end of the ripening process. Ensuring that your blueberry plants are grown in acidic soil and keeping them fertilized annually will also help to sweeten the blueberries.

What to Do With Sour Berries

If you’ve already harvested your blueberry fruit, you may be asking what to do with sour berries that haven’t fully ripened. Placing the berries in a paper bag and storing them in a cool place will allow the fruit to ripen. If you add an apple, banana, or avocado to the bag, the berries ripen more quickly. Keep in mind that this will soften immature berries, but it will not sweeten sour berries. If you want to cook with the berries, just add extra sugar or honey.

Most perennials become dormant during the late fall and winter to protect themselves from the cold temperatures; blueberries are no exception. In most cases, blueberry plant growth slows as dormancy develops and the cold hardiness of the plant increases. However, in some instances, dormancy has not been established, and protecting blueberries over winter to mitigate any blueberry winter damage is of primary importance.

Care of Blueberries in Winter

Specific care of blueberries in winter is usually not necessary, as fully dormant blueberry plants are generally very cold hardy, and rarely suffer any severe blueberry winter damage. There's the caveat, however, the plants must be fully dormant and Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate and allow the gradual cold hardening necessary to prevent potential winter damage of blueberry plants. Also, a sudden return to warm temps after a period of cold, especially in warmer climates, can cause injury to the berries if they begin to bloom early followed by a sudden cold snap. Usually, when this occurs, the plant will be in various stages of budding and only buds that are emergent suffer damage. Generally, winter damage of blueberry plants occurs when temps are below 25 degrees F. (-3 C.), but this is in correlation with the relative dew point as well as the amount of wind. Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor condenses. A low dew point means the air is very dry, which makes the flowers several degrees colder than the air causing them to be susceptible to injury.

Blueberry Bush Winter Care

When faced with the prospect of a cold snap, commercial growers turn to overhead irrigation systems, wind machines, and even helicopters to assist in the protection of the blueberry crop. I would venture to suggest that all of this is impractical for the home grower. So what blueberry bush winter care can you do that will protect your plants during cold weather? Protecting blueberries over winter by covering the plants and mulching around them can be beneficial. It is important when covering the plants to trap heat much like a small greenhouse. A frame of PVC covered and securely anchored can accomplish this purpose. Also, keep your plants moist. Moist soil absorbs and retains more heat. Of course, ideally, you will have planted late-flowering cultivars if you reside in a region where the possibility of freezing exists. Some of these include:

• Powderblue
• Brightwell
• Centurian
• Tifblue

Be sure to select your planting site with care. Blueberries prefer full sun but tolerate partial shade. Planting in a partially shaded tree canopy will protect the plants from drying out, thus aid in thwarting freeze injury.

Labeled of late as one of the “super foods” for its antioxidant properties, blueberries have always been on my top ten list of favorite foods… blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberry crumble. Ok, maybe that isn't exactly how they want us to eat this power berry but, regardless, there is no end of good reasons to grow your own bush. So what happens when you see witches' broom in the blueberry bush? Is that it for the blueberry pancakes? Let's find out.

What is Witches' Broom in Blueberry Bushes?

Witches' broom on blueberry plants is caused by a rarely found fungal disease. This disease caused clusters of small branches to form at the base of the bush known as witches' brooms. Although a fungal disease, the symptoms of blueberries with witches' broom are more viral in nature than fungal. The year after infection, blueberry bushes afflicted with witches' broom produce a multitude of swollen, spongy shoots with tiny leaves and reddish bark rather than the green found on healthy young branches. This malformation is called a “broom” and they continue to appear year after year. As the broom ages, it becomes progressively brown, shiny, and then dull, until eventually drying and cracking. Affected blueberries have multiple witches' brooms on the plant. The plant will likely cease fruit production.

What Causes Witches' Broom on Blueberry Plants?

Witches' broom is caused by the rust fungus Pucciniastrum goeppertianum, which affects both blueberries and fir trees. When P. goeppertianum afflicts firs, it results in a yellowing and eventual needle drop. The spores of this fungus are produced on the fir needles and carried by the wind, infecting those blueberry plants that are in close proximity. The fungal disease is found in North America, Europe, Siberia, and Japan and spends a part of its life on Highbush and Lowbush blueberry bushes. The rest of its life cycle is spent on fir trees, but both hosts must be present to ensure the survival of P. goeppertianum. While the fungus attacks just the needles on firs, it grows into the bark of blueberry plants, affecting the entire plant. The fungus will live off the host blueberry plant for many years, continuing its life cycle by producing spores off the brooms, which will, in turn, infect balsam fir trees.

How to Combat Witches' Broom on Blueberry Bushes

Because the fungus that causes blueberry bushes with witches' broom is perennial and systemic in nature, the disease is hard to combat. Fungicides do not work when blueberries have witches' broom nor can pruning remove the pathogen since it is infiltrating the entire plant. The best defense is prevention. Do not plant blueberry bushes within 1,200 feet (366 m.) of balsam fir trees. Once the plant has the disease, there is nothing to be done about it. It is best to eradicate any diseased plants with an herbicide to prevent further spread.

Blueberries are heralded as a super food-- extremely nutritious, but also high in flavanoids which have been shown to reduce the damaging effects of oxidation and inflammation, allowing the body to fight off disease. Most home growers purchase cuttings, but did you know that blueberry seed planting will result in a plant as well?

How to Grow Blueberries from Seeds

First, is a blueberry a seed? No, the seeds are inside the fruit, and it takes a little work to separate them from the pulp. You can use fruit from an existing bush or from those purchased at the grocers, but the results may be poor or non-existent. Blueberries do not self pollinate, which means they are rather unpredictable and their offspring do not duplicate the parent. 

It is better to purchase viable blueberry seeds for planting from a nursery, but if you would like to experiment, here is how to prepare blueberry seeds for planting. To prepare blueberry seeds for planting, the fruit will need to be macerated. This can be done in a food processor, blender, or mashed in a bowl. Add a little water to the berries as you do this. 

Once the fruit is mashed, remove the floating pulp. Seeds will sink to the bottom. You may need to add water several times to remove the pulp completely. Once you have gathered the blueberry bush seeds, they must be scarified. 

Place them in some damp paper towels and put them in the freezer for 90 days. Cold stratification will break the seeds' rest period so they are ready for planting.

Blueberry Seed Planting

Once the 90 days have elapsed, the seeds can be used immediately or kept in the freezer until you are ready to plant them. Blueberry seed planting should commence in the fall in warm climates and in the spring in more northerly climes. 

Plant the seed in dampened sphagnum peat moss in seed trays and cover them with ¼ inch (6 mm.) of soil. Keep the medium consistently moist. Be patient; blueberry seed planting may take six to eight weeks to germinate, some not for three months. 

The hybrid high bush seeds germinate more unreliably than their wild low bush relatives. Keep the seeds in a warm, sunny area of 60 to 70 degrees F. (15-21 C.). If lacking in sunlight, suspend a fluorescent light about 14 inches (36 cm.) above the seedlings. The resulting seedling from the growing blueberry seeds will look like grass with a few tiny leaves atop. 

During the first year of blueberry seed planting, the seedlings may get no taller than 5 or 6 inches (13-15 cm.) in height. Once the blueberry bush seed plants are big enough to transplant, move them into pots in a sunny, warm area and keep moist.

The growing blueberry seed plants can be fertilized with a liquid fertilizer after two to three weeks in their pots. The resulting blueberry bush seed plants will bear fruit during year two when the plant is 1 to 2 feet (31-61 cm.) tall.

It may take several years when growing blueberries from seed before the plant will produce any significant amount of fruit. So, again, be patient, but once established, the plant will keep you supplied with this super food for decades to come.

Blueberries are primarily temperate zone plants, but there are varieties for the hot southern climates. They ripen at the end of a nice hot summer and should be picked when they are full and juicy with deep blue color. Occasionally, the fruit from blueberry plants is grainy on the inside. This may be a cultural, environmental, varietal, or disease-related issue. It is best to grow varieties suited for your zone and watch the plants carefully for problems. Grainy blueberries can still be used for jams but the texture is not as pleasant for eating fresh.

What are Grainy Blueberries?

Grainy-tasting blueberries are distasteful and ruin a handful of fresh-picked, juicy fruit. The condition affects the fruit of the plant and causes the berries to be overly mushy and granular inside instead of juicy. The flavor is still sweet and actually may be overly sweet if the flesh has sugared because it was exposed to excessive heat or was left on the bush too long. Grainy blueberries are sometimes confined to just part of the plant but may affect the entire bush.

Growing Blueberry Problems

Blueberry bushes start leafing out in early spring and flower in late spring. Small drupes form and swell as the summer sun ripens them. The fruits need plenty of water but tend to get fungal issues if not treated or when water is applied overhead in hot, humid weather. Fungal diseases can affect the roots, stems, leaves, and fruit. Some of the more common growing blueberry problems are Anthracnose, Alternaria, Phomopsis, and Phyllosticta. Culturally the bush fruit may be adversely affected by too much heat, excess moisture which splits the berries, chemical injury, and freezing.

What to Do if Blueberries Have Grainy Texture

Prevention is crucial. Once the berries have turned rough inside, you can't undo the situation. The next season you need to apply a fungal spray or monitor the plants and treat them with a non-toxic baking soda and water treatment. Do not water overhead but instead apply irrigation to the base of the plant. You may also simply be harvesting the fruit too early. Wait until they have a slight give and no sign of red. The ashy coloring should be mostly gone and a true blue color is evident. If you harvest too early, some blueberries have a grainy texture and a sour taste. Grainy-tasting blueberries may be made into a jam, but watch for and discard any moldy berries. Prune your plants in late winter to early spring the next year and fertilize with a slightly acidic fruit tree food. Make sure the plants are in full sun with some protection during the hottest part of the day. Use a light mesh net to prevent birds from eating all the good fruit. Cover the plants if frost is expected, as this is a common cause of grainy tasting blueberries. Apply a spray fungicide at greening and another application should be done 10 days later.

Blueberry maggots are pests that often go undetected in the landscape until after blueberries are harvested. Tiny, white worms may appear in affected fruits and can spread quickly, ruining your entire year's harvest. Let's learn more about blueberry maggot control.

What are Blueberry Maggots?

Blueberry maggots are the larval stage of a 3/16 inch (5 mm.) long, black fly marked with black, horizontal bands across its wings. Maggots in blueberries are found across the eastern United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. Careful monitoring of your blueberry bushes for adults can aid in swift blueberry maggot identification. Adult flies appear in the summer, feeding for up to two weeks before they begin searching for mates. Over the next 30 days, females may lay as many as 100 eggs, each in an individual berry. Since eggs can hatch in as few as three days, it's vital to begin blueberry maggot control as soon as you notice the adult flies lingering on your plants.

Monitoring for Blueberry Maggot Identification

Although maggots in blueberries won't damage your plants, they will contaminate your harvest, making your fruits suspect for home use and completely unsellable at the Farmers' Market. A gardener with a good eye may notice plenty of adult flies buzzing around the blueberries, but experienced gardeners hang yellow sticky cards laced with a hydrolysate- or ammonium acetate-based protein bait around their plants. When the flies land on these cards, they stick permanently, making positive identification simple. You should always make positive blueberry maggot identification before spraying pesticides of any kind in your garden in order to protect beneficial insect species that may be hunting or foraging nearby.

Managing Blueberry Maggots

Organically-managed blueberries can be protected from an infestation of blueberry maggots by coating the berries with kaolin clay or applying spinosad-based sprays liberally to the leaves of blueberries where flowers are just starting to swell into fruit. These safer insecticides leave parasitic wasps, one of the blueberry maggot's primary enemies, untouched and able to naturally kill many blueberry pests. Spinosad and kaolin must be reapplied weekly throughout the fruiting season since they break down quickly. Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, can be applied to blueberries early in the season for long-term treatment in many areas. Use this pesticide with great caution, however, and only when your blueberries are overwhelmed year after year with blueberry maggots since it can poison pollinating bees. Another strategy for managing blueberry maggots in aging blueberry bushes is to replace your bushes with varieties that have shown that they can resist egg-laying attempts by blueberry maggot adults. Blueberry varieties “Bluetta,” “Earliblue,” “Herbert”, and “Northland” are excellent choices if your blueberry patch is constantly bothered by blueberry maggots. Using these more resistant varieties can reduce the work it takes to harvest useful blueberries and save you money on pest control.

Many times, if a blueberry bush is not doing well in a home garden, it is the soil that is to blame. If the blueberry soil pH is too high, the blueberry bush will not grow well. Taking steps to test your blueberry pH soil level and, if it is too high, lowering blueberry soil pH will make a huge difference in how well you blueberries grow. 

Keep reading to learn about proper soil prep for blueberry plants and how you can lower soil pH for blueberries.

Testing Blueberry pH Soil Level

Regardless of whether you are planting a new blueberry bush or trying to improve the performance of established blueberry bushes, it is essential that you have your soil tested. In all but a few places, your blueberry soil pH will be too high and testing the soil can tell how high the pH is. 

Soil testing will allow you to see how much work your soil will need in order to grow blueberries well. The proper blueberry pH soil level is between 4 and 5. If your blueberry bush's soil is higher than this, then you need to take steps to lower the soil pH for blueberries.

New Blueberry Plantings - Soil Prep for Blueberry Plant

If your blueberry soil pH is too high, you need to lower it. The best way to do this is too add granular sulfur to the soil. About 1 pound (0.50 kg.) of sulfur per fifty feet (15 m.) will lower the pH one point. 

This will need to be worked or tilled into the soil. If you can, add this to the soil three months before you plan on planting. This will allow the sulfur to better mix with the soil. You can also use acid peat or used coffee grounds as an organic method of acidifying the soil. Work in 4-6 inches (10-15 cm.) of peat or coffee ground into the soil.

Existing Blueberries - Lowering Blueberry Soil pH

No matter how well you do soil prep for a blueberry plant, if you do not live in an area where the soil is naturally acidic, you will find that the soil pH will return to its normal level in a few years if nothing is done to maintain the lower pH around the blueberries. 

There are several methods you can use to either lower soil pH for blueberries that are established or to maintain the already adjusted blueberry pH soil level.

• One method is to add sphagnum peat around the base of the blueberry plant about once a year. Used coffee grounds can also be used.
• Another method for lowering blueberry soil pH is to make sure you are fertilizing your blueberries with an acidic fertilizer. Fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or sulfur-coated urea are high acid fertilizers.
• Adding sulfur to the top of the soil is another way to lower soil pH for blueberries. It may take some time for this to work on established plantings because you will not be able to work it far into the soil without causing damage to the blueberry bush's roots. But it will eventually work its way down to the roots.
• A quick fix for when the blueberry soil pH is too high is to use diluted vinegar. Use 2 tablespoons (30 mL.) of vinegar per gallon of water and water the blueberry with this once a week or so. While this is a quick fix, it is not a long lasting one and should not be relied on as a long term way for lowering blueberry soil pH.

Fertilizing blueberries is an excellent way to maintain the health of your blueberries. Many home gardeners have questions about how to fertilize blueberries and what is the best blueberry fertilizer. Below you will find more information about fertilizer for blueberries and how best to fertilize them.

When to Fertilize Blueberries

While there is not a first or last date to fertilize blueberry bushes, the general rule of thumb is to fertilize blueberries in the spring before their leaves have grown in. This is so that the blueberry fertilizer has time to penetrate the soil and make it to the roots of the blueberry bush before it enters active growth. You should be fertilizing blueberries once a year. Typically, they do not need feeding more often than this.

Types of Fertilizer for Blueberries

Blueberries like a higher acid soil. For this reason, you should be using a high acid fertilizer, especially in an area where you have had to amend the soil in order to lower the pH enough to grow your blueberries. 

When looking for a high acid blueberry bush fertilizer, look for fertilizers that contain ammonium sulfate or sulfur-coated urea. These tend to have a lower pH (higher acid). 

Also try to use fertilizers that are higher in nitrogen, but be careful not to use a fertilizer that contains nitrates, such as calcium nitrate or chloride. Some blueberry plants can be killed by nitrates. Blueberry plants are also susceptible to either iron or magnesium deficiencies. 

If your blueberry bush's leaves turn a reddish yellow color, especially near the edges of the leaves, this is most likely a magnesium deficiency. If the leaves turn yellow with green veins, it is most likely an iron deficiency. 

Treat either of these problems with a nutrient appropriate blueberry fertilizer.

Natural Fertilizer for Blueberries

For organic fertilizers for blueberries, you can use blood meal or fish meal to provide nitrogen. Sphagnum peat or coffee grounds will help to provide acidity. Bone meal and powdered seaweed used to fertilize blueberries can provide the potassium and phosphorus. 

Before applying any blueberry fertilizer, whether organic or chemical, it is a wise idea to have your soil tested. While this may make fertilizing blueberries a little more tedious, it will help ensure that the pH of the soil and the nutrient mix in the soil is correct. It will help to prevent you from either over or under adjusting when you fertilize blueberries.

There are two primary reasons to prune blueberry bushes regularly and strategically: to maintain healthy, thriving plants and to maximize fruit yield. Proper pruning of blueberries can make the difference between an average crop and a plentiful one.

Pruning is useful for keeping shrubs to a reasonable size and maintaining an attractive shape. But most importantly, regular, thoughtful pruning is vital for producing a hefty crop of blueberries.

When blueberry bushes are not pruned, they can become weak and leggy and produce smaller fruit. However, it’s important to note that if the pruning is too severe, the berries may grow larger but your crop will not be as prolific. The type and amount of blueberry plant pruning, however, may depend on the age, type and size of the bush. This article will help you understand and navigate the pruning process.

How to Prune Blueberry Bushes

The best fruit grows on newer, stronger blueberry canes that grow upright and higher in the bush. Pruning for health and to allow these productive canes to thrive will give you a better yield and higher-quality berries.

The primary objective in pruning blueberry bushes is to reinvigorate older canes and allow younger canes to develop. If you do it right, you will get years of plentiful harvests from healthy, thriving plants.

Pruning Young Blueberry Bushes

Pruning younger bushes, up to about two or maybe three years old, is all about promoting growth. In fact, you don’t even want the bush to produce fruit in these early years. A bush that fruits too early in its lifespan will be stunted later and produce less fruit.

During the first few years, remove flower buds before they can bloom. The flower buds (also known as fruit buds) can be distinguished from leaf buds by size and location: Fruit buds are on the terminal ends of the canes, about two to three inches (5.0 to 7.6 cm) down, and are larger and rounder.

In terms of pruning canes, focus on trimming to shape the plant and promote new growth. Cut back canes in a way that gives your plant the desired shape. Ideally, a productive plant should be narrow at the base, open in the center, and full and bushy at the top and on the sides.

Pruning in Seasons Two or Three Through Five

Once the bush has reached year two or three, you can stop removing the fruiting buds and begin to prune more strategically.

Remove crossed canes in the center of the bush to allow sunlight to penetrate to the interior. Remove any weak or damaged growth and canes that are too close to the ground.

Look for the larger, upright canes, and trim these back by about eight to ten inches (20 to 25 cm). Smaller, younger shoots should be trimmed back to about four or five inches (10 to 13 cm) below the top of the bush. This will stimulate lateral growth, which results in greater production.

Pruning Mature Blueberry Bushes

When your plant has reached maturity, around six years old, the oldest canes are no longer very productive. Identify these older canes and remove about a quarter of them. Doing this every year continually renews the bush, allows new canes to grow, and results in better fruit production.

Keep removing low-hanging canes and any that appear winter damaged or infested. You can also continue to remove some of the crossed branches in the center of the bush to allow for sunlight penetration.

Pruning an Overgrown Blueberry Bush

If you have a blueberry that has been neglected for years, pruning can potentially reinvigorate it. Start by removing any broken, damaged, or diseased canes. Prune out unproductive canes that have not produced any new growth. Remove several of the oldest canes and any that are criss-crossed or tangled. Keep in mind that the center of the bush should be open enough to allow air and sunlight. Again, trim off branches that are low to the ground.

An overgrown bush can and should be cut back pretty severely. This will stimulate new growth and give it a fresh start.

The Best Time for Blueberry Pruning

For the best results, prune blueberries once every year. The best time to do this is in late winter or early spring (January to early March), or at the end of the dormant season in your region when all chances of severe weather have passed.

Pruning in the fall season is risky because it promotes new shoots that will only die as the weather turns cold.

Trimming your blueberries thoughtfully and regularly can result in good fruit production for up to 50 years.