Nothing’s sweeter than growing blueberries right outside your door.
In late fall, leaves turn bright red, providing color well into winter.
Blueberry plants can take two to three years before they begin to produce fruit.
Credit: Helen Norman
Here’s everything you’re gonna wanna know about growing and caring for your ownblueberry plants.
you’re free to mix blueberries into your shrub border.
Hide reflective tape or cover the plants with bird netting to discourage them.
Light
Blueberries grow bestin areas with full sun exposure, at least six to eight hours daily.
More sun helps blueberries bear more fruit and produce healthier foliageBlueberries in partial shade have fewer blossoms and fruit.
Soil
Blueberries thrive in acidic soils or loose, sandy soils amended with rich organic matter.
If growing blueberries outdoors in clay soils, amend the ground with peat moss or use containers.
Modify the soil nutrients and conditions before planting by testing the soil’s pH level.
Continue testing, so the pH stays at its initial level.
Water
Water blueberries deeply by targeting the root area.
The fruit’s roots are shallow, making it easier for blueberries to dry.
If growing in an area experiencing drought conditions, water more frequently.
Blueberry plants prefer humid environments and do not tolerate freezing temperatures.
Cold tolerance decreases as flower bud swell progresses.
Use a natural slow-release food for acid-loving plants, such as Espoma Holly-tone (4-3-4).
Fertilize berries when flowering buds initially open and again after berries start forming.
Blueberries can be grown with little or no spraying.
Amend soil with organic matter such as fish emulsion or compost.
Types of Blueberries
Several types of blueberries can be grown across the South.
All varieties have selections that will set fruit throughout the growing season.
Having two or more varieties provides optimum pollination and produces the most fruit.
Pruning
Blueberries are relatively easy to maintain.
After the third year, leave flowers on as long as they appear healthy.
The following year, around year four, start pruning blueberries during dormancy in late winter or early spring.
Prune blueberry plants about one-third of the distance to the ground, and remove branches that impede airflow.
Propagating Blueberries
Achieve blueberry propagation using softwood or hardwood cuttings.
This effective method helps maintain the mother plant by thinning out the branches.
Whether using softwood or hardwood cuttings, select solid and healthy branches from the mother plant.
Additionally, since blueberry seeds do not self-pollinate, growing from existing plants or fruit can be challenging.
Purchasing new seeds from a garden center or grocery store is more likely to produce healthy plants.
Place each plant, so the top 1/2 inch of the root ball rests slightly above the surrounding soil.
Fill around the root ball with original soil amended with peat moss or chopped leaves.
Add a mulch of pine straw or shredded pine bark to discourage weeds and conserve moisture.
Water regularly during the first year to help plants become established.
Overwintering
During the winter, blueberry plants are dormant and are relatively cold-hardy.
Keep all blueberry plants moist throughout the winter to retain more heat.
Using reflective tape or netting can deter birds from eating blueberries.
Remove visible pest infestations by hand or using insecticidal soaps or neem oils.
Early fruit drop might signify a pest infestation.
Scale causes a black mold on foliage, which is prevented by pruning older branches.
Treat leaf spot diseases like powdery mildew and rust with neem oil or fungicide.
Keep plants in good health by removing dead branches and providing adequate airflow.
Anthracnose is commonly treated by spraying the bush with fungicides and pruning off impacted stems.
One method used to control the disease is to remove the mummified berries and bury or destroy them.
Cultivate between plants after each rainpour until they begin blooming.
Additionally, fungicides can aid in killing the disease.
These plants need organically rich soil that’s well-draining.
As heavy feeders, blueberry plants need acidic soil to grow.
Improper sun exposure is another reason blueberry plants fail to bear fruit or flowers.
Areas with too much or too little sunlight will be leggy and never mature.
Blueberry scorch virus, transmitted by aphids, causes the leaves to appear burnt and eventually fall off.
After brown spots appear, leaves might turn gray.
After removing the infected area, sterilize garden shears to avoid contaminating another area of your garden.
However, it takes blueberry bushes between five to eight years to hit their peak fruit production.
Cleveland Clinic.The health benefits of blueberries.
Published May 22, 2018.
Anco DJ, Ellis MA.Mummy berry of blueberry.Ohio State University Extension.
Published June 22, 2011.
