Blueberry planting and outdoor care for beginners

Growing berry bushes in summer cottages has long become a tradition, but some of them are only gaining popularity among gardeners. Such is the blueberry, planting and caring for which have their own characteristics. You will have to pay a lot of attention to the shrubs in the garden, but it will pay off handsomely when the time comes to harvest delicious sweet and sour berries. Not only blueberry fruits have healing properties, but also its branches and leaves. Reproduction of this amazingly useful plant will not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners.

Blueberry varieties

The types and varieties of blueberries are varied. Its uncultivated specimens are undersized. Their height ranges from 40-100 cm. Wild blueberries are widespread in the northern regions. It prefers moist, swampy soils of coniferous forests and peat bogs, where it forms dense thickets.

Growing wild specimens of culture in a summer cottage is a pointless exercise. For these purposes, it is better to use seedlings of hybrid shrub varieties. The answer to the question why is obvious. Preserving the beneficial properties of forest blueberries, they bring more harvest, have larger berries, are more decorative and are less affected by diseases and pests. Among them there are also undersized varieties that are ideal for breeding in the Urals and Siberia. They are not afraid of severe frosts, they are not damaged even under a thick layer of snow.

Bushes of tall garden blueberries stretch up to 2-4 m. It originates from North America. In our country, it is more common in the southern regions.The climate of Siberia is too harsh for her, although she can be grown outdoors in the Urals, if you responsibly approach the preparation of her bushes for wintering: bend the branches to the ground and carefully cover them with spruce branches. The narrow-leafed Canadian blueberry is becoming more and more popular with gardeners. It is surprisingly unpretentious, generous in harvest and has increased frost resistance.

The most common varieties of tall blueberry are:

• Bluecrop;
• Nelson;
• Rankocas;
• Patriot;
• Northland;
• Weymouth.

On an industrial scale, Bluerop and Patriot varieties are most often grown. You can plant them in the country. Both varieties are distinguished by high yield and unpretentiousness to keeping conditions.

Site requirements

For the berries of the plant to gain sweetness, they need a lot of heat and light. Therefore, planting garden blueberries is optimal in places open to sunlight. It should be borne in mind that the shrub reacts poorly to drafts. The site should be carefully protected from them by walls of buildings or a hedge of trees. Bluecrop and Patriot varieties can grow in the shade, their leaves will not suffer from it, but in this case, the berries collected from them will turn out to be sour. The lack of light will also negatively affect their quantity.

Loose well-drained soil with low groundwater table is preferred for blueberries. It will be correct to plant it on peaty-sandy or peaty-loamy soils. It is worth remembering that such soil is rich in nitrogen. Due to the increased content of this element in winter, plants can freeze out, and with the arrival of spring, their thawing will take longer than usual. The shrub develops well exclusively in acidic soil with a pH in the range of 3.5-4.5.

It is important that no other crops have been bred before on the site where blueberries are to be planted. If there is no such site in the garden, the soil suitable for the shrub will have to be prepared independently according to the following rules.

• Loamy soil is diluted with sand and high-moor peat, mixed in a ratio of 1: 3.
• Sand is added to acidic peat soil at the rate of 2-3 buckets per 1 m².
• If the land on the site contains little organic fertilizers, complex mineral preparations containing equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are introduced into it.
• In the soil enriched with humus, the same mineral elements necessary for the full development of blueberries are added, but in a ratio of 1: 2: 3.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Reproduction of garden blueberries can be done in spring or autumn. Professionals advise not to postpone the procedure until September and here's why. In summer, in favorable weather conditions for the shrub, its seedlings will root well, gain strength and get stronger so that the winter cold will not be terrible for them. When planting plants in autumn, the risk of freezing is much higher.

In order for the cultivation of blueberries on the site to be successful, it is important to choose the right variety. You need to focus on the features of the climate of the area and the ripening time of berries of a particular variety. For growing in regions of the middle lane, early or mid-season crop species (Bluecrop, Patriot, Weymouth) are suitable.

A guarantee of good survival rate of blueberry bushes on the site is high-quality planting material. It is recommended to purchase it in specialized stores or nurseries. It is better to choose seedlings whose roots are covered with soil, growing in a pot or other container. The transshipment method for planting them in a permanent place will not work. In order for the shrub to quickly take root and develop fully in the future, its roots will need to be carefully straightened in the hole.

Advice

15 minutes before planting blueberries in the ground, place a container with it in water. Then the future bush is removed from the pot and the soil ball is gently kneaded, straightening the roots. Only after such preparation can it be planted in the ground.

In the spring, it is important not to be late with planting dates.The procedure must be carried out before the buds of the plant swell.

Landing scheme

Seedlings of tall blueberries are placed in pre-prepared pits. They should be 0.6 m wide and 0.5 m deep. The distance between the holes depends on the selected plant variety. Small varieties of blueberry will need a spacing of 0.5 m. Medium and tall varieties (Bluecrop, Patriot and the like) will need more free space. The spacing between adjacent plants is made equal to 1 m and 1.2 m, respectively. The optimum row spacing is 3–3.5 m.

Correct agrotechnology of Blueberry cultivar blueberry involves loosening the soil at the bottom and on the walls of the pit. It will facilitate the passage of air to the roots of the plant.

The pit is filled with an acidic substrate consisting of a mixture of the following components:

• high-moor peat;
• needles;
• sawdust;
• sand;
• 50 g of sulfur.

Fertilizers, especially organic ones, do not need to be added to it. The substrate is compacted, then the seedling is lowered into the hole and, having straightened the plant roots well, covered with soil. If everything is done correctly, the root collar of the bush should be deepened by 3 cm. The planting is completed by watering and mulching the surface of the pit. It is recommended to use coniferous sawdust, small straw, chopped bark or peat for this. The thickness of the mulch layer must be at least 12 cm.

In the fall, the shrub is planted in the same way as in the spring. If the plant is less than 1 year old, then after placing it in the ground, weak and damaged branches are removed from it. Only healthy and strong shoots are left on young blueberries, which are shortened by half. Saplings of varieties Bluecrop, Patriot and others that have reached 2 years of age do not need additional processing after planting.

Watering and feeding

Blueberry farming techniques are quite simple. During the growing season, the soil around the shrub must be periodically loosened. Too often it is not recommended to carry out the procedure, otherwise there is a high risk of overdrying the plant. Loosening should only affect the topsoil (about 8 cm). If you do it deeper, you can damage the roots of the shrub, which develop in a horizontal direction and are located close to the soil surface. The soil under the plants must always be covered with a layer of mulch; loosening is carried out without removing it. Add mulching material every 2-3 years. Blueberry variety Bluecrop does not tolerate the neighborhood of weeds, so you need to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the plantings.

The plant is hygrophilous, but prolonged (more than 2 days) stagnation of water at its roots can lead to the death of the bush. Water the blueberries correctly according to the following scheme:

• twice a week;
• twice during the day: early in the morning and late in the evening, when the sun has already set;
• 1 bucket of water for each plant.

Timely watering is extremely important at the stage of laying flower buds - in July-August. A lack of moisture at this time will lead to a reduction in yield and a decrease in the quality of berries. It will affect the next year as well. If the summer turned out to be sultry, watering alone will not work, you will have to additionally spray the blueberry leaves to prevent the plant from overheating. The procedure is carried out in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the heat subsides.

The shrub reacts well to mineral fertilizers: ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate, superphosphate. It is better to introduce them in early spring, when the plant begins to flow and the buds swell. Organic compounds will only harm blueberries. Nitrogen-containing preparations are applied three times per season: in early spring, in May, when the shrub is intensively growing its leaves, and in June. The need for phosphorus in a plant occurs in summer and autumn. Magnesium, potassium and zinc are necessary for him in small quantities, they enrich the soil with them once a year.

Advice

The plantings must be periodically carefully inspected in order to detect signs of disease and pests in time.If the leaves of the plant change color, turn yellow or turn red, become covered with spots, you should be alert.

Reproduction methods

Reproduction of any of the blueberry varieties, including the most popular Bluecrop, can be carried out in the following ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• layering;
• dividing the bush.

Seeds are usually sown in the fall. Spring planting is also possible, but in this case you cannot do without their 3-month stratification in the refrigerator. The seeds are laid out in grooves and sprinkled with a mixture of 1 part peat and 3 parts sand. The layer of nutrient substrate above them should be 1 cm. They will give amicable shoots if the air is warmed up to 23-25˚C, and its humidity is at least 40%.

Agrotechnics of young blueberry shoots include periodic moistening and loosening of the soil and removal of weeds. The next spring, the seedlings are fed with nitrogen-containing preparations. It will be possible to land them on a permanent place in 2 years. They will begin to bear fruit only 7-8 years after sowing.

Most often, shrub propagation is carried out by cuttings. It is better to cut them from the thickest shoots: they will give roots faster. Their length should be 8-15 cm. After cutting, the cuttings are placed in a cool place for a month, where the temperature does not rise above 1-5˚C, and then planted at an angle into a substrate of peat and sand, deepening by 5 cm. It is even easier to breed blueberries by dividing the bush. It is dug up and cut into pieces so that each of them has a rhizome 5-7 cm long. Additional preparation is not required for the delenks, they are immediately planted on a permanent site.

Pruning and possible difficulties

The successful cultivation of blueberries is impossible without regular pruning of the shrub, which helps to increase its yield and decorativeness. It is better to carry out the procedure in early spring, when sap flow has not yet begun. Maintenance pruning can be done at any time. Diseased branches and severely damaged leaves must be removed and burned immediately.

If blueberry bushes bloom in the first year of life, the buds are cut off so that the plant develops correctly. At 2-4 years of age, a strong skeleton is formed in them, removing weak branches, as well as branches damaged by diseases or frost. It is necessary to get rid of the shoots that lie on the ground, and from the root growth.

All blueberry varieties, and Bluecrop are no exception, are susceptible to fungal diseases. The appearance of the bush will signal about them. If its leaves turn red, this is cause for concern. Most likely, the plant was struck by a dangerous disease - stem cancer. Excessive soil moisture can provoke it. These symptoms can also occur with improper blueberry care. Its leaves often turn red when the branches dry or if the plant lacks minerals: nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium.

American and Canadian garden blueberries are deservedly considered one of the most valuable berry bushes. She has a lot of advantages. Among them are high productivity, an abundance of useful properties of all parts of the plant, unpretentiousness, cold resistance, durability. It's scary to imagine, but its bushes live and bear fruit up to 90 years!

The culture's ability to withstand adverse weather conditions allows it to be grown almost everywhere. You can meet the shrub in the USA, Western Europe, Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus, in the middle lane and even in the northern regions of Russia. Blueberry care is not difficult. If you follow the recommendations for growing a crop, it will consistently bring a rich harvest.

Planting and caring for garden blueberries requires a lot of effort, but if you find the right approach to it, you can get an impressive harvest every year. Having an excellent taste and a huge number of useful features, the plant is one of the most desirable plants in the backyard. And most importantly, not only the fruits, but also the leaves and twigs of blueberries are endowed with healing properties.

Garden blueberries: the nuances of growing

Blueberries belong to the genus Vaccinium. This is a perennial plant, therefore, before planting it in your summer cottage, it is worth considering the fact that it can safely grow there for several decades. An aggressive garden environment is not the best option for the growth of a bush, but experienced gardeners have learned to create conditions for the plant as close to natural as possible.

Blueberries do not like open spaces, but planting them near large trees is also not recommended. The soil must be acidic, in addition, it is necessary to maintain a water balance. Let's consider all the features of growing and care in more detail, which will allow you to form a general impression of this plant.

Landing in open ground

The process of planting blueberries in open soil is practically the same as planting other plants. However, there are a few simple rules that every owner of a personal plot must know about.

Soil and site requirements

Despite the fact that blueberries grow in the tundra, at home it is better to choose a bright and open place for it. Trees and shrubs located nearby will lead to a decrease in yield and a decrease in the size of the fruit.

• It is desirable that the groundwater level in the area where the plant will live does not exceed 0.5-1 meters. This will help to retain enough moisture in the soil, which is so necessary for blueberries.
• When choosing a landing site, you must also pay attention to the fact that it is protected from strong winds. Fences or an artificial hedge will serve as a good barrier.
• In addition, there must be a certain level of acidity, therefore, before planting, measure the pH indicator (its norm is 3.5-5.5).

For the development of the plant, the neutral medium will need to be acidified. Colloidal sulfur, citric or orthophosphoric acid are perfect for this. It is better to fill up the substrate six months before planting the berries.

Despite the fact that blueberries are able to take root without problems on depleted soil and do not need any fertilizers, experienced gardeners still try to prepare a special substrate for it, which differs from ordinary garden soil in its composition.

• A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the hole in which the seedlings will be planted. Usually chips or small branches of pine are used as it.
• Then the substrate itself is prepared from high-moor and sphagnum peat, sawdust, forest land, sand and humus of needles.
• Half of the entire composition should be peat, the rest of the components are taken in equal proportions.

How and when to plant blueberries in autumn, spring?

You can plant blueberry seedlings in spring or autumn. If this procedure is carried out in the spring, then it is important to do this before the kidneys swell.

Several rules for the correct planting of seedlings:

1. Prepare the wells initially. On average, their size should be 60x60, depth - up to 0.5 meters.
2. If low-growing varieties are planted, the gap between the pits can be 0.5 meters, for medium-sized ones it increases to 1 meter, for tall ones you need to maintain a distance of more than a meter.
3. Try to keep the distance between the rows about three meters.
4. Loosen the walls and bottom of the hole - this will saturate the root system with the necessary amount of oxygen. Then fill part of the hole with a special substrate. In no case do not introduce any organic matter, as it can lower the acidity level.
5. Place the seedling in the hole and carefully straighten all the roots. Begin to cover them with earth, but remember that the root collar should be covered with only a few centimeters.
6. Water the planted seedlings with water and add a layer of pine sawdust, straw or peat on top.

To plant blueberries from containers, the containers must be placed in water for 15 minutes.

After that, it will be much easier to get the sprout. Knead the earth and straighten the roots well.

Knowing the basic rules of planting in spring, the question of how to plant garden blueberries in autumn should disappear by itself. The sequence of actions is no different from those described above and does not depend on the season. The only thing you need to know is that after the autumn planting, all weak cuttings must be removed from a young seedling, and the remaining cuttings must be shortened by half. If the seedlings are more than 2 years old, then they do not need any pruning.

Garden blueberries: care

So that the success of blueberry cultivation is not long in coming, it is important to adhere to the basic rules in caring for the plant. This applies to watering, pruning, preparing for the winter and the question of how to feed blueberries.

Watering schedule

Blueberries are exactly the kind of plant that needs sufficient moisture.

She does not have enough natural precipitation, which means that it is worth taking care of regular watering.

This is especially important in the spring. A high and high quality result is guaranteed by the drip irrigation system. But not everyone has the opportunity to organize watering in this way.

Therefore, pay attention to the following nuances:

1. The first signal for watering should be a dry top layer of the earth (about 4-5 centimeters).
2. Young shoots and seedlings need abundant watering every 2-4 days. In drier times, the number of waterings is increased; at medium temperatures, they can be reduced.
3. If the acidity of the soil is insufficient, then every month 100 grams of table vinegar or soil acidifier is added to the water (per 10 liters).

Top dressing and processing

It is necessary to start feeding blueberries in the autumn, during the process of mulching the soil. By the way, this procedure is necessary, since mulch helps to retain moisture in the ground, and during decomposition, it maintains a sufficient level of acidity.

Almost all garden stores sell ready-made fertilizing products, which also contain soil acidifiers. Among them, Florovit and Target have proven themselves well.

If the finished preparations do not suit you, then you can prepare the fertilizers yourself. The first step is to look at nitrogen supplements, which have a positive effect on growth. But they must be brought in no later than July, so that in winter the young shoots do not freeze.

In addition, you can prepare another mineral mixture:

• ammonium sulfate - 90 g;
• superphosphate - 110 g;
• potassium sulfate - 40 g.

The dose of fertilizers applied depends on the age characteristics of the plant. For one-year-old seedlings, 1 level tablespoon (10 grams) is enough, every year the rate increases by 1 tbsp. spoon.

Pruning

Prune blueberries in early spring or late fall.

There are 3 types of trimming:

1. Formative. It is carried out 3-4 years after the planting of seedlings. It is necessary in order to form a comfortable crown. In the process, low, weakened and dense shoots are removed.
2. Regulatory. It is recommended to do it annually after 4 years of age. With its help, you can evenly distribute inflorescences and fruit buds. The process also removes all weakened, dense and low-growing sprouts. In addition, it is allowed to remove several large branches, as well as those branches that grow in bunches at the edges of the shoots.
3. Anti-aging. It is carried out for 8-10 years and gives the bush vitality. It is necessary to rid the plant of all diseased and stunted branches, and also to cut off several large summer shoots.

Preparation for wintering

Blueberries are hardy plants and can grow in latitudes where frosts reach -23 ... -25 degrees.

If the shoots freeze slightly, then with the arrival of heat, the bush will quickly recover.

In our latitudes, it is recommended to mulch the bush with needles. If very severe frosts are expected, then in the fall I fix all the inclined branches with staples, and the bush itself is covered with spruce branches.During flowering, blueberries are able to withstand freezing temperatures down to -7 degrees.

Blueberry propagation

There are several breeding options for garden blueberries:

• Cuttings. This is one of the most common options. This method became possible thanks to regeneration, as a result of which new roots are formed. When choosing a cutting, it is important to pay attention to its age. In lignified shoots, metabolic and water-retaining functions deteriorate, which is very necessary for the formation of the root base. As a result, green young shoots have a higher survival rate.
• Taps. This method is also often used, but its disadvantage is that it may take 2-3 years for rooting. The right time for this method is a period of active growth, that is, from mid-spring to early autumn.
• Seeds. This is the most time-consuming work that takes more than one year. That is why this method is practically not used by simple gardeners. It is mainly used by breeders to develop new varieties.

Disease and pest control

• Most often, birds have a detrimental effect on blueberries, which glue the fruits together and reduce their yield. To prevent this, it is recommended to cover the bushes with special nets.
• Sometimes in springtime blueberries can be attacked by May beetles and beetles. They gnaw at the leaf base and eat out the inflorescences. Beetle larvae can damage the roots.
• The plant also suffers from scale insects, silkworms, aphids and leafworms. Large individuals are collected by hand, and to remove the rest, it is necessary to spray the bushes with Karbofos or Aktellik.

As for diseases, most often the plant is affected by various fungi. They are provoked by the accumulation of moisture in the rhizome area with insufficient soil permeability. For prevention, the bushes are recommended to be treated in the spring with a Bordeaux mixture. Topaz can be used for treatment.

It happens that the bushes infect viruses or mycoplasma diseases. Unfortunately, they do not respond to treatment, and as a result, the damaged parts have to be cut off and burned.

If you noticed that the leaves of the plant began to turn yellow, then this indicates an insufficient level of nitrogen. The consequence of such a deficiency will be small fruits and a slowdown in shoot growth.

Garden blueberry varieties

Today there are a huge number of garden blueberry varieties, and it is simply impossible to consider all of them. We offer you to get acquainted with the most popular options that have proven themselves from the best side among gardeners.

• Bluegold is one of the earliest varieties that can withstand cold temperatures down to -35 degrees. The minimum yield is 4 kg.
• Blueport is a mid-season variety, the berries have a flattened shape.
• Blurey - differs in juicy and sugary-sweet berries, which can be harvested in the middle of summer. Able to withstand frosts down to -34 degrees.
• Bonus - a variety with very large fruits. Often the size of the berries is about the size of a dime. They can be consumed both fresh and frozen.
• Gerber is one of the tallest bushes, often reaching a height of 2 meters. Thanks to such features, you can get up to 9 kg of fruits from it.
• Jersey is a fairly common variety, tested by every generation. The berries are well stored and used for home harvesting.
• Duke - the variety is not afraid of spring frosts, and its fruits can be harvested in mid-July.
• Northland. There were cases when the plant withstood frosts down to -40 degrees. Thanks to this ability, it is great for colder regions. The maximum yield of the bush is 8 kg.

It is impossible to classify blueberries among the most unpretentious plants. She needs constant attention and requires specific care. But again, there is nothing difficult in growing a bush. A little patience and effort, and you will receive tasty and healthy fruits at your summer cottage.

Friends, our topic today is very interesting and important: how to properly plant blueberries and take care of them.

For many gardeners, this wonderful berry simply disappears due to inadequate conditions, improper cultivation techniques or due to pests.

Garden blueberry is a rather demanding plant, let's discuss in order what it needs for a comfortable life and large yields.

Planting blueberries at their summer cottage

So, if you decide to plant blueberries on your hacienda, you should start with high-quality planting material. Buy seedlings from trusted, good producers.

For planting, we need a healthy plant with a strong root system.

After you have decided on the variety and purchased high-quality seedlings, we proceed to prepare the blueberry place.

Preparing the blueberry pit

Choosing a good, sunny location for our future plantings.

It is necessary to dig a hole with a diameter of 90 cm and a depth of 45 cm. The bulk of blueberry roots are mostly located at a depth of 30 cm, so we need a small depth.

It is determined on the basis of drainage and the necessary bedding.

Blueberries love acidic soil, the ph required for it is in the region of 3.5-5.0.

Rarely does anyone on the site have enough acidic soil to just plant this beauty and forget about her. Therefore, in fact, we need such a pit to create conditions for the blueberries that they like.

If this is not done, then in insufficiently acidic soil, blueberries wither, wither, do not grow and bear fruit poorly. Or it may even die.

Therefore, we will put an acidic soil mixture in this pit. In addition, there are a few more tricks to make the soil acidic enough.

If you have highly alkaline soils, it is recommended to overlay the pit with something, for example, a non-woven material, this is necessary so that the contacting alkaline soil does not leach the acidic one. Otherwise, it will gradually cease to be sour and blueberries will start to hurt.

If the soil is not too alkaline, you can limit yourself to sprinkling the bottom of the pit with colloidal sulfur. As bacteria decompose, the sulfur will gradually acidify the soil. You can also add special acidifiers for the soil.

Next, on the bottom of the pit, lay out the bark of pine species of a coarse fraction (3-5). This is necessary for drainage, good air exchange, and also to maintain the desired acidity of the soil.

If suddenly there is no bark at hand, then pine litter, rotted sawdust of coniferous species, fragments of coniferous branches will do. We put a layer on the bottom with a thickness of about 5 cm.

The base of the soil will be sour red high-moor peat.

Since blueberries prefer loose soils, peat can be additionally mixed with fine bark, rotted sawdust and sand.

Add some of your soil to this mixture, provided that your soil is not heavy, clayey.

The blueberry mortar is ready.

Planting blueberries

It's time to settle our seedling for permanent residence. Remove it from the pot and look at the earthen ball, it should be completely entwined with roots. You can be sure that the root system of the plant is sufficiently developed and strong.

Further, there is no consensus on this score. Many gardeners are of the opinion that it is necessary to stir up, break the earthen lump together with the roots, so that when planting they begin to interact faster with the new substrate.

This is especially true for seedlings that have been "too late", have been growing in the same pot for many years, and their root system is a dense lump.

If the roots are soft enough, then the earthen lump can not be torn apart, but only slightly stirred up.

In the finished hole, we make a depression to fit the size of the lump of our seedling. Let's place the plant there.

It should be slightly deeper than the edge of the pit. We cover the roots of the seedling with earth.

We compact the earth around the bush.

Watering.

Further, we will mulch the ground around the blueberry bush with coniferous bark of a fine fraction or coniferous rotted sawdust or litter.

Mulch will prevent weeds from germinating and will retain moisture in the soil, since loose peat itself dries out very quickly.

After planting, remove all thin shoots from the bush.

It is also necessary at this stage to remove the fruit buds of the plant so that it does not waste energy on fruiting at least this year. Instead, it grew big and strong.

Blueberry care

Blueberries will thrive in a sunny spot.

Watering should be regular, even frequent during dry periods. On hot days, spraying the bushes in the evening is recommended.

For 3-4 years, the first pruning is performed: all thin, extra branches are removed, the crown is cut through. This stimulates the blueberry to grow new shoots and plant new fruit buds. Pruning is carried out in the spring, before the foliage dissolves.

It is important to monitor the acidity of the soil, not to let it alkalize, which means to acidify in time. This can be done in the spring with sour grass compote.

It is done like this: cut a large bunch of rhubarb, a bunch of sorrel and sour cherry and pour 10 liters of water. Insist 3 hours. And you can water this water under the bush.

You can also use lemon juice as an acidifier: 1 lemon in 10 liters of water.

Inspect blueberries periodically for pests and process if necessary.

The most malicious blueberry pest is the beetle larva. They simply adore the tender roots of blueberries, often dozens of individuals cram under one bush and gnaw it with pleasure.

Therefore, during planting and in the future, preventive treatments against these insects by spilling the soil with specialized preparations, such as Antichrushch, are necessary.

From folk remedies, an ammonia solution copes with the larva of the May beetle: 1 tbsp. l per 10 l of water.

Fertilizing blueberries

You need to feed blueberries three times per season. The best choice is a specialized blueberry fertilizer with an acidifying effect.

First of all, because they contain the optimal dosage for this plant, and of course they help to maintain the acidic reaction of the soil.

We recommend Florovit Blueberry, Blueberry Target, Biopon, Fertis or Planton. The choice is large enough.

If you cannot find these fertilizers in your city, then as an option you can use fertilizers for azaleas - they also acidify the soil and nourish the plant well.

We hope that our article will help you make friends with this wonderful berry and successfully grow it on your site.

Share this article on social networks, it will definitely come in handy for your friends! Until next time in the next articles.

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In recent years, in our country and in the neighboring countries, blueberries are rapidly gaining popularity - a shrub common in Europe with a high content of vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals.

A berry with extremely useful properties is necessary for every healthy person. Not knowing how to grow blueberries, many gardeners and summer residents refuse this shrub. In care, the shrub is unpretentious and does not require much effort, however, the cultivation of blueberries requires compliance with some nuances.

Blueberry variety selection

It is important to choose the right variety before planting blueberries on the site. For areas with a cool climate, low-growing varieties (for example, Canadian) are preferred. In warmer regions with long, hot summers, garden blueberries can be cultivated. When making a choice, the most important thing is to compare the ripening dates and climatic features of your area, otherwise the blueberries will not have time to ripen.

You can enjoy the wonderful blueberries in any region of our country. The different varieties of the berry are harvested in the early, middle or late seasons. Growing several varieties at once will help extend the harvest season until late autumn.

Landing dates

The shrub can be grown in any region of our country, given that the plant does not like long-term drying of the soil.You can plant blueberries in spring and autumn, but spring planting is more reliable: during the summer season, the seedlings on the site have time to take root and get so strong that in winter the risk of freezing becomes minimal.

In early spring, it is recommended to plant blueberries before sap flows. Planting is best done after the snow has melted and the soil has warmed up to + 6 ° C. The time for planting shrubs depends on the weather conditions of the region: from March-April in the more southern regions to May in the northern ones.

In the fall, blueberries are best planted in September or early October. Plants planted before winter take root well and practically do not freeze out. Compared to the spring planting, the autumn planting is longer in time.

Site selection and soil preparation

Blueberries are grown only in acidic soils. The plant grows well on peat bogs, sandy and sandy loam substrates. Blueberries do not tolerate predecessors, therefore, it is desirable that the area intended for it be under steam for several years.

The rotted leaf litter significantly improves soil fertility and water regime. To create such a soil in a garden plot, you can use sawdust, sour high peat, foliage, bark or other materials, using sulfur, acetic, citric or malic acid, raising the acidity of the soil to 3.7-4.8 units.

Moderate soil moisture is one of the main conditions for successful blueberry cultivation. It should not be planted in areas lying in lowlands: in such cases, there is a very high risk of waterlogging. In a shrub growing for a long time in places with an excess of moisture, the roots quickly rot and die off, it ceases to develop and bear fruit.

For planting blueberries in a summer cottage, you should choose the most illuminated place, at the same time, protected from strong winds. The yield and quality of berries in partial shade will be much worse. With a lack of light, the growth time of shoots is lengthened, which do not always have time to lignify before the first frost, as a result of which the risk of frosting in winter increases.

It is cost effective to plant several varieties of blueberries in the garden. Mixed planting of different varieties ensures good pollination and higher yields, significantly improves the taste of berries and shortens their ripening time.

Preparation of seedlings

It is better to purchase 2-3-year-old blueberry seedlings with a developed closed root system: in containers or pots. It is impossible to simply transfer them from the container into the pit, because the fragile roots of blueberries in the ground will not unfold on their own and the plant will not be able to fully develop.

Immediately before planting, the pot with the plant is immersed in a container of water for 20-25 minutes to saturate the roots and an earthen lump with moisture. The seedlings are then carefully removed from the pot, and the earthy ball is kneaded with your hands. Turning the bush upside down, the root ball is cut crosswise to a depth of 5-7 cm or, starting from the middle, torn by hand.

Landing technology

Medium and vigorous blueberry bushes are planted at a distance of 90-120 cm from each other, undersized - 70-80 cm.Prepare planting pits with a diameter of 60-70 cm and a depth of 40-50 cm in advance.On heavy loamy soils, make a wider pit of shallower depth (20-30 cm) and additionally equip a drainage layer with a thickness of 10-15 cm.

To provide air access to the roots of the plant, it is advisable to loosen the bottom and walls of the pit. To ensure the normal development of blueberries, it is necessary to create an acidic substrate in the pit.

It is recommended to lay high moor peat mixed with needles, sand and sawdust on the bottom and add 50 grams of sulfur there to oxidize the soil, mix everything thoroughly and compact. There is no need to add any fertilizers to the substrate, especially organic ones that alkalize the soil.

The seedling is lowered into a pit, its roots are spread in different directions and covered with prepared soil with high acidity.The plant is deepened 6-7 cm above the level of the coma in the pot. The earth is then slightly compacted. A small hole is made around the bush and watered abundantly. A layer of sawdust with a thickness of 9-12 cm is used to mulch the near-trunk zone.

After the autumn planting of blueberries, you need to remove all weak branches from the seedling of the first year of life with pruning shears, and shorten the developed ones by half. If the seedling is older than 2 years, no pruning should be done after planting.

Blueberry care

To obtain a rich harvest of beautiful and healing berries, blueberry plantings must be provided with competent, timely care.

Watering

For good survival and development of shrubs, moderate but constant watering without waterlogging and drying out of the soil is important. It is recommended to water the soil around the bush by drip or shallow sprinkling.

In the summer, in mid-July and August, the plant should be watered twice a day (morning and evening), several times a week, 1.5-2 buckets of water under each bush. Abundant watering during this period is very important: flower buds are laid on the bushes simultaneously with fruiting for next year's harvest. The lack of moisture will be reflected in its significant decrease in the current and next year.

When it is especially hot and stuffy, the bushes need to be cooled by spraying with cool water at 12-13 in the afternoon. Such a simple agrotechnical manipulation minimizes the stress from overheating of the plant and increases the rate of photosynthesis.

Tillage

Blueberry plantings are mulched with rotted leaves, sawdust, straw, needles in a layer 7-12 cm thick. By retaining moisture in the soil, this allows it to equalize its temperature. When mulching plantings with sawdust or fresh bark, it is necessary to additionally apply nitrogen fertilizers so that the growth and development of the bushes does not slow down.

When removing weeds around blueberry plantings, it is important to take into account the proximity of blueberry roots to the surface. We recommend shallow weeding between rows. Blueberry plantings are often planted with low-growing grasses, mowing them down and leaving them to rot.

Top dressing

Blueberries, especially tall varieties, are sensitive to a lack of fertilizers.

In early spring, when the buds swell, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding with complex mineral fertilizers such as Fertik or Azofosk (according to the instructions), the second - during the flowering period, the third - after the appearance of small berries, but no later than July 1. The dose of fertilizers per season depends on the age of the bush: a 2-3-year-old will need 10-20 grams, a 4-year-old will need 40 grams, a 5-year-old will need 50-70 grams, and an older one will need 150-160 grams.

When growing blueberries, many gardeners make a common mistake - applying organic fertilizers. Blueberries not only do not tolerate manure, compost and chicken droppings, but after using them they can even die.

You should not ignore such an important event as maintaining the optimal level of soil acidity. To this end, from April to September, twice a month, each bush is watered with a weak solution of citric acid (for 3 liters of water - 5-12 grams).

Pruning

Regular spring pruning of the bushes ensures high fruiting of blueberries. In this case, the branches lying on the ground and diseased branches, small bushy growth at the base of the plant, are to be removed. Of the annual shoots, it is necessary to leave 4-6 of the most developed ones. In erect bushes, the middle is thinned out, in spreading ones, drooping lower branches are removed.

Pest and disease control

Garden blueberry plants will be healthy and immune to disease if planted and cared for according to agricultural practices. But sometimes even healthy plants need protection. Most often, ripening blueberries are affected by birds that peck at them. To preserve the harvest, it is enough to carefully pull the mesh with small cells over the bushes.

Insects usually do not cause significant damage to blueberries, but in some years the bushes can attack the May beetles, which gnaw the leaves and eat the flowers of the plant, which significantly reduces the yield of blueberries. Beetle larvae can also eat up the roots of bushes. Blueberries can be affected by aphids, scale insects, leafworms, and pine silkworm caterpillars.

Beetles and their larvae are collected by hand and drowned in salt water. The best remedy for other pests is preventive and therapeutic spraying of blueberry plantings with Actellik (2 milliliters per 2 liters of water).

Blueberries suffer the most from fungal diseases: phomopsis (drying of branches), stem cancer, white and double spot, gray rot, physalsporosis, monoliosis of fruits. Almost all fungal diseases of garden blueberries are caused by stagnation of moisture in the roots of the plant due to insufficient water permeability of the soil or improper watering.

For prophylactic purposes, the plants are annually treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture in early spring and after harvest. Diseases are treated with a double or triple treatment with Topaz (2 milliliters per 10 liters of water) at weekly intervals.

Sometimes blueberries are affected by mycoplasma or viral diseases: dwarfism, filamentous branches, necrotic and red ring spots, mosaic. It is impossible to cure plants from them, diseased specimens have to be removed and burned.

Some problems in blueberries are caused by violations of agricultural rules. If the leaves of the plants turn light green and then yellow, the problem is most likely in the insufficiently acidic soil on the site.

If you add peat to it, the appearance of the foliage will gradually recover. Blueberry leaves can turn yellow as a result of nitrogen deficiency. For the same reason, the berries become small, and the shoots stop growing. Nitrogen fertilizers on the blueberry plot must be applied annually.

Blueberry fruit is a delicate dietary berry with a unique rich taste, rich in vitamins and nutrients. Blueberry plantings can be found in almost every corner of the northern hemisphere. Bushes with good care will delight with a generous harvest and extraordinary decorativeness for more than a dozen years. The plant winters well in the open field, and there are not so many secrets of cultivation.

Varieties and varieties

The breeding of the first varieties of garden blueberries began in 1908. For this period, several groups of varieties have been bred:

1. Stunted.
2. Northern tall.
3. South tall.
4. Semi-tall.
5. Rabbit eye.

Blueberry. Variety "Rabbit eye"

For climatic conditions of middle latitude, varieties of the northern tall group are suitable, so let's consider these varieties:

• Bluecrop - This is one of the most famous and valuable varieties of average fruiting period. Disease resistant, frost-resistant, drought tolerant. It is the benchmark for other varieties. The berries are large, of high taste, suitable for transportation. In the United States of America, the variety is used as the main variety for industrial purposes.

Variety "Bluecrop"

• Patriot - ripens in the second decade of July. Very frost resistant. It can grow in damp places, but yields good yields in sunny, light areas. Resistant to stem cancer. Berries of good taste.
• Duke - a variety of early fruiting, although it blooms late. Needs strong pruning. The berries are large, suitable for freezing.
• Elizabeth - a variety of late fruiting. It reproduces well by lignified cuttings. Fruit ripening is extended in terms of time. This is one of the most delicious varieties. It is recommended for summer cottages as a dessert variety. It has good frost resistance up to - 30 degrees. It develops very poorly on sandy soils.

Variety "Elizabet"

• Sunrise - the variety is good for fresh consumption. Ripens by the end of July.Has a weak shoot-forming ability, which provides good illumination of the entire bush.
• Toro - this variety is similar to Bluerop. Ripens in early August. Requires reinforced pruning. Frost resistant.

Variety "Toro"

The frost resistance of the plant and the ripening time of berries can be influenced by weather conditions:

• winter thaws;
• spring frosts;
• early or late spring;
• general temperature level in different periods;
• features of the site (soil composition, moisture capacity, the presence or absence of a slope, planting in a pit or ridge, agricultural technology).

Advice. Blueberries are self-pollinating plants, but by planting several varieties on the site, you will provide the culture with cross-pollination by insects, which doubles the ovary.

Planting blueberries

Planting should begin with the right choice of place for the culture. Some gardeners mistakenly believe that since blueberries grow in the wild in peat bogs and swamps, then they should be planted in partial shade, under tree crowns, in low-lying areas where water stagnates. This is fundamentally wrong.

Garden blueberry bush

The fact is that garden blueberries practically do not yield a harvest in the shade, and if the berries are tied, you will hardly like their taste. For blueberries, you need to choose the most illuminated place on the site with a groundwater level of at least half a meter, protected from winds. Ordinary garden soil, loamy or sandy soils are not suitable for the plant. Blueberries planted in such soil will not develop and give growth, and will die over time. A healthy plant with a rich harvest will grow only on acidic soil with an acidity level of 4.2 to 4.5 pH.

Measurement of soil acidity

You can plant blueberries in planting pits or trenches filled with a mixture of red peat in half with coniferous leaf litter and the addition of pine bark. On top, mulch well with pine sawdust, bark or needles. The mulch will provide the plant with stable moisture and oxygen access to the roots. If the soil in your area is clay, then drainage must be laid at the bottom of the planting pit, otherwise water will stagnate in the pit, and this will have a detrimental effect on the plant.

The second option would be to plant on a ridge or in a raised, fringed bed. Garden blueberry is a fairly tall plant, so the distance between rows should be at least 1.5 m, and about a meter in a row.

Planting methods for blueberries in different types of soil

It is best to purchase seedlings with a closed root system. A simple transfer from the pot to the planting hole is not suitable, since the plant itself will not unfold the roots in the right direction. First, immerse the container with a young bush in water for 10 minutes, and then gently straighten the roots along the planting mound in the hole. The root collar must remain at ground level. You can plant blueberries in spring and autumn.

Advice. In order not to be mistaken with the acidity and moisture of the soil, purchase a pH meter. The device will allow you to measure these parameters directly at the root system of garden blueberries. Timely correction of acidity and moisture is the key to successful plant growth and development.

Blueberry care, fertilization and feeding

Remember one important rule - you cannot add ash, any manure and compost under the blueberries. These components alkalize the soil, and blueberries need an acidic environment. This is due to the nutritional characteristics of the plant. The root system of blueberries does not have root hairs, and the absorption of nutrients occurs through symbiosis with endophytic mycorrhiza, which can only live in a humid acidic environment.

Organic fertilizers are not suitable for feeding blueberries

The plant needs fertilizers from the second year after planting. They are fed several times a season: in early spring, during the swelling of the buds and at the same time as picking berries, when the next year's harvest is being laid.The easiest way is to take fertilizer for azaleas and dilute according to the instructions.

The soil should be moderately moist at all times. It is optimal to water the blueberries twice a week. Particular attention should be paid to watering during the ripening period of berries, when future flower buds are laid.

Drip irrigation of blueberries

To maintain the required level of soil acidity, colloidal sulfur, citric acid (spoonfuls per bucket) and a strong electrolyte for batteries (H2SO4) can be used simultaneously with watering. Adding 1 ml of electrolyte to 1 liter of water changes the pH to 5.0.

Garden blueberries need pruning. Until the age of five, only dried, diseased or damaged shoots and branches lying on the ground are removed. In the future, branches thickening the bush are removed, as well as branches without young growth. Strong anti-aging pruning is necessary for bushes over 15 years old.

Garden blueberry pruning scheme

If harsh winters prevail in your region, cover the blueberries with spunbond for the winter and put spruce branches on top. The plant can tolerate temperatures as low as -25 degrees. Tall varieties with a small amount of snow can freeze, in this case, in the spring, carry out a sanitary pruning of branches to healthy wood. Blooming blueberries can withstand temperatures as low as -7 degrees without affecting future crops. If your climatic zone has mild winters, then you can do without shelter, especially if you have planted frost-resistant varieties.

Reproduction of garden blueberries

Blueberries are propagated in several ways:

1. Seeds. Well-ripe and healthy berries are selected for seeds, the pulp is removed, and the seeds are slightly dried and sown in peat. Seeds require stratification for spring sowing. Optimal conditions for seed germination are a temperature of 20 -25 degrees and a constant substrate moisture content of about 40%. After two years, the seedlings can be assigned to a permanent place.

   Blueberry seeds

2. Cuttings. This method gives good results and is the most commonly used method. Use green or lignified shoots. Green cuttings are rooted in large farms; it is better to use annual lignified shoots on your own. To do this, at the end of autumn, cuttings of 15 cm are cut. The lower cut is made obliquely under the kidney, and the upper cut is made at a distance of 1-2 cm above the kidney horizontally. Cuttings are planted in a greenhouse to maintain high humidity. The temperature and humidity must be monitored for 60 days.

   Blueberry sprout

3. By dividing the bush mostly undersized varieties breed. The method consists in separating pieces of rhizome with buds or young shoots and transplanting to a new place.
4. Layers. To do this, in the fall, a blueberry branch is added in, as is done with currants or gooseberries, so that additional roots are formed. After two years, you can separate the young bush from the mother plant. But unlike currants, blueberries are very reluctant to reproduce in this way, so they are rarely used.

Advice. Blueberries are a very difficult plant to root, therefore, before planting, it is recommended to dip the material in a preparation for rooting heather.

Diseases and pests

With good care and agricultural technology appropriate to the plant, blueberries are practically not affected by diseases and pests. But unfavorable weather conditions can make their own adjustments, weaken the immune system, and here the plant cannot cope without your help.

Manifestation of a fungal disease of blueberries

Excess moisture in the root zone contributes to the appearance fungal diseases:

• stem cancer;
• phomopsis;
• septoria;
• botrytis;
• coccomycosis;
• anthracnose;
• moniliosis.

A new layer of mulching material, applied in early spring, will cover the spores of fungal pathogens and prevent them from developing. For prevention, you can spray the bushes with a Bordeaux mixture before the buds begin to swell and the second time in the fall after leaf fall.

Mosaic

Viral and mycoplasma diseases:

• mosaic;
• dwarfism;
• necrotic spotting;
• filamentous branches.

Viral diseases are insidious in that a diseased plant cannot be treated. The bush must be dug up and burned.

The birds love to feast on delicious blueberries. A fine-mesh garden net, draped over the bushes, will help to save the crop.

Chafer

There are few insects that harm blueberries, no particular harm was noticed from them.

1. Aphids and scale insects feed on plant sap and can carry viral diseases.
2. The leafworm damages leaves and flower buds. The young tops of the shoots are entwined with cobwebs.
3. The pine silkworm feeds on foliage.
4. Chafer. Adults feed on the leaves and flowers of the plant, and their larvae can gnaw at the roots of the bush.

If the beetles can be harvested by hand, the rest of the insects can be fought by spraying the plant with insecticides.

How to care for tall blueberries: video

Garden blueberry: photo

Planting and caring for garden blueberries requires a lot of effort, but if you find the right approach to it, you can get an impressive harvest every year. Having an excellent taste and a huge number of useful features, the plant is one of the most desirable plants in the backyard. And most importantly, not only the fruits, but also the leaves and twigs of blueberries are endowed with healing properties.

Garden blueberries: the nuances of growing

Blueberries belong to the genus Vaccinium. This is a perennial plant, therefore, before planting it in your summer cottage, it is worth considering the fact that it can safely grow there for several decades. An aggressive garden environment is not the best option for the growth of a bush, but experienced gardeners have learned to create conditions for the plant as close to natural as possible.

Blueberries do not like open spaces, but planting them near large trees is also not recommended. The soil must be acidic, in addition, it is necessary to maintain a water balance. Let's consider all the features of growing and care in more detail, which will allow you to form a general impression of this plant.

Landing in open ground

The process of planting blueberries in open soil is practically the same as planting other plants. However, there are a few simple rules that every owner of a personal plot must know about.

Soil and site requirements

Despite the fact that blueberries grow in the tundra, at home it is better to choose a bright and open place for it. Trees and shrubs located nearby will lead to a decrease in yield and a decrease in the size of the fruit.

• It is desirable that the groundwater level in the area where the plant will live does not exceed 0.5-1 meters. This will help to retain enough moisture in the soil, which is so necessary for blueberries.
• When choosing a landing site, you must also pay attention to the fact that it is protected from strong winds. Fences or an artificial hedge will serve as a good barrier.
• In addition, there must be a certain level of acidity, therefore, before planting, measure the pH indicator (its norm is 3.5-5.5).

For the development of the plant, the neutral medium will need to be acidified. Colloidal sulfur, citric or orthophosphoric acid are perfect for this. It is better to fill up the substrate six months before planting the berries.

Despite the fact that blueberries are able to take root without problems on depleted soil and do not need any fertilizers, experienced gardeners still try to prepare a special substrate for it, which differs from ordinary garden soil in its composition.

• A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the hole in which the seedlings will be planted. Usually chips or small branches of pine are used as it.
• Then the substrate itself is prepared from high-moor and sphagnum peat, sawdust, forest land, sand and humus of needles.
• Half of the entire composition should be peat, the rest of the components are taken in equal proportions.

How and when to plant blueberries in autumn, spring?

You can plant blueberry seedlings in spring or autumn. If this procedure is carried out in the spring, then it is important to do this before the kidneys swell.

Several rules for the correct planting of seedlings:

1. Prepare the wells initially. On average, their size should be 60x60, depth - up to 0.5 meters.
2. If low-growing varieties are planted, the gap between the pits can be 0.5 meters, for medium-sized ones it increases to 1 meter, for tall ones you need to maintain a distance of more than a meter.
3. Try to keep the distance between the rows about three meters.
4. Loosen the walls and bottom of the hole - this will saturate the root system with the necessary amount of oxygen. Then fill part of the hole with a special substrate. In no case do not introduce any organic matter, as it can lower the acidity level.
5. Place the seedling in the hole and carefully straighten all the roots. Begin to cover them with earth, but remember that the root collar should be covered with only a few centimeters.
6. Water the planted seedlings with water and add a layer of pine sawdust, straw or peat on top.

To plant blueberries from containers, the containers must be placed in water for 15 minutes.

After that, it will be much easier to get the sprout. Knead the earth and straighten the roots well.

Knowing the basic rules of planting in spring, the question of how to plant garden blueberries in autumn should disappear by itself. The sequence of actions is no different from those described above and does not depend on the season. The only thing you need to know is that after the autumn planting, all weak cuttings must be removed from a young seedling, and the remaining cuttings must be shortened by half. If the seedlings are more than 2 years old, then they do not need any pruning.

Garden blueberries: care

So that the success of blueberry cultivation is not long in coming, it is important to adhere to the basic rules in caring for the plant. This applies to watering, pruning, preparing for the winter and the question of how to feed blueberries.

Watering schedule

Blueberries are exactly the kind of plant that needs sufficient moisture.

She does not have enough natural precipitation, which means that it is worth taking care of regular watering.

This is especially important in the spring. A high and high quality result is guaranteed by the drip irrigation system. But not everyone has the opportunity to organize watering in this way.

Therefore, pay attention to the following nuances:

1. The first signal for watering should be a dry top layer of the earth (about 4-5 centimeters).
2. Young shoots and seedlings need abundant watering every 2-4 days. In drier times, the number of waterings is increased; at medium temperatures, they can be reduced.
3. If the acidity of the soil is insufficient, then every month 100 grams of table vinegar or soil acidifier is added to the water (per 10 liters).

Top dressing and processing

It is necessary to start feeding blueberries in the autumn, during the process of mulching the soil. By the way, this procedure is necessary, since mulch helps to retain moisture in the ground, and during decomposition it maintains a sufficient level of acidity.

Almost all garden stores sell ready-made fertilizing products that also contain soil acidifiers. Among them, Florovit and Target have proven themselves well.

If the finished preparations do not suit you, then you can prepare the fertilizers yourself. The first step is to look at nitrogen supplements, which have a positive effect on growth. But they must be brought in no later than July, so that in winter the young shoots do not freeze.

In addition, you can prepare another mineral mixture:

• ammonium sulfate - 90 g;
• superphosphate - 110 g;
• potassium sulfate - 40 g.

The dose of fertilizers applied depends on the age characteristics of the plant.For one-year-old seedlings, 1 level tablespoon (10 grams) is enough, every year the rate increases by 1 tbsp. spoon.

Pruning

Prune blueberries in early spring or late autumn.

There are 3 types of trimming:

1. Formative. It is carried out 3-4 years after the planting of seedlings. It is necessary in order to form a comfortable crown. In the process, low, weakened and dense shoots are removed.
2. Regulatory. It is recommended to do it annually after 4 years of age. With its help, you can evenly distribute inflorescences and fruit buds. The process also removes all weakened, dense and low-growing sprouts. In addition, it is allowed to remove several large branches, as well as those branches that grow in bunches at the edges of the shoots.
3. Anti-aging. It is carried out for 8-10 years and gives the bush vitality. It is necessary to rid the plant of all diseased and undersized branches, and also to cut off several large summer shoots.

Preparation for wintering

Blueberries are hardy plants and can grow in latitudes where frosts reach -23 ... -25 degrees.

If the shoots freeze slightly, then with the arrival of heat, the bush will quickly recover.

In our latitudes, it is recommended to mulch the bush with needles. If very severe frosts are expected, then in the fall I fix all the inclined branches with staples, and the bush itself is covered with spruce branches. During flowering, blueberries are able to withstand freezing temperatures down to -7 degrees.

Blueberry propagation

There are several breeding options for garden blueberries:

• Cuttings. This is one of the most common options. This method became possible thanks to regeneration, as a result of which new roots are formed. When choosing a cutting, it is important to pay attention to its age. In lignified shoots, metabolic and water-retaining functions deteriorate, which is very necessary for the formation of the root base. As a result, green young shoots have a higher survival rate.
• Taps. This method is also often used, but its disadvantage is that it may take 2-3 years for rooting. The right time for this method is a period of active growth, that is, from mid-spring to early autumn.
• Seeds. This is the most time-consuming work that takes more than one year. That is why this method is practically not used by simple gardeners. It is mainly used by breeders to develop new varieties.

Disease and pest control

• Most often, birds have a detrimental effect on blueberries, which glue the fruits together and reduce their yield. To prevent this, it is recommended to cover the bushes with special nets.
• Sometimes in springtime blueberries can be attacked by May beetles and beetles. They gnaw at the leaf base and eat out the inflorescences. Beetle larvae can damage the roots.
• The plant also suffers from scale insects, silkworms, aphids and leafworms. Large individuals are collected by hand, and to remove the rest, it is necessary to spray the bushes with Karbofos or Aktellik.

As for diseases, most often the plant is affected by various fungi. They are provoked by the accumulation of moisture in the rhizome area with insufficient soil permeability. For prevention, the bushes are recommended to be treated in the spring with a Bordeaux mixture. Topaz can be used for treatment.

It happens that the bushes infect viruses or mycoplasma diseases. Unfortunately, they do not respond to treatment and as a result, the damaged parts have to be cut off and burned.

If you noticed that the leaves of the plant began to turn yellow, then this indicates an insufficient level of nitrogen. The consequence of such a deficiency will be small fruits and a slowdown in shoot growth.

Garden blueberry varieties

Today there are a huge number of garden blueberry varieties, and it is simply impossible to consider all of them. We offer you to get acquainted with the most popular options that have proven themselves from the best side among gardeners.

• Bluegold is one of the earliest varieties that can withstand cold temperatures down to -35 degrees. The minimum yield is 4 kg.
• Blueport is a mid-season variety, the berries have a flattened shape.
• Blurey - differs in juicy and sugary-sweet berries, which can be harvested in the middle of summer. Able to withstand frosts down to -34 degrees.
• Bonus - a variety with very large fruits. Often the size of the berries is about the size of a dime. They can be consumed both fresh and frozen.
• Gerber is one of the tallest bushes, often reaching a height of 2 meters. Thanks to such features, you can get up to 9 kg of fruits from it.
• Jersey is a fairly common variety, tested by every generation. The berries are well stored and used for home harvesting.
• Duke - the variety is not afraid of spring frosts, and its fruits can be harvested in mid-July.
• Northland. There were cases when the plant withstood frosts down to -40 degrees. Thanks to this ability, it is great for colder regions. The maximum yield of the bush is 8 kg.

It is impossible to classify blueberries among the most unpretentious plants. She needs constant attention and requires specific care. But again, there is nothing difficult in growing a bush. A little patience and effort, and you will receive tasty and healthy fruits at your summer cottage.

In recent years, in our country and in the neighboring countries, blueberries are rapidly gaining popularity - a shrub common in Europe with a high content of vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals.

A berry with extremely useful properties is necessary for every healthy person. Not knowing how to grow blueberries, many gardeners and summer residents refuse this shrub. In care, the shrub is unpretentious and does not require much effort, however, the cultivation of blueberries requires compliance with some nuances.

Blueberry variety selection

It is important to choose the right variety before planting blueberries on the site. For areas with a cool climate, low-growing varieties (for example, Canadian) are preferred. In warmer regions with long, hot summers, garden blueberries can be cultivated. When making a choice, it is most important to compare the ripening dates and climatic features of your area, otherwise the blueberries will not have time to ripen.

You can enjoy the wonderful blueberries in any region of our country. The different varieties of the berry are harvested in the early, middle or late seasons. Growing several varieties at once will help extend the harvest season until late autumn.

Landing dates

The shrub can be grown in any region of our country, given that the plant does not like long-term drying of the soil. You can plant blueberries in spring and autumn, but spring planting is more reliable: during the summer season, the seedlings on the site have time to take root and get so strong that in winter the risk of freezing becomes minimal.

In early spring, it is recommended to plant blueberries before sap flows. Planting is best done after the snow has melted and the soil has warmed up to + 6 ° C. The time for planting shrubs depends on the weather conditions of the region: from March-April in the more southern regions to May in the northern ones.

In the fall, blueberries are best planted in September or early October. Plants planted before winter take root well and practically do not freeze out. Compared to the spring planting, the autumn planting is longer in time.

Site selection and soil preparation

Blueberries are grown only in acidic soils. The plant grows well on peat bogs, sandy and sandy loam substrates. Blueberries do not tolerate predecessors, therefore, it is desirable that the area intended for it be under steam for several years.

The rotted litter of leaves significantly improves soil fertility and water regime.To create such a soil in a garden plot, you can use sawdust, sour high peat, foliage, bark or other materials, using sulfur, acetic, citric or malic acid, raising the acidity of the soil to 3.7-4.8 units.

Moderate soil moisture is one of the main conditions for successful blueberry cultivation. It should not be planted in areas lying in lowlands: in such cases, there is a very high risk of waterlogging. In a shrub growing for a long time in places with an excess of moisture, the roots quickly rot and die off, it ceases to develop and bear fruit.

For planting blueberries in a summer cottage, you should choose the most illuminated place, at the same time protected from strong winds. The yield and quality of berries in partial shade will be much worse. With a lack of light, the growth time of shoots is lengthened, which do not always have time to lignify before the first frost, as a result of which the risk of frosting in winter increases.

It is cost effective to plant several varieties of blueberries in the garden. Mixed planting of different varieties provides good pollination and higher yields, significantly improves the taste of berries and shortens their ripening time.

Preparation of seedlings

It is better to purchase 2-3-year-old blueberry seedlings with a developed closed root system: in containers or pots. It is impossible to simply transfer them from the container into the pit, because the fragile roots of blueberries in the ground will not unfold on their own and the plant will not be able to fully develop.

Immediately before planting, the pot with the plant is immersed in a container of water for 20-25 minutes to saturate the roots and an earthen lump with moisture. The seedlings are then carefully removed from the pot, and the earthy ball is kneaded with your hands. Turning the bush upside down, the root ball is cut crosswise to a depth of 5-7 cm or, starting from the middle, torn by hand.

Landing technology

Medium and vigorous blueberry bushes are planted at a distance of 90-120 cm from each other, undersized - 70-80 cm.Prepare planting pits with a diameter of 60-70 cm and a depth of 40-50 cm in advance.On heavy loamy soils, make a wider pit of shallower depth (20-30 cm) and additionally equip a drainage layer with a thickness of 10-15 cm.

To provide air access to the roots of the plant, it is advisable to loosen the bottom and walls of the pit. To ensure the normal development of blueberries, it is necessary to create an acidic substrate in the pit.

It is recommended to lay high moor peat mixed with needles, sand and sawdust on the bottom and add 50 grams of sulfur there to oxidize the soil, mix everything thoroughly and compact. There is no need to add any fertilizers to the substrate, especially organic ones that alkalize the soil.

The seedling is lowered into a pit, its roots are spread in different directions and covered with prepared soil with high acidity. The plant is deepened 6-7 cm above the level of the coma in the pot. The earth is then slightly compacted. A small hole is made around the bush and watered abundantly. A layer of sawdust 9-12 cm thick is used to mulch the near-trunk zone.

After the autumn planting of blueberries, you need to remove all weak branches from the seedling of the first year of life with pruning shears, and shorten the developed ones by half. If the seedling is older than 2 years, no pruning should be done after planting.

Blueberry care

To obtain a rich harvest of beautiful and healing berries, blueberry plantings must be provided with competent and timely care.

Watering

For good survival and development of shrubs, moderate but constant watering without waterlogging and drying out of the soil is important. It is recommended to water the soil around the bush by drip or shallow sprinkling.

In summer, in mid-July and August, the plant should be watered twice a day (morning and evening), several times a week, 1.5-2 buckets of water under each bush. Abundant watering during this period is very important: flower buds are laid on the bushes simultaneously with fruiting for next year's harvest.The lack of moisture will be reflected in its significant decrease in the current and next year.

When it is especially hot and stuffy, the bushes need to be cooled by sprinkling with cool water at 12-13 o'clock in the afternoon. Such a simple agrotechnical manipulation minimizes the stress from overheating of the plant and increases the rate of photosynthesis.

Tillage

Blueberry plantings are mulched with rotted leaves, sawdust, straw, needles in a layer 7-12 cm thick. By retaining moisture in the soil, this allows it to equalize its temperature. Mulching plantings with sawdust or fresh bark, it is necessary to additionally apply nitrogen fertilizers so that the growth and development of the bushes does not slow down.

When removing weeds around blueberry plantings, it is important to take into account the close location of blueberry roots to the surface. We recommend shallow weeding between rows. Blueberry plantings are often planted with low-growing grasses, mowing them down and leaving them to rot.

Top dressing

Blueberries, especially tall varieties, are sensitive to a lack of fertilizer.

In early spring, when the buds swell, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding with complex mineral fertilizers such as Fertik or Azofosk (according to the instructions), the second - during the flowering period, the third - after the appearance of small berries, but no later than July 1. The dose of fertilizers per season depends on the age of the bush: a 2-3-year-old will need 10-20 grams, a 4-year-old will need 40 grams, a 5-year-old will need 50-70 grams, and an older one will need 150-160 grams.

When growing blueberries, many gardeners make a common mistake - applying organic fertilizers. Blueberries not only do not tolerate manure, compost and chicken droppings, but after using them they can even die.

You should not ignore such an important event as maintaining the optimal level of soil acidity. To this end, from April to September, twice a month, each bush is watered with a weak solution of citric acid (for 3 liters of water - 5-12 grams).

Pruning

Regular spring pruning of the bushes ensures high fruiting of blueberries. In this case, the branches lying on the ground and diseased branches, small bushy growth at the base of the plant are to be removed. Of the annual shoots, it is necessary to leave 4-6 of the most developed ones. In erect bushes, the middle is thinned out, in spreading ones, drooping lower branches are removed.

Pest and disease control

Garden blueberry plants will be healthy and immune to disease if planted and cared for according to agricultural practices. But sometimes even healthy plants need protection. Most often, ripening blueberries are affected by birds that peck at them. To preserve the harvest, it is enough to carefully pull the mesh with small cells over the bushes.

Insects usually do not cause significant damage to blueberries, but in some years the bushes can attack the May beetles, which gnaw the leaves and eat the flowers of the plant, which significantly reduces the yield of blueberries. Beetle larvae can also eat up the roots of bushes. Blueberries can be affected by aphids, scale insects, leafworms, and pine silkworm caterpillars.

Beetles and their larvae are harvested by hand and drowned in salt water. The best remedy for other pests is preventive and therapeutic spraying of blueberry plantings with Actellik (2 milliliters per 2 liters of water).

Blueberries suffer the most from fungal diseases: phomopsis (drying of branches), stem cancer, white and double spot, gray rot, physalsporosis, monoliosis of fruits. Almost all fungal diseases of garden blueberries are caused by stagnation of moisture in the roots of the plant due to insufficient water permeability of the soil or improper watering.

For prophylactic purposes, the plants are annually treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture in early spring and after harvest. Diseases are treated with a double or triple treatment with Topaz (2 milliliters per 10 liters of water) at weekly intervals.

Sometimes blueberries are affected by mycoplasma or viral diseases: dwarfism, filamentous branches, necrotic and red ring spots, mosaic. It is impossible to cure plants from them, diseased specimens have to be removed and burned.

Some problems in blueberries are caused by violations of agricultural rules. If the leaves of the plants turn light green and then yellow, the problem is most likely in the insufficiently acidic soil on the site.

If you add peat to it, the appearance of the foliage will gradually recover. Blueberry leaves can turn yellow as a result of nitrogen deficiency. For the same reason, the berries become small, and the shoots stop growing. Nitrogen fertilizers on the blueberry plot must be applied annually.