How to Grow Blueberries in Wisconsin

Select a porous soil in which to plant your blueberries. Sandy loams, loamy sands and coarse sands are all porous soils that provide the proper aeration needed for this plant.

Add 2 cubic feet of peat per plant. Mix the peat thoroughly into the soil.

Test the soil pH. Blueberries grow best in an acidic soil with pH between 4.5 and 5.5. If the soil pH is too high, add sulfur to lower it. Elemental sulfur should be incorporated into the soil the year before planting a blueberry bush, and the amount applied depends on the original pH. For example -- with a soil pH of 7, 19 lbs. should applied per 1,000 square feet to achieve a 4.5 pH, while a soil pH of 6 only requires 12 lbs. per 1,000 square feet to achieve the same result.

Control perennial weeds, such as quackgrass and nutsedge, the year before planting blueberries as these weeds are difficult to get rid of once plants are in the ground. Perennial weeds can be controlled through repeated tillage or one application of a non-residual herbicide -- non-residual herbicides are preferable because they do not stay in the soil for very long.

Plant blueberries in the spring. Dig a hole that is at least 1 foot deep and 1 foot wide for each plant, and space multiple plants 4 to 5 feet apart. Space multiple rows at least 8 feet apart.

Cultivate the soil no more than 2 inches deep, as blueberry roots are shallow.

Mulch around blueberry plants using peat moss, shredded leaves or wood chips. Mulch should be applied 2 to 4 inches deep and extend 1 to 2 feet around plants. Mulching insulates plant roots, retains soil moisture and prevents against weeds.

Fertilize blueberry plants with a fertilizer rich in nitrogen. As a general rule, apply about 3/4 lb. of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet in the first year, 1 lb. per 1,000 square feet in the second year and 2 1/2 lbs. per 1,000 square feet in the third year and thereafter.

Water blueberry plants to receive between 3/4 inch to 1 3/4 inches of water each week.

Cover blueberry plants during the winter with a row cover. Polyester materials are best for insulation, and typically can be used for only one entire season. Snow also serves as insulation against cold winds and freezing temperatures.