How to Propagate Blueberry Bushes

Construct propagation beds prior to harvesting cuttings. Make frames 4 feet wide, 8 inches deep and whatever length is convenient. Construct cross supports across the width of the frames and attach heavy gauge chicken wire across bottom with a staple gun. Line with hardware cloth.

Prepare rooting mix of 50 percent peat and 50 percent vermiculite. Put rooting mix in propagation beds, wet thoroughly and let the mix settle before adding more until the bed is filled to the top.

Harvest cuttings in early spring before buds break (ideally, late March). Check the "mother" plant for any signs of twig blight, bacterial blight or cane canker. If free of disease and pests, select 1-year-old shoots that are dormant, well hardened and un-branched. For greater chance of success, cuttings should have healthy leaf buds and be no greater than ¼ inch in diameter (about the diameter of a pencil).

Using the pruning shears, cut the whips near the vegetative bud, taking care not to damage or bruise the bark. Choose whips that have leaf buds on them (but not fruit buds) and cut them in lengths about 4 to 6 inches long.

With a sharp knife, slice off a ½ to 1-inch length of bark on two sides at the bottom of the cutting (vegetative buds point toward the top). Place cuttings into the mix, covering about 60 percent of the wood. Leave 1 or 2 buds above the surface. Space 2-3 inches apart.

Place beds in a greenhouse in full sun. Maintain high humidity and a constant temperature between 68 to 72 degrees. Use a heating source if necessary. Water thoroughly once a week to keep mix evenly moist, but not soggy. Water twice a week when leaves sprout (around April or May). Roots will begin to form in June.

Once roots and foliage have developed, apply a water-soluble fertilizer (15-20-4 or 13-36-13) once a week. Increase ventilation. Remove and destroy any diseased cuttings. Keep plants in propagation beds through the winter and plant the following spring in pots or in the ground.