Care of Blueberry Plants

Blueberry Plant Varieties

• Choose the blueberry plants you want to grow. The highbush variety grows up to 12 feet tall. The lowbush variety grows up to 2 feet tall. A hybrid variety grows between 2 and 4 feet tall. Lowbush blueberries are hardy in zones 2 through 6, while and highbush blueberries are hardy in zones 4 through 7.

  Purchase plants that are at least two years old because blueberry plants do not produce fruit until the third growing season. Plant assorted kinds of blueberry plants so they cross-pollinate and create a bountiful berry crop.

Prepare and Plant

• Blueberries grow best in acidic soil with a pH level of at least 4.0. Blueberries also prefer a sunny location and soil that drains well with a generous amount of compost. Dig holes 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Plant the blueberry bushes in rows that are 8 to 10 feet apart, with each plant spaced 6 feet apart.

  Mulch blueberry plants with approximately 2 inches of shredded oak leaves, wood chips or pine needles to enhance the acidity of the soil.

Water and Fertilizer

• Water blueberry plants regularly to make sure that they never want for water. This is especially important during the first year after planting. Blueberry plants that are adequately watered will produce larger berries in greater quantity.

  Fertilize blueberry plants twice each growing season, in the spring and the end of summer.

Netting

• When berries appear on the blueberry plants, cover the plants with netting to prevent birds from eating them all. An easy way to do this is to construct a frame around each plant and cover the top of the frame with netting. Move the frames away for harvesting berries and replace them when you are finished picking.

Harvesting Berries

• Watch the berries as they ripen, but do not pick them immediately when they turn blue. Leave the berries on the plants for several days after ripening for extra flavor development. Test the berries on the branches, and if they pull off easily, they are ripe.

Pruning

• Trim all flowers off of blueberry plants that are less than three years old to enable the plants to produce strong roots and stems. Do not prune the stems of young blueberry plants any further than this, however. Prune older blueberry plants in early spring before any new growth begins. Blueberry plants generally only need slight thinning for best results. Prune dead or unhealthy stems. Thin carefully if the plant appears bushy. Keep in mind that if you cut away the newest growth, you may be reducing future berries because blueberries produce fruit on stems that grew in the previous growing season.