Do You Need to Prune Blueberries?

Purpose

• During the first few years of the life of the blueberry bush, pruning is mostly done for health purposes. According to University of Tennessee Extension, pruning promotes survival of the plant as well as growth. Pruning removes all of the old canes from the bush in order for new ones to grow. This reduces rot and keeps the plant producing healthy, edible blueberries. Pruning also allows light to penetrate further into the plant, which maximizes plant growth due to photosynthesis. You may also find that pruning results in a larger harvest of blueberries and larger berries each season.

Training

• According to Ohio State University Extension, proper training of blueberry bushes through proper pruning helps maintain the size, shape and productivity of the bush. Pruning will result in the bush growing in the desired manner you want it to which will make future prunings easier.

Process

• When pruning your blueberry bush, inspect the entire bush and look for diseased, broken or decaying canes. Remove these canes from the bush with bypass pruners or loppers. Canes that are more than 7 years old should also be removed, but it is important to refrain from removing more than three mature canes per year. Remove any canes that are rubbing against another, as this can cause canker infections in the plant. Canes should be removed as close to the base as possible as can stubs can rot and cause the entire bush to become diseased, according to Cornell University.

Considerations

• Pruning should be done as regularly as possible. The first pruning should occur annually in early spring, and routine pruning should occur throughout the season as needed. Irregular pruning results in unproductive canes with low berry yield. During unusually hot seasons, prune more regularly than usual as pruning will help relieve drought stress on the blueberry bush.