What Do You Need When Cleaning Up Land and Replanting and Clearing Blueberries?

Cleaning Season

• Start the land preparation in fall, before the first frost, for soft soil and less work. Use a lawn mower or chipper to clear the land of weeds, grasses and shrubs, and remove rocks or litter. Blueberry bushes need bright sun all day and plenty of space, and fail with too much competition.

Soil Preparation

• Build up and amend the soil in fall for a late-winter planting. This gives the soil time to rest and settle before plant introduction. Use a rototiller to till the top 8 to 10 inches of soil for a looser base. Lay 5 to 6 inches of peat moss and organic compost across the site, then turn it into the tilled soil. Blueberries require this rich, acidic base and do best in raised beds for better drainage. Organic matter such as peat moss and compost also holds moisture and nutrition for long-term blueberry bush growth.

Planting Season

• Plant the blueberries in late winter to early spring when the ground thaws and dries, and before the bushes break their dormancy. Re-till the top 15 to 20 inches of soil in the cleared and amended site, and add another 1 to 2 inches of peat moss to warm the soil. Plant 2- to 3-year-old blueberry transplants at 4 to 6 feet in the row, with 8 to 12 feet between rows.

Maintenance

• Water the blueberries with 2 inches of water every week. The Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends 2 to 3 inches of pine straw, wood chips, bark or sawdust mulch for blueberries, to maintain warmth and moisture in the soil. Give each blueberry bush 10-10-10 granular fertilizer the month after planting and again every spring thereafter.