Do Blueberry Bushes Lose Leaves in the Winter?

Fall and Winter Dormancy

• Blueberries require about 1,000 hours of chilling before they will produce fruit. The best temperatures for chilling are above freezing but below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Every fall, the blueberry loses its leaves and begins to form buds that will turn into the first fruit of the next season. During the period of winter dormancy, blueberries are storing sugars that help the plant produce fruit during the growing season.

Spring Growth

• When temperatures begin to warm, roots grow and the buds that formed during fall swell as new leaves begin to form. The plant begins to use the sugar it stored up in the fall as it grows. At this early stage, don't water or fertilize as the influx of nutrients may overwhelm the plant's roots.

Pruning

• Blueberries often produce too much fruit and the plant becomes stunted. Pruning is an essential task if you want to prevent stunted plants with small fruit. Pruning is usually coordinated to coincide with the end of the dormant period. For the first year of your blueberry plant's life, prune off any dead or damaged growth as it occurs and, in spring, remove spindly new growth. Additionally, all flowers should be removed during the first year to promote healthy plant growth. After the first year, only spring pruning is necessary. Prune before leaves develop so you can see and remove any limbs damaged during the winter.

Irrigation and Fertilizer

• Fertilizer isn't needed unless the plant isn't growing well. Wait until after the dormancy period to see if spring growth is adequate. If you do think fertilizer is warranted, rake back mulch, add fertilizer and replace the mulch then water thoroughly. Organic fertilizers like blood meal, cottonseed meal, fish meal or alfalfa meal at 1 lb. per plant is the recommended application. Blueberries have shallow root systems, so keeping their soil moist is critical. Moist, but not soaking soil is preferred, especially during bud formation in late summer. Watering during winter dormancy is not necessary; the roots are not growing and won't take up the water.