How to Maintain Blueberries

Blueberry bushes supply a small fruit crop for home gardens and landscapes. The bushes flower attractively in spring and produce their abundant supply of berries in mid- to late-summer. There are blueberry bush varieties suited to most climates. Bushes grown in full sun and well-drained soil are less prone to problems and require less care to remain healthy than those grown in unsuitable sites. The plants grow and produce reliably for years when properly cared for and maintained.

Mulch
Fertilizer
Ammonium nitrate
Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Apply and maintain a 4- to 6-inch layer of mulch. Use straw, pine straw or a similar organic mulch to suppress weeds and conserve moisture in the soil around the blueberry bushes.
- 2
  Water blueberries every three to seven days in the spring and summer. Apply approximately 2 inches of moisture weekly, which is enough water to moisten the top 8 to 12 inches of soil. Blueberries require soil that remains evenly moist and doesn't dry out.
- 3
  Fertilize the blueberries with a 12-12-12 or similar fertilizer in spring when growth begins. Apply 1 cup of fertilizer per each fruit-producing bush, sprinkling the fertilizer on the soil in a 36-inch diameter ring around the trunk.
- 4
  Apply ¼ cup of ammonium nitrate fertilizer to each bush beginning six weeks after spring fertilization. Reapply the ammonium nitrate every six weeks until berry harvest.
- 5
  Prune out damaged and dead canes in late winter or early spring before new growth commences. Cut back overgrown canes by up to half their height to maintain compact blueberry bushes and thin out the older fruiting canes if the bush becomes too dense.

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