How to Grow Blueberries & Pine Trees

Plant blueberry bushes in late winter, just before the last frost date in your area. This ensures a dormant planting and best possible blueberry establishment. Plant 3-year-old seedlings from nurseries for the best possible transplant.

Choose a site away from your pine trees to give the blueberry bushes full sun for six to eight hours a day. Ensure the site offers good drainage and air circulation as blueberry bushes rot and die in standing water. Allot 3 square feet of growing space for each bush.

Dig into the top 18 inches of soil in an 18-inch circle for each bush. Keep 3 feet of space between the centers of the holes to ensure adequate spacing. Mix 1 cubic foot of peat moss into the natural soil from each hole to give the bushes the rich, acidic and quick-draining soil they require.

Fill the holes halfway with the amended soil and set the root balls on the soil. The junction of root to stem should sit at soil level after planting. Cover the roots with amended soil to fill the hole and firmly pack the soil.

Water each bush with 1/2 gallon of water to establish the planting. Lay 4 inches of organic mulch, such as sawdust, wood chips or bark, over the soil to protect the soil and plants. You may also use needles from your pine trees. Maintain this mulch layer at all times and replenish it as it breaks down.