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Blueberries

Blueberries

Bees and wind help Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) bushes to cross-pollinate.
Blueberries have both male and female organs on the same flower, but not all are self- pollinating. If
you want to be sure that your blueberries will be pollinated, plant different varieties within 100 feet
(30.5 m) of each other. Doing so allows bees to travel between plants and cross-pollinate.


Highbush is the most common type of blueberry and it yields large, dark berries on
bushes six to eight feet tall. The Lowbush super-hardy variety grows low to the ground between 6
and 18 inches tall. If you do not have a lot of space to plant your blueberries,maybe opt for the
lowbush or highbush variety instead of the rabbit eye variety.
Introduction
Mr. John Doe

Head Director

Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Choose highbush blueberries for a warm climate. This variety grows well in hardiness zones 4 to 7. Select lowbush blueberries for cold weather. This variety is resilient in cold weather and best for plant hardiness zones 2 to 6. The rabbit eye bushes grow in a high heat climate. This variety does well in zones 7 to 9 and can tolerate heat and drought.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Fruit plants need as much sunlight as possible, especially when the berries begin to develop. Blueberries do well in raised beds that are 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) wide and 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 cm) high made by 1 x 8-inch cedar boards. Cedar is a good choice for a garden bed because it won’t rot with age. Choose a high or raised spot in your garden for the garden beds. Avoid low-lying areas and spaces where water tends to collect and/or flood. Mixing peat moss into the soil can improve drain, as peat moss can absorb and hold 10 to 20 times its dry weight in water. Use a planting area approximately 2-1/2 feet in diameter and 1 foot(0.3 m) deep. Remove no more than half of the soil and mix the removed soil with an equal ratio of peat moss. Mix the peat moss/soil mixture back into the planting area. Blueberries prefer an even more acidic soil with a pH between 4.09 and 5.0. Your local agricultural extension office should have soil testing forms, bags and instructions available. If the pH level is higher than 5.0, enrich the soil to make it more acidic using acid compost or planting mix. If the soil pH is above 4.5, mix in granular sulfur to lower the pH level so it is closer to 4.09. After making adjustments to the soil, always test its pH level again.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Use plants that are 2-3 years old so they will produce fruit quicker than the younger ones. Plant the bushes in early spring. The fruit will ripen toward the end of summer. Pat the blueberry plants with the heel of your wrist to loosen the roots. Do this all around the outside of the container and then turn it sideways and slide the plant out by tapping the bottom of the pot. Do not grab the plant by the stem as this can dislodge the roots and damage the plant. Set highbush blueberries 6 feet (1.8 m) apart. Set lowbush blueberries 2 feet (0.6 m) apart. Set rabbit eye blueberries 15 feet (4.6 m) apart. Dig a small hole for each plant. It should be shallow enough that the top of the root base is 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) above ground. Pat soil up around the top of the plant to cover any exposed roots with 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of soil. Then, add 2 to 4 inches (5.1 to 10.2 cm) of mulch to the planting side. This helps to keep the ground moist, prevent weeds, and enrich the soil. Bark mulch, sawdust, and grass clippings are all good choices for mulch for blueberries. Replenish the mulch every couple of years. Always water the area thoroughly after planting. If you do not want to use grown blueberry plants, you can grow blueberries from seed. Sow seed in a flat, 3-inch deep box filled with finely ground moist sphagnum moss. Keep the moss moist in a warm room between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and covered with a sheet of newspaper. The seed should germinate into seedlings within one month. Place the seedlings in direct sunlight and continue growing them in the moss until they are about 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) tall. You can then transfer the seedlings to a larger pot or to your garden. Water the seedlings well and maintain them in a sunny location. After two to three weeks,fertilize the seedlings with liquid fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended rate.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Basil, thyme, ferns, lilacs, strawberry, azalea, hydrangea, evergreens trees, mountain laurel, and cranberry bushes grow well with blueberries.Do not plant tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants next to them.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

The first year that you plant the blueberries, clip all of the blooms off of the plants. This will allow the plants to become resilient before they start producing fruit. Pruning also removes crowded or stagnant stems and allows productive parts of the plants to grow stronger. Every year thereafter, remove low growth around the base of the bush by clipping at an angle at the node of each branch. Remove any dead branches and/or twigs from the plants, as well as any discolored, blotchy growths. Prune lowbush blueberries by cutting the stems to ground level, but do not prune the full plant, as the pruned stems will not bear fruit the next season. To ensure your plant produces each year,only prune half of the plant each year. The pruning process should eliminate about 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood growth on each plant. Thin out the branches further if necessary.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Use one to two inches of water per week. Be careful not to over-water or drown your blueberry plants.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
If your blueberries grow less than a foot annually (or less than 4 inches for lowbush plants), try using a natural fertilizer to boost the plant’s productivity. If possible, use an organic fertilizer to avoid hurting the roots and effectively deliver nitrogen to the blueberries. Seed meals such as soybean and alfalfa are good organic options. Use 1/4 cup to 2 cups of fertilizer per plant depending on the size. Blood meal and cottonseed meal also work well as fertilizer. Fertilize the plants in early spring and again in late spring for best results. Always water well after fertilizing.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Blueberry bushes are resistant to most pests and diseases. Pine needles may be a good mulch in summer, especially if there is a lot of hot sun, as they are also used to keep the base of strawberries moist in summer. They may also prevent an infestation of wood pigs/slaters and black worms in some regions.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Can produce fruit every summer for up to 20 years. Harvest in late July or early August. Some varieties, including rabbit eye, take a bit longer to fully ripen. Each year, the time of harvest will vary slightly depending on climate conditions.
How to Harvest:
Cover your blueberries with bird-proof netting in early summer to avoid getting all of your berries eaten by birds.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Highbush variety is best for eating fresh and for making desserts. Lowbush berries are small and sweet. They are good for baking muffins and pancakes. The Rabbit eye bushes are typically smaller than highbush berries and they ripen a bit later in the summer than other varieties. Look for berries that have white, fuzzy mold and toss them out. The mold can be found around the stem area. You will also want to discard any berries that are too soft or wilted looking; they are too ripe and will rot quickly. Sorting the bad berries from the good ones will prevent mold from spreading. Most of the stems should have fallen off on their own, but it would be a good idea to go through the berries again and pick off any remaining stems. They won’t harm you if you eat them, but they will taste bitter. In general, you should not wash berries until you are ready to eat them.Washing them too soon can lead to mold. Washing them with vinegar water, however, can kill mold spores and prevent from mold growing in the first place. Put the berries into a colander or strainer, and dunk them into a bowl filled with the vinegar water. Shake the colander or strainer, then pull it out. Rinse the berries using cool water; this will get rid of any vinegar flavor. Any moisture left on the berries will cause them to mold too soon, so you will need to make sure that they are completely dry before storing them. There are a few ways in which you can dry the berries: Line the inside of a salad spinner with a few paper towels and put the berries inside. Spin them for a few seconds until there is no more moisture. Spread the berries out on a tray and let them air dry. Use a fan to speed up the process. Store in a clean basket, (avoid using anything made from metal. Blueberries can react with metal, leading to discoloration and stains on both the berries and the metal container). The paper towel will help soak up moisture and prevent mold from developing. The best place to store the berries is on the middle or bottom shelf. Try not to keep them in the crisper. When kept in the fridge, blueberries can last five to ten days. If freezing you’ll be freezing the berries individually first. This will prevent them from sticking and clumping together. You can also use a pan, casserole dish, or baking sheet. If you are using something made from metal, consider lining it first with parchment paper to protect the blueberries. It will take about two to three hours for the berries to freeze completely. Close up in a freezer baggie and the berries will be good for up to one year.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Seed Saving:
Blueberry seeds can be harvested from fresh berries on plants, from the produce section at the grocery store or even from frozen berries in your grocer’s freezer. When you plant blueberries from seeds, it can take several years before the plants produce fruit. Put 3/4 cup of blueberries in a blender and add 3/4 cup of warm water. Select healthy, ripe blueberries. Blend the blueberries for 15 seconds. Let the berries sit for five minutes. During this time, seeds will go to the bottom of the blender while pulp debris separates to the top. Pour the debris off the top of the blender very slowly. Add another cup of warm water to the blender and let the mixture sit for another five minutes. Once again, blueberry seeds that are viable will float to the bottom, and pulp and debris will remain on top. Empty the pulp off the top again, very slowly. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there is nothing left in the blender but water and blueberry seeds. Pour the blueberry seeds into a fine mesh sieve. Use a sieve that’s woven small enough that the tiny seeds won’t go out through the bottom. Allow the water to drain off the seeds for several minutes. Pour the blueberry seeds out of the sieve onto paper towels or coffee filters. Spread them out into a thin layer and allow them to dry for three days. Each day, stir the seeds around to make sure they dry evenly. Plant dried blueberry seeds right away, or put them in a wax or paper envelope and store them in the freezer until planting time. (If you don’t have a blender, mash the blueberry seeds by hand in a bowl,then put them into a glass jar and add water and drain as in the steps above. There are around 20 seeds in a single blueberry.)

Harvest and Storage

Notes

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