Condotions thrive conditionw soil that is acidic. The Cholesterol-lowering foods green and Blueberry growing conditions colored Blueberry growing conditions beetle feeds on Blueberry growing conditions leaves condotions blueberry plants, which can make them susceptible to winter injury. A well pruned "Blue Crop" plant. In the late fall and winter, rabbits and deer enjoy nibbling on the stems of blueberry bushes. Free entry to RHS members at selected times ».

Blueberry growing conditions -

Even if you're tight on space, two bushes will give you a happier bounty come harvest time. Don't plant them in the shade. The berries might not be sweet.

Go for full-on sun. Every time. The sun not only provides the light they need, but also helps prevent the plants from developing diseases caused by poor air circulation. They need at least six hours of full sun per day. Blueberries are sensitive to fertilizers, so be careful what and when you feed them.

Per Grumpster's New Southern Living Garden Book we trust it , "Don't fertilize at all the first year, and feed only lightly the second and third years. After that, fertilize once per year in early spring with a slow-release, acid-forming, complete fertilizer. Overhead irrigation can lead to mildewed leaves and gray mold on the fruit.

Instead, water deeply we're talkin' a man-made inch of rainfall once a week during growing season for the first three years.

After that, they like moist soil but hate standing in water. Who doesn't? Be aware that the selections 'Blue Chip' and 'Bounty' are prone to blueberry stem blight, which can kill stems of established plants and kill young plants outright. If you see stems dropping leaves and turning from brown to black, quickly prune them down to healthy wood.

Also watch out for "mummyberry" fungus, which makes the fruit shrivel. Control it with a fungicide and always remove and trash any shriveled fruit to prevent spread. Now you're ready. Harvest only when berries are dry. Hands should be placed beneath the clusters to ensure that berries are not dropped.

Following harvest, blueberries should not be allowed to remain in the sun. The dark fruit heat up rapidly. At this point, decay is the primary source of berry loss. Anthracnose, gray mold, and Alternaria diseases are the three most common fruit decay organisms.

Decay is more of a problem with fruit harvested late in the season when a large percentage of fruit are overripe. The easiest, most effective means of retaining blueberry quality following harvest is to use refrigeration.

Low temperatures slow ripening and substantially reduce decay. Freshly harvested blueberries will keep for two weeks at 32°F but for only a few days at 70°F. Some potential insect problems in blueberries include blueberry tip borer, plum curculio, blueberry maggot fly, Japanese beetle, cranberry fruit worm, and cherry fruitworm.

Disease problems include mummy berry, powdery mildew, twig blights, botrytis blossom blight, leaf spots, phytophthora root rot, and crown gall. However, except for Japanese beetles, none of these diseases or insects are a major problem in Ohio. Birds can be one of the worst pests of blueberries.

Netting the bushes may be necessary to prevent losses. For more information about growing blueberries, growers should purchase a copy of the OSU Extension Bulletin "Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide" and Bulletin "Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings" from OSU Extension offices across the State of Ohio.

Log on to extension. edu for a list of OSU Extension offices and their contact information. Gao, G. Becker, M. Brown, M. Ellis, S. Prochaska, C. Welty, and R. OSU Extension Bulletin , "Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide. Ward Gauthier, N. Kaiser, T. Barnes, C. Smigell, J. Strang, D.

Wolfe, S. Wright, P. Byers, K. Demchak, M. Ellis, G. Gao, E. Hanson, R. Isaacs, D. Johnson, and E. University of Kentucky Extension Bulletin, ID Welty, C. OSU Extension Bulletin , "Controlling Disease and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings. The authors would like to thank Dr. John Strang, Professor and Extension Fruit and Vegetable Specialist with University of Kentucky for reviewing this fact sheet, and the use of blueberry harvest and storage information.

Our sincere appreciation goes to Mr. Mark Longstroth, Area Extension Educator, Michigan State University, for reviewing this fact sheet and use of a photo, and Dr. Bruce Bordelon, Professor Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University for reviewing this fact sheet.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.

Skip to main content. Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden HYG Agriculture and Natural Resources. Gary Gao, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, OSU South Centers, The Ohio State University. Erik Draper, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture, Ohio State University Extension, Geauga County.

Should I Grow Blueberries at Home? Blueberry Types and Cultivars There are four types of cultivated blueberries: highbush, half-high or highlow, rabbiteye, and southern highbush. Table 1. Suggested highbush cultivars of blueberries for Ohio plantings.

Cultivar Ripening Season Yield Fruit Size Fruit Quality Remarks Bluetta Early Good Medium Fair Vigorous, upright plant.

Collins Early Fair Large Good Hardy, vigorous, upright plant Duke Early-Mid Good Medium Good Vigorous and upright; blooms late to avoid frost. Tolerates fluctuating winter temperatures. Patriot Early-Mid Good Large Good Vigorous and upright; small to medium height; very cold hardy but blooms early.

Resistant to root rot. Draper Early-Mid Good Large Excellent Productive, vigorous, and hardy plant. It is a new cultivar. Bluejay Mid Moderate Large Good Mummy berry resistant.

Bluecrop Mid Good Large Good, tart Productive, vigorous, hardy plant. Bluegold Mid Good Medium to Large Good Very winter hardy; bushy growth habit; ripening is concentrated.

Berkeley Mid Good Large Medium Productive, vigorous and hardy plant. Herbert Late Good Large Excellent Productive, vigorous and hardy plant. Elliott Late Good Medium Good Vigorous and hardy plant and mummy berry resistant. Note: New fruit cultivars that may be superior to currently recommended cultivars are constantly being released.

Check with your local Extension Educator or your local nursery to obtain information on newly released cultivars for your area. Climatic Requirements In general, the climate throughout Ohio is well suited to the production of blueberries.

Site and Soil Requirements for Blueberry Production Blueberries require full sun six to eight hours of sunlight per day for optimum yield and quality.

Soil Preparation It is very important to test soil for pH, lime index buffer pH , nutrient status, and organic matter content before conducting soil preparation. Suggestions for Soil Acidification If the soil pH is above 5.

Table 2. Amount of sulfur in pounds per square feet required to lower soil pH for blueberries. Present soil pH Desired pH value for blueberries 4.

Fertilizers Fertilizers for blueberry production are best applied using soil test results as a guide. Watering Blueberry bushes have very shallow root systems and are very sensitive to water fluctuations. As the soil settles and decomposes over the years, you will need to continue adding sulfur to the planting bed.

Coffee grounds are not always acidic and should not be relied upon as a pH amendment for blueberries. Even if the coffee grounds you use happen to be acidic, a massive amount would be needed to change the soil pH, and the results would not be reliable.

If you see light-green or red leaves in the summer or not much shoot growth, it is likely that the soil pH is no longer in the optimum range of 4. Choose an organic acid fertilizer, such as one recommended for azaleas and rhododendrons.

Blueberry plants are widely available at local and online nurseries. Be certain the plants you buy are winter hardy to your USDA zone zone 3 or 4 in Minnesota. If buying plants online, most likely they will arrive dormant and bare root. Order early to get the best selection.

Most nurseries ship bare root plants at the appropriate time for planting in early spring. Keep dormant plants in a dark, cool, moist place until you're ready to plant.

Make sure the roots stay moist but not saturated, and plant as soon as possible. Soak roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting.

If you buy plants at a local nursery, keep potted plants well-watered in a sunny location until planting and plant as soon as possible. The University of Minnesota fruit breeding program has developed blueberry varieties that are perfectly suited to our climate. The varieties listed have been grown at U of M research farms in USDA zones 3 and 4.

Recommendations are based on trial results. Planting at least two varieties is best, as more berries of larger size will be produced if flowers are fertilized with pollen from another variety.

Bumblebees and other native insects are enthusiastic pollinators of blueberries. The more insects working the plants, the more fruit you will harvest. University of Minnesota bred varieties are in bold and include the date of introduction.

Average yield is based on data collected in east central Minnesota from mature plants, planted in full sun with other varieties, and watered regularly. Zone hardiness lists zone 4 first then zone 3. Blueberries grow best in full sun.

Plants will tolerate partial shade, but too much shade causes plants to produce fewer blossoms and less fruit. If a plant seems to be weak or growing at a non-vertical angle, a stake may be driven into the ground close to the main stem, and the stem gently tied to the stake with a wide tie such as those used for trees, or with a strip of fabric.

Insects and wildlife cause minimal damage to blueberries. Because of the acidic soil requirements of blueberries, you are much more likely to have nutritional issues than pest issues. This highlights how important correct diagnosis is in addressing issues.

Spotted wing drosophila is an invasive fruit fly that lays its eggs in ripe fruit, leading to soft, damaged berries. The bright green and bronze colored Japanese beetle feeds on the leaves of blueberry plants, which can make them susceptible to winter injury. In the late fall and winter, rabbits and deer enjoy nibbling on the stems of blueberry bushes.

This may drastically stunt the plant. Protect plants by surrounding them with chicken wire or similar fencing in the fall and winter. Careful pruning will help prevent disease infection. Prune out and dispose of any part of the plant that is dead or dying. For more information on disease and insect pests, see Pest management for home blueberry plants , Viruses of backyard fruit and Blueberry witches' broom.

Examine the plants for cankers that first appear as small, discolored areas on the stems. As the affected areas enlarge, the margins remain reddish and the bark in the central part turns gray and then brown. In the first two years, remove flowers in the spring to encourage plant growth. This is necessary to ensure healthy, productive plants for years to come.

Production of flowers and fruits stunts growth when plants are too small or weak. A good-sized, healthy canopy is needed to support the fruit. Blueberry plants grow slowly, which is one reason they live so long.

The plants will put on plenty of fruit after the first few years, but don't be surprised if the plants stay small, as mature size is usually not reached until the plants are 8 to 10 years old.

Remove weeds regularly to keep your planting neat and clean and to prevent competition for water and nutrients.

Mulch helps prevent weeds. Blueberry plants in soil with a pH above 5. Spraying plants with a foliar chelated iron fertilizer, or spraying new leaves as they emerge, will temporarily green up the leaves, but it will not improve plant health in the long term.

Soil pH is easiest to amend with sulfur a year before the blueberries are planted. Do not plant blueberries until the soil is at the correct pH 4. Test and monitor soil pH to stay ahead of this problem. Simple and inexpensive soil pH test kits are available online and at many garden centers.

Or have your soil tested by the U of M Soil Testing Laboratory. At planting, prune only to remove any broken, dead or dying parts of branches.

After the first year, prune the bushes annually in the early spring before growth starts. Fruit is produced on one-year-old wood. The largest berries are produced on the healthiest wood, so a good supply of strong, one-year-old wood is desirable.

Berries will turn from green to blue and are ready for harvest when they're completely blue and are springy when gently squeezed. Place berries in a firm container in the refrigerator shortly after picking. Avoid layering berries more than a couple inches deep to prevent the lower berries from being damaged.

Do not wash berries until ready to eat. This will prevent them from molding in storage. Blueberries last longer in the refrigerator than many other berries.

Generally, plan to use the berries within a week or so. Chalker-Scott, Linda. Coffee grounds— will they perk up plants?

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