Blueberry Bonanza

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Growin’ Strong

To provide the moist soil blueberries crave, see that your growing plants receive at least 1 inch of water a week. Blueberries have shallow root systems, and lack the tiny root hairs that most other plants have. If they don’t receive adequate water, health and productivity will suffer.

To help ensure adequate soil moisture, blanket your blueberries with a cozy, 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as composted leaves, pine needles or aged conifer (softwood) bark.

“If you happen to have a wooded area on your property, take a rake and gather some of the leaf litter to use as mulch,” Finch says. “It will contain the beneficial mycorrhizae fungi that blueberries need.” Avoid using hardwood chip mulches — the decomposing hardwood may draw nitrogen away from the blueberries.

“I use large pine bark chips — one 2-cubic-foot bag per mature rabbiteye plant per year,” says Cliff Muller, owner of Berry Sweet Orchards, an organic U-Pick blueberry operation in Ethel, La. “The mulch helps conserve moisture and insulates the roots from heat and cold.”

Blueberries aren’t heavy feeders. The decaying mulch will provide most of the necessary nutrients. If you do fertilize, use a slow-release organic fertilizer, such as fish fertilizer or cottonseed meal (not manure), or an organic fertilizer recommended for azaleas. Seaweed sprays, applied several times per season, can provide micronutrients to promote strong growth. To encourage large, quality fruit, prune blueberries annually when the shrubs are dormant. Cut out branches that are crossing or low-growing, as well as older center branches.

A Bounty of Blueberries

Regardless of what blueberry variety you choose to grow, you probably won’t have to worry much about insect pests or diseases, which rarely trouble small-scale growers. If aphids occasionally show up, simply douse them with insecticidal soap. A more likely competitor for your blue bounty will be birds. Robins and starlings love blueberries! U-Pick blueberry growers say having people in their orchards every day is enough to deter the birds, but home gardeners will need to secure their harvest by covering the shrubs entirely with garden netting as soon as the berries begin to “color up.” Once blueberries color up, the fruit will continue to ripen and sweeten for up to a week on the bush. (Blueberries will not ripen after you pick them.)

OK, here’s the tough part: during your blueberries’ first year, you really should remove all flower buds. Think of it as part of your long-term commitment — you’ll be rewarded many times over in the form of strong, healthy plants and big, delicious future harvests. In year two, go ahead and harvest if your plants are strong and healthy. Then, in year three, get your baskets ready because you’ll be picking all the blues you can use and savoring that fabulous, sweet flavor that everyone else pays top dollar for.

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