Growing Blueberries
Selecting, Growing & Pruning
Selecting Blueberries
The most commonly grown Blueberries are:Highbush Blueberries, Lowbush Blueberries and Rabbit-Eye Blueberries.
Highbush Blueberries are the most common on the home gardens and they are hardy to Zone 5.
They can grow up to 6-12 feet tall. Produce 6-8 pints of berries or more per plant in a season.Highbush Blueberries are self fertile and it will produce berries without being cross pollinated by another blueberry cultivar.
Also selecting various cultivars can extend the harvesting season. Some Blueberry cultivars will ripen in early spring, mid season and very late in the season.
Cultural Requirements for Highbush Blueberries
Moist and well drained acid soil with PH between 4.2-5.0 and plenty of organic matter. If your soil is alkaline add sulphur a year before planting. The sulfur will lower the soil PH.Peat moss will also acidify your soil as well as adding organic matter.
Other Organic supplements for your blueberries are: acid compost, sawdust and leaves.
Blueberries like to grow in full sun.
Blueberry Plant roots are shallow and will need plenty of water to withstand heat and drought.
Lowbush Blueberries:
Mostly grown by commercial growers.They are hardy to Zone2 and grow up to 8-12 inches high.
Cultural Requirements for Lowbush Blueberries
Plants prefer acidic, moist, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter and with a PH between 4.2 and 5.2.
Lowbush Blueberries are not self-fertile and needs another blueberry cultivar to cross-pollinate in order for the plant to produce berries. Two plants of the same blueberry cultivar will not work, because are genetically identical.
Rabbit-Eye Blueberries
They hardy to Zone7 and can survive the warm climates.Will can grow up to 18 feet.
Cultural Requirements for Rabbit-Eye Blueberries
Rabbit-Eye Blueberries do best in rich organic soil, that is moist and drains well.They tolerate higher heat and PH than other Blueberries. They like the PH to between 4.2 - 6.0.
Rabbit-Eye Blueberries are not self-fertile. So you need to buy another Rabbit-Eye Blueberry for you plant to produce fruit. If you pick an early producing Rabbit-Eye Blueberry plant, mid season and a late summer you can harvest blueberries all season.
Pruning
Blueberries flower and produce berries on last year's wood and bear best on young vigorous branches.The biggest berries will grow on the thickest twigs. Pruning blueberries it's just the process of removing old wood to make room for new canes. For best results wait until your plants are well established before starting to prune. Blueberries start looking like they need to be trimmed around three years of growth. Prune in late winter before new growth appears.