How to Maintain Blueberry Bushes

Many people like to grow blueberry bushes because they are productive and produce fruit right away. Additionally, they are easy to grow and generally are disease free. If you have young blueberry bushes and you’re wondering how to maintain them, you’ll find the following pointers helpful.

Instructions

1. Maintain a mature blueberry bush by removing dead or diseased branches. Pruning is not generally necessary. If you decide to prune your bushes, do so in the late winter when the plant is dormant. Remove all weeds so they don’t steal the moisture from the plant.

2. Thin the blossoms in the spring to lessen the weight on the branch until it’s strong enough to support all the weight of the fruit.

3. Make sure that the plant receives plenty of sunlight.

4. Provide an acidic soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.0, and make sure that it’s well-drained. A limey soil means that the pH is too high. Build beds around the plant in the fall. Test the soil in the winter and amend the soil with sand and peat for proper drainage. Test the soil again in the spring and make any necessary amendments.

5. Amend clay soils with pine needles, peat moss, or pine bark when the pH is too high. Another option is to pile about 6 inches of fir sawdust around the base of the blueberry bush to maintain the acidic level.

Tips & Warnings

• Some species do better in the climate in which they have adapted. Find out from your local nursery what types of blueberry bushes do better in your area.

Resources

• A Year in the Life of a Blueberry Bush
• Gurney's Seed and Nursery