How to Plant & Care for Huckleberry Bushes

Huckleberry bushes grow up to six feet high and produce edible berries much like the blueberry. The difference between the blueberry and the huckleberry, however, is that huckleberries have 10 large seeds, making it more difficult to eat, while blueberries have numerous tiny seeds. As different species of huckleberry are hardy in different regions, you must be careful when planting a huckleberry to look at the species and see if it can withstand the temperatures in your region. Planting and caring for the bush is not difficult as long as you know how to create the right environment for your plant.

Things You'll Need

• Soil test kit
• Spade
• Elemental sulfur
• Water
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Choose an area to plant the huckleberry bush. It should be placed in well-drained sandy loam or loam soil and full sun or partial shade.

2. Test the soil in early spring with a home soil test kit or by bringing a sample to a garden store. The pH level should fall between 4.0 and 6.0, which is fairly acidic. If it is above this, you will want to begin working elemental sulfur into the soil with a spade about a year before planting the bush. If you are pressed for time, a few days will suffice, but you must keep incorporating the sulfur into the soil to keep down the pH over the life of the plant.

3. Dig a hole twice the width of the huckleberry's root ball and at a depth the same as the root ball's height. Place the bush in the hole and backfill the soil around the plant's roots. Tamp the soil down around the plant and water it, giving it a good soaking.

4. Water the huckleberries daily during dry periods, keeping the young plants moist but not soaked. As they begin to take root and grow on their own, you can decrease the amount of watering to once or twice a week. Water in the morning and try not to get any foliage wet. Pay special attention to the huckleberry bushes in a drought, even if they are established.

5. Fertilize the bushes using a water soluble fertilizer. The University of Idaho suggests using a fertilizer with about 20 percent nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (20-20-20) during the spring and summer months. Follow the directions on the package for application and safety instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not try transplanting a wild huckleberry as they are grown from rhizomes and do not have the root system to support transplantation.

References

• University of Idaho: Huckleberries and Bilberries