How to Prune Southmoon Blueberries

Southmoon is a blueberry cultivar developed by Monrovia. Gardeners prize these blueberry plants for their large fruit and low chill requirement. A low chill requirement means they can be grown in areas that experience temperate weather. Pruning these blueberry plants is essential to remove any damaged or diseased portions. If these unhealthy areas are left on the plant, the result may be a reduced crop or death of the Southmoon blueberry bush.

Things You'll Need

• Bypass shears
• Denatured alcohol

Instructions

1. Dip your bypass shears into a mixture of 70 percent denatured alcohol and 30 percent water to clean and sterilize them. Clean off the pruning tool in between cuts to prevent spreading a fungal infection. Wipe off the blades to keep them dry.

2. Trim off short canes growing close to the base of the plant near the branch collar. The branch collar is the swelling that attaches the cane to the main shoot. Make a 45-degree cut.

3. Cut off any canes that are showing signs of damage or disease. Generally, these canes look discolored, have reddish rings, produce white patchy mottling on leaves or have bacterial cankers.

4. Remove suckers by digging a hole in the ground next to the root system. Suckers are canes that are growing from the root system. Cut the sucker off flush with the root system.

5. Head back or trim younger canes that are growing higher than the rest of the bush by 4 to 6 inches. A mature Southmoon blueberry bush reaches heights of 6 feet. Cut any canes that make the Southmoon blueberry bush look uneven.

Tips & Warnings

• Prune back young canes to 10 to 12 inches. Allowing blueberry bushes to produce fruit during their first two years harms their fruit production in later years.

• Cut the Southmoon blueberry bush back to two canes when planting to avoid growth of twiggy limbs.

References

• Monrovia: Southmoon Blueberry
• University of Tennessee: Pruning Blueberries
• Oregon State University: Information on Blueberry