How to Grow Lowbush Blueberries

Cultivate lowbush blueberries where they're growing wild.

Lowbush blueberries grow wild in the northeastern United States and in Canada. While these berries are edible, their commercial production isn't as widespread as that of highbush blueberries, the berry types you buy at the supermarket. Lowbush wild blueberry plants spread through rhizomes. Growers take advantage of this feature to develop new bushes in fields where the plant is already present, eliminating the need for transplanting.

Things You'll Need

• Brush cutter or riding mower
• 18-46-0 fertilizer
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Remove trees, weeds and rocks from the plot where wild blueberry bushes are present to create space for them to develop.

2. Mow the blueberry bushes to the ground when they're dormant to encourage vigorous wood growth. Depending on how thick the stand is, do the job with a hand-held brush cutter or a riding or tractor-mounted mower. Repeat this pruning every two years.

3. Fertilize lowbush blueberries based on the result of a soil analysis. Contact your local cooperative extension office to find out how the staff wants you to collect and store your soil sample to submit for testing. Usually, you take handfuls of topsoil from about five different areas, mix them in a clean plastic bag, seal it and turn it in. Test your soil every four years. Additionally, examine your plants for signs they are running low on fuel. Signs of malnutrition include low height, poor berry production and susceptibility to disease. Without a soil analysis, feed wild lowbush blueberries an 18-46-0 fertilizer at the rate of 400 pounds per acre in spring.

4. Build a 2-inch-deep mulch ring around the base of your lowbush blueberry plants. Use sawdust, bark or wood chips to reduce water evaporation, encourage rhizome development and protect the roots from fluctuating temperatures.

5. Harvest lowbush blueberries when at least 90 percent of the fruit is ripe. Pick blueberries in the morning and when the bushes are dry.

References

• Nova Scotia Agricultural College: Growing Wild Lowbush Blueberries in Nova Scotia
• Nova Scotia Agricultural College: Pruning Wild Blueberries: Principles and Practices
• Nova Scotia Agricultural College: Fertilization of Wild Lowbush Blueberries
• Government of New Brunswick: Soil Fertility and Fertilizers for Wild Blueberry Production
• Government of New Brunswick: Using Mulches in Wild Blueberry Fields
• Government of New Brunswick: Producing High-Quality Wild Blueberry Fruit

Resources

• University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Maine's Native Wild Blueberries