How to Plant Blueberry Bushes in the Northeast

Commercially valuable low bush blueberries grow wild in Maine.

A rhododendron family member, the blueberry bush appears in three main types: rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei), highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum) and low bush (Vaccinium angustifolium). If you live in the Northeast, low bush is the variety for your garden. It is adapted to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and eastern Canada, growing wild and in cultivation. Low bush blueberries thrive in dry sand and develop in the shade and with sun exposure. Harvest the seeds from a local bush's berries in July or August to get started.

Things You'll Need

• Low bush blueberries
• Sieve
• Perlite
• Vermiculite
• Plastic bag
• 2-inch flat with drainage holes
• Seedling mix
• Spray bottle
• Clear plastic film

Instructions

1. Harvest low bush blueberries and wash them. Rub the berries on the mesh of a sieve to begin to separate the pulp from the seeds. Place the mashed berries in a bowl of water. Scoop the seeds with a spoon -- they're small and some pulp is likely to remain clinging to them -- and discard the berry flesh.

2. Place the seeds on a clean absorbent material, such as a few sheets of paper towel or a cloth. Keep them where there's air circulation but no strong wind gusts. Allow the low bush blueberry seeds to dry for one week.

3. Blend 1 part perlite with 1 part vermiculite and add it to a small plastic bag. Just enough of these materials is needed to bury the seeds. Moisten the medium thoroughly, but if excess water is evident inside the bag, pour it out.

4. Transfer the dried blueberry seeds to the plastic bag and mix them with the perlite-vermiculite blend. Seal and store the bag in a refrigerator a minimum of three months and maximum of three years. This chilling process is known as stratification. It gets the seed embryo ready to develop.

5. Fill a 2-inch-deep flat with seedling mix that contains a blend of sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite. Irrigate the mix uniformly until water runs out of the drainage holes and the surface feels entirely moist.

6. Remove the seeds from cold storage and sow them on the soil surface 1 inch apart. Cover them with a thin layer of seedling mix. Moisten the top layer of soil and the blueberry seeds underneath with a gentle spray of water.

7. Cover the flat with a piece of clear plastic film to mimic the moist and warm conditions of a greenhouse. Maintain the temperature at 65 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours a day. Use a seed-propagation mat with a thermostat to provide bottom heat if necessary.

8. Check the moisture level daily during the germination process. Spray more water to dampen the soil if the surface begins to dry. Reduce irrigation when the seedlings sprout. At that point, irrigate when the soil surface dries by applying water until it runs out of the drainage holes.

9. Move the flats outside after the last spring frost to acclimate the seedlings to outdoor conditions. Gradually, let the plants spend more hours in a cool section of the garden. Transplant them to their permanent location any time between late spring and early fall.

References

• ATTRA; "Blueberries: Organic Production"; George L. Kuepper, et al.; June; 2004
• Native Plant Network: "Protocol Information"; Carol Baskin, et al.; 2009