Every year the office that I work in puts a group order together for Blueberry Bushes. For the past 4 years or so I have purchases several bushes each year. Through trial and error I have finally figured out how to get the biggest crop out of your blueberry bushes.
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| The blossoms are so beautiful in the spring! |
Before you plant your bush you want to make sure that you have your soil prepared. Blueberries like acidic soil. They will grow without the acid, but it will not produce much fruit. When deciding where to plant your bushes, look for a sunny spot with good drainage.
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| PH Tester |
To test your soil acidity you will need a PH tester. I purchased mine from Amazon. You can also find one at a hardware store. You are looking for a PH of below 5. To achieve a lower PH you can either purchase a soil acidifier (like this one) from Lowes or Home Depot, or you can buy a big bag of elemental sulfur from a farm and tractor supply store.
When placing your plants, dig the whole twice the size of the root ball, and space each plant 5 feet apart. Sprinkle the soil acidifier in the bottom of the whole and use a mixture of potting soil and peat moss. The will allow for your roots to move easier in the dirt and give them a head start with growing. Pack the dirt firmly and add more soil acidifier.
To keep the weeds away from the base of your bushes, cut a circle of garden fabric and place it around each base (you will have to cut a line through the circle to be able to put it around the bush). Cover each circle with wood chips and water the plant. You should water the plant on a regular basis for the first spring/summer and then as needed from then on.
The first year you plant your blueberries you will want to pinch the buds (the flowers in the picture above) off of the plant so that all of the plants energy can go into making the root structure stronger.
When planting blueberries you want to plant several different varieties so that they have a better chance of cross pollinating.
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