Growing Blueberry

Growing Blueberry is relatively easy. Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. It is a crown forming, woody, perennial shrub and has oval or elliptical leaves which grow alternately on the stems. The stems, are yellow/green in color and turn reddish in winter.

Growing Blueberry from Seed

• The Blueberry Seeds need to be cold stratified for 90 days before planting them out.
• Once the 90 days have elapsed, the seeds can be used immediately or kept in the freezer until you are ready to plant them.
• Blueberry seed planting should commence in autumn in warm climates and in the spring in colder climates.
• Plant the seed in dampened sphagnum peat moss in seed trays and cover them with ¼ inch of soil.
• Keep the medium consistently moist.
• Be patient as blueberry seed may take six to eight weeks to germinate, some not for three months.
• Keep the seeds in a warm, sunny area 15-21C.
• The seedlings once sprouted, will look like grass with a few tiny leaves atop.
• During the first year the seedlings may get no taller than 5-6 inches in height.
• Once the blueberry bush seed plants are big enough to transplant, move them into pots in a sunny, warm area and keep moist.
• The plants will bear fruit during year two when the plant is 1-2 feet tall.

Maintaining Blueberry Plants

• Blueberry plants need six to eight hours of sunlight per day.
• Soil should be high in organic matter and have a pH of 4.0 – 5.2.
• Blueberry plants have shallow roots that dry out fast so they need a lot of water. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy.
• Mulch to keep shallow blueberry root systems moist, which is essential.
• For best fruiting, prune the oldest lower branches in late winter.