Fruits

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.