Blueberry Toro: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, reviews with photos

Blueberries are a tasty and he althy berry. It is increasingly planted in garden plots. Blueberry Toro is a tall plant that can grow up to 10 kilograms of berries per year. It makes great demands on the acidity of the soil, as well as on its care. Berries are used fresh, as well as canned and frozen.

History of variety breeding

Toro blueberry was bred relatively recently, in 1987. Toro was obtained as part of a breeding program by American scientists. This is the result of crossing Erliblu and Ivanhoe varieties. Varietal blueberry bushes are grown both in individual garden plots and on an industrial scale.

All the pros and cons of culture

The advantages of Toro blueberries include the following qualities:

• she has delicious, he althy fruits;
• tolerates frosty winters well;
• berries are large and easy to pick;
• plant produces a bountiful harvest every year;
• crop can be stored for a long time;
• berries have a high presentation.

The disadvantages include the rapid completion of fruiting, as well as high demands on acidic soil. In addition, blueberry bushes, however, like other plantings, require constant care.

Description and characteristics of blueberries Toro

A mid-ripening blueberry variety is used not only as a fruit-bearing shrub, but also as an ornamental plantation.

Shrub and root system

Toro variety belongs to tall blueberry species. The bush can grow up to 2 meters in height. The upright plant grows stronger every year. The leaves are large and heart shaped. The root system of blueberries is superficial, so it is important to keep the soil moist.

Flowering, fruiting and yielding

Toro blueberries bloom in May. Abundant fruiting begins from the 4th year after planting. Tender, sweet and sour blueberries ripen in early August. The berries are large, bluish-blue in color, their diameter reaches 2 centimeters. They are collected in large clusters, retain their quality throughout the entire harvest period. With good care, 7-10 kilograms of berries are harvested from one bush.

Additional information. Blueberry juice is difficult to wash off hands, so vinegar is used to clean them.

Insect and disease resistance

If agricultural work is not followed, the variety is exposed to diseases. Most often, due to excessive soil moisture, the bushes are affected by various rots. Toro blueberry disease resistance is low, so it needs to be properly cared for.

Also, the variety can be affected by harmful insects. Large pests can be collected by hand, small ones can be sprayed with insecticides. If the plant has signs of disease, it will also need to be sprayed, but with fungicides. When using drugs, they are guided by the age of the plants, and also follow the instructions for using the products.

Resistant to low temperatures and drought

Toro blueberries are able to withstand frosts down to -30°C. It can be grown in regions with both warm and cool climates. For the variety, both waterlogging and lack of water are detrimental. Mulching with peat, bark of coniferous trees will help maintain moisture in the soil.

Planting and care

Young blueberry bushes are planted in open ground at the age of 1-2 years, from 50 centimeters high. In order for plants to bear fruit abundantly, they require constant care.

Terms and technology of disembarkation

Young Toro blueberry bushes are planted in spring, before bud break or in autumn, at the end of the growing season. Plants grown in pots can be planted throughout the season. Boarding is as follows:

• dig holes measuring 60×60 centimeters;
• drainage is laid out at the bottom;
• garden soil is mixed with peat, poured into a hole;
• the roots are gently straightened, covered with substrate so that the root collar is buried no more than 5 centimeters;
• bushes are watered, mulched.

If there is no peat, then instead of it you can use a soil mixture consisting of garden soil; land taken from under coniferous trees; as well as rotted pine or spruce needles. In addition, colloidal sulfur is used to deoxidize the soil in the garden plot, which is applied in autumn to a depth of 10-15 centimeters at the rate of 1 kg / m².

Important! Blueberries will thrive and bear fruit only in acidic soils!

Crop irrigation frequency

Toro blueberry is a moisture-loving crop, so it needs to be watered frequently. In the spring, the procedure is carried out, depending on weather conditions, 1-2 times a week. In summer, watering is important for laying flower buds for the next season. In autumn, watering is significantly reduced.

Fertilization

The bushes are fed several times during the season. The first time - before the start of sap flow with a complex fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.The same composition is used for the next top dressing, which is carried out during the flowering of blueberries, and again - during active fruiting. At the beginning of autumn, fertilizer is applied to help strengthen the plant, gain strength before frost.

There is also a special top dressing for blueberries with instructions for use. Many gardeners like to feed their plantings with bone or dolomite flour, wood ash. For blueberries, these components will be detrimental, as they alkalize the soil, and the culture needs acidic soil.

Caring for beds

Care consists in timely watering, top dressing, soil mulching, pruning. Adding peat, coniferous litter, sawdust to the roots helps to retain moisture in the ground, prevent the growth of weeds, and also serves as fertilizer for plants when it rots.

In order for the bushes to actively grow and bear fruit, starting from the second year of life, they begin to feed them.

From the same year, sanitary pruning is carried out, removing broken, diseased, frozen branches. Young growth is removed, which takes strength from the plant, and also contributes to the formation of fungal diseases due to poor drying of morning dew on them. In early spring and late summer, to increase the acidity of the soil, it can be spilled with a 9% solution of vinegar (70 milliliters per bucket of water).

Aging & Shaping Pruning

To rejuvenate the plant, all branches over 5 years old are pruned. This procedure helps to maintain fruiting. Formative pruning is needed to thin the crown from extra, thickening bush branches. It should be taken into account that the shoots of the second year of life give the greatest yield. Shoots that do not give flower buds are removed (blind).

Pay attention! Pruning improves the illumination of the bush, which contributes to the formation of large berries.

Preventive treatments

As a result of improper care, blueberries can be affected by fungal diseases. Most often this occurs from waterlogging of the soil by an inexperienced gardener, as well as as a result of excessive rainfall. To prevent diseases, blueberries are sprayed with various preparations, for example, Agricola or Spark, according to the instructions.

In addition, the bushes can be sprayed with copper-containing preparations, such as Bordeaux mixture, HOM, copper sulfate. To prepare a 3% Bordeaux liquid at home, you need to take the following components:

• 300 grams of blue vitriol;
• 300 grams of lime.

Cooking process:

• dilute lime in 3 liters of hot water, then add 2 liters of cold water;
• mix blue vitriol with 1-2 liters of hot water, after it cools down, bring the volume of liquid to 5 liters.

Each of the components is diluted separately, then the following order is observed: a solution of copper sulfate is added to strained lime milk. The mixture quickly loses its properties, so you need to use it on the same day.

Shelter bushes for the winter

Before the onset of frost, young Toro blueberry bushes are bent to the ground, secured with ropes tied to metal arcs. From above, the structure is covered with canvas, spunbond, then spruce branches. The device must be reliable, otherwise the bushes may remain unprotected from the weather. You can not cover the plants ahead of time: in the heat, shoots may begin to grow, which will subsequently die from frost.

Reviews about the variety

According to gardeners, Toro blueberries have delicious, fragrant berries that have a good presentation. They can be consumed both fresh and canned.The variety requires constant care, including watering, fertilizing, pruning. If you grow Toro blueberries in insufficiently acidified soil, they will not produce a quality crop. With good care, the variety will delight with tasty and he althy fruits for many years.

Last year, 2 varieties were harvested: Reka and Toro. The river was showered with fruits, but they were with an unexpressed taste, insipid. Toro had only 6 ripe berries, but they were very sweet, with a pleasant aroma.

Andrey Kyiv region

I planted some Toro blueberry bushes in my garden. On the advice of neighbors, she acidified the soil with spruce litter, but there was no result: the bushes sat in place, did not develop. When I started watering with acidified water, Toro finally bloomed and grew the first delicious berries!

Elena Krasnodar Territory

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