How blueberries grow: description of varieties, planting, cultivation and care at their summer cottage

Many summer residents who have their own garden are engaged in growing berries. At the same time, some of them plant blueberries in the garden. Before you start growing such a plant, you need to familiarize yourself with exactly how blueberries grow and how to plant and grow them in the garden.

General information about the plant

To get acquainted with the main features of bush blueberries, you need to study general information about this berry.

Blueberries are tall shrubs that can grow up to one and a half meters. They begin to bear fruit in the middle of summer, when small berries appear on all the bushes.The average yield from each blueberry bush is 7-8 kilograms. All fruits are collected in large and oblong brushes. A distinctive feature of the plant is the taste of its fruits. They are sweet and do not have a sour taste. The surface of the fruit is covered with a bluish skin, which darkens after ripening.

Differences between blueberries and blueberries

Many new berry growers can't tell blueberries from blueberries. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the distinctive features of these horticultural crops in advance so as not to confuse them with each other in the future. These plants may vary:

• Stems. The blueberry bush has huge stems that are 80-90 centimeters larger than blueberries. The maximum height of blueberry seedlings is only 40-45 centimeters, and blueberry seedlings - one and a half meters.
• The shape of the bushes. Blueberry seedling is a creeping plant that grows on the surface of the soil. Blueberries have upright bushes.
• Fruits. Another distinctive feature of plants is the ripened crop. Blueberries have an oblong shape, while blueberries have a spherical shape. Also, berries can be distinguished by color. Blueberries are much darker.
• Taste qualities. Blueberries have a different taste. Its berries are sweet, and blueberries have a characteristic sourness.

Popular varieties

Before you start growing blueberries, you need to familiarize yourself with the most famous varieties of berries. Popular plant varieties include:

• Duke. Most often, this variety is grown in the west, but some gardeners from the CIS countries also plant Duke. This is a late-ripening variety, the berries of which are ripe at the end of July. Duke fruit is disease resistant and has a pleasant aroma.
• Bluecrop. This is a low-growing variety that is suitable for growing in small gardens. The advantage of Bluecrop is its yield, which allows you to collect more than ten kilograms of ripe berries from a plant.
• Leningrad giant. Vigorous and high-yielding plant that is resistant to frost and high humidity. The yield is 7-9 kilograms of berries.
• Bonus. A tall variety that can grow up to two meters. It differs from other varieties of blueberries in the size of ripe berries, the diameter of which is 25-30 millimeters.
• Putte. Some people prefer to plant Putte blueberries in the garden, which have a stable yield of 3-4 kilograms of berries from each bush. The harvested crop is used to make jams and fruit compote.

Can I grow in my summer cottage?

Many people who plan to start growing berries are interested in whether it is possible to plant blueberries in their summer cottage. Previously, this plant was not planted so often, but now many homeowners are planting blueberries in their gardens.This was made possible by breeders who have developed berry varieties suitable for growing in all climatic conditions.

Growing garden blueberries

In order to grow blueberries, you need to learn how to plant them correctly.

Selecting planting material

The yield of planted bushes directly depends on the quality of planting material. Experienced gardeners recommend buying seedlings with a well-formed root system. The height of such seedlings should not be less than fifteen centimeters. The shoots of the seedling selected for transplantation should have several formed green leaves with no signs of disease.

Choosing a landing site

It is necessary to choose the right site for the further cultivation of planted blueberries. The selected landing site must meet the following requirements:

• sunshine throughout the day;
• location of groundwater at a distance of 60-80 centimeters from the top layers of soil;
• protection from strong gusts of wind.

Also, when choosing, one must take into account the compatibility of the berry with other plants. It should not be planted in areas where tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers or potatoes were previously grown.

Preparing the pit for planting

Before planting berries in open ground, a special planting hole is made. Experts recommend preparing a pit for planting in the fall, before the onset of cold weather. However, some prefer to do it in early spring. In this case, it is necessary to dig a hole two weeks before disembarkation. The planting hole should be about 10-15 centimeters deep and 8-10 centimeters wide.

The process of planting blueberries in open ground

Before planting a plant, a drainage layer is placed in the dug hole. To do this, pine branches and wood chips are placed at the bottom. Peat is poured from above, mixed with sawdust, coniferous humus and sand. Then, a blueberry seedling is carefully placed in the prepared hole and sprinkled with earth.

Features of growing in a greenhouse

Before planting blueberries in an outdoor garden, some gardeners grow young seedlings in a greenhouse. In greenhouse conditions, bushes grow for a year and a half, after which they must be transplanted into open ground.

In the process of growing berries in a greenhouse, you need to regularly water them and feed them with fertilizers. You also need to make sure that blueberries have enough lighting. To do this, additional lighting lamps are installed near the bushes.

Further blueberry care

In order for the planted berry to bear fruit normally, the bushes will have to be properly looked after. Therefore, it is recommended to deal with the recommendations for caring for seedlings in spring and summer in advance.

Feeding and watering rules

Blueberries are considered moisture-loving berries that need to be watered periodically. Irrigation should begin 1-2 weeks after transplanting seedlings into the garden. Watering is carried out at least twice a week. In July and August, when the heat begins, the amount of moisture is increased several times. At the same time, at least seven liters of water are consumed for each bush. Room temperature water must be used.

How and when to prune bushes

Care for garden blueberries should be accompanied by the formation of seedlings. Experienced gardeners recommend engaging in the formation of planted blueberry bushes every year, in early spring. The first pruning is carried out when the seedlings are 3-4 years old.At the same time, only 4-5 of the strongest fruit-bearing shoots are left. In the future, it will be necessary to remove branches that are more than five years old.

Preparing for winter

Agricultural technicians advise to start preparing planted blueberry seedlings for winter in advance so that they do not freeze after the onset of cold weather. To do this, you will have to do the warming of the garden culture. Near each bush, high metal rods are installed, which are covered with a strong oilcloth. This covering material should protect the berry from low temperatures.

Description of the main diseases and pests of the bush

Gardeners who decide to grow blueberries in their country house periodically encounter dangerous diseases and pests that can impair yields. Common diseases include:

• Tracheomycosis. People growing blueberries in the Kuban are often faced with tracheomycosis wilt. This fungal disease leads to yellowing of the foliage and drying of the shrub. Alirin and Fitosporin will help get rid of tracheomycosis.
• Phyllostictosis. If grayish spots appear on the surface of the foliage, then the plant has phyllostictosis. Fungicides will help get rid of the disease. To prevent the appearance and development of this disease, the berries must be transplanted to a new place every 5-6 years.
• Septoria. Small brownish spots on the leaf plates indicate the development of septoria. Bordeaux mixture will help cure the disease.

Also, dangerous pests can appear on plants, which lead to the withering of seedlings. Most often the berries are attacked:

• leaflets;
• moth;
• yolks;
• shooters.

Cultivation

Many beginner gardeners are interested in the profitability of blueberry cultivation. It is profitable to breed this horticultural crop, since from one bush you can get a lot of cuttings, which are planted separately in the future. All cuttings collected for further planting must first be prepared. For this you need:

• clear them from the exfoliated layer of bark;
• cut off the bottom leaves;
• treat each cutting with nutrient mixture to stimulate growth.

Specifics of cultivation in different regions of Russia

It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of growing blueberries in various regions of the Russian Federation.

People living in the northwest and in Siberia or the Urals should take better care of their berries.In this region, severe winters and therefore the bushes must be prepared in advance for wintering. In early autumn, fertilizing is added to the soil and structures are created to shelter the planted seedlings.

The Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region have favorable climatic conditions and therefore it is easier to care for blueberries. It is not necessary to cover seedlings for the winter, as winters are not severe here.

Harvesting

Many are interested in how long the berries ripen. They ripen within a month and a half, and therefore most often the harvest of the ripe crop is carried out in the middle of summer. However, it all depends on the characteristics of the variety, as some varieties of berries may ripen earlier or later. When picking berries, it is contraindicated to use mechanical tools, as they can damage the seedlings. Therefore, ripe berries must be carefully picked off by hand.

The harvested crop is immediately transferred to a dark room. The fruit spoils quickly and should therefore be used within 3-4 days.

Conclusion

Many gardeners are engaged in growing blueberry bushes. Before planting, you need to familiarize yourself with how blueberries are planted in a summer cottage, and figure out the planting scheme for this garden crop.

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