How blueberries grow: description of varieties, planting and care, cultivation and propagation

Gardeners often grow blueberry bushes in their summer cottages, which regularly bring juicy and tasty berries. Having figured out how blueberries grow in various conditions, it will be possible to create a favorable environment for the active and proper development of the berry crop.

General information about the culture

Blueberries are compact and highly branched shrubs that are part of the Heather family. The culture easily and without consequences endures the winter cold, which allows it to be grown even in the northern regions. In the wild, the berry grows in coniferous and mixed forests.

Popular varieties

Breeders are constantly developing new varieties of culture, and among the wide variety of beginner gardeners it is difficult to make a choice. When planning to grow blueberries, it is worth familiarizing yourself with popular varieties, which include the following:

1. Top Hut. The variety is a plant up to 40 cm high. The fruits are large, with juicy pulp and a pronounced aroma. Suitable for growing outdoors or at home.
2. Legacy. Tall bushes reach a length of 1.5-2 m. The berries are medium-sized, with a sweet aftertaste. The variety is valued for its stable and high yield.
3. Bluecrop. The variety was obtained by crossing with blueberries. Productive shrubs produce up to 9 kg of medium-sized berries with a tart taste.
4. Spartan. The main advantage of the variety is the large size of the berries. The mass of one berry can reach 5 g. The variety is resistant to frost and is valued for its abundant fruiting.

Growing details

When planting blueberry bushes, you must follow the correct technology. To get a large harvest and ensure the active development of plantings, it is also important to prepare seedlings and a suitable place in the garden.

Choosing time and place for landing

You can plant blueberries in spring, after the probability of return frosts has disappeared, or in early autumn. In practice, plants planted in late September - early October.

Garden culture loves semi-shaded places and high levels of humidity. You can also plant bushes in sunny areas, but you will need to additionally spray the ground part.

Preparation of planting material

When choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to the roots.Plants with an open root system require special conditions for transportation and storage. It is recommended to give preference to two-year-old seedlings. Before planting in the ground, blueberry roots are soaked in water for 15-20 minutes.

If you plan to breed blueberries by seed, you first need to sort the planting material and select seeds without damage and rot. The selected planting material is disinfected in a weakly concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. Also, the disinfection procedure can be performed by heating at a temperature of 40 degrees. The seeds are then soaked for germination. The seed can be immediately transferred to the ground or started growing in separate pots on the windowsill.

Fitting technology

Before planting seedlings in the garden plot, they dig holes measuring 1.5 x 1.5 m and a depth of about 60 cm. The bottom of the soil is fertilized with organic top dressing for the active development of roots.When growing on heavy soil, it is recommended to add river sand or rotted oak leaves to the soil mixture.

Prepared seedlings are placed in the center of the holes and sprinkled with earth. Then the plants are watered abundantly. If planting in the fall, depending on weather conditions, it may be necessary to use a covering material for immature plants.

Care Tips

Regular and proper care is one of the main conditions for obtaining a good blueberry harvest. The berry crop needs standard farming practices, including watering, fertilizing, shaping, protective treatments and frost protection.

Fertilizer and crop nutrition

Using top dressing starts from the second year of development of seedlings, since annual plants do not need them. For fertilizing blueberries, organic and mineral supplements should be used.Organics are introduced in late autumn, using compost, bird droppings, rotted manure and peat chips. Mineral dressings are applied in the spring, after the snow cover has melted.

Nitroammophoska is best suited as a mineral fertilizer. When the bushes begin to bloom, it is allowed to use extraordinary top dressing.

Irrigation

The roots of garden blueberries, located at a depth of 15-20 cm, develop in conditions of constant stay in a humid environment. In summer, during periods of drought, the berry crop is watered 2 times a week, spending a bucket of liquid on each bush. Monthly watering is carried out with an acidified solution to maintain an optimal indicator of soil acidity. When irrigating abundantly, it is important not to allow excess moisture, as this can lead to root rot and plant death

Cutting

For garden and forest blueberries, a strong thickening of the ground part is characteristic.The formation of bush blueberries is carried out annually, starting from the 3rd year of life. Plants are cut so that the flower buds are evenly spaced on the crown. Damaged, weak and diseased shoots are removed during the pruning process.

The tops of old branches are pinched, leaving 5-6 buds on them, which helps to increase the size of the berry. Adult shoots that bear fruit for more than 4 years are cut at the root. Shrubs over 15 years old need radical shaping - the top is completely cut off, leaving a stem no more than 25 cm high, which helps to intensively rejuvenate the plantation.

Pruning should be done in early spring before the buds swell or in autumn, after the leaves have fallen. Plants grown in the garden in the country and plantings that are intended for home development need pruning.

Wintering

Frost-resistant types of berry crops do not need to be covered for the winter.At the same time, common blueberries can suffer from recurrent spring frosts. To prevent the death of plants, a covering material should be used, which is a dense fabric, burlap or an opaque plastic film. For shelter for the winter of large shrubs, you will need to use supports that will help hold the material.

Diseases and pests

Unfavorable environmental conditions or violation of the rules of care lead to the invasion of harmful insects. Most often, scale insects and aphids appear on household plots with blueberries. Sucking parasites absorb juice from leaves and stems. Large insects can be removed by hand, and spraying with insecticidal preparations is carried out to control small pests, for example:

• Aktellik;
• Aktara;
• Inta-Vir.

As a preventive measure, after the leaves fall, it is necessary to clean the area around the shrub from plant residues. With the onset of spring, it is recommended to carry out preventive spraying of plantings.

Also, berry crops can be affected by diseases caused by a fungus. Such diseases include: rust, gray mold and mycosphereliosis. The signs of defeat are:

• the appearance of spots and holes on the leaves;
• rotting of roots and ground parts of plants;
• chopping berries;
• general depression of the bushes.

You can save blueberries from diseases with the help of fungicides. Infections at the primary stage of development are easily eliminated only by treatment with drugs. In advanced cases, several treatments and trimming of damaged parts of the bushes may be required.

Plant propagation: ways

Reproduction of blueberries in the summer cottage is carried out in several ways. Common options are rooting cuttings and sowing seeds.

Cutting

In order for plants to propagate by cuttings, it is necessary to prepare planting material from adult bushes. To do this, choose the most powerful bushes and cut he althy branches from them for cuttings. Then the material is placed in containers with peat and watered regularly. With the onset of autumn, the cuttings are rooted in prepared planting holes.

Seeds

To get blueberry seeds, you need to crush ripe berries and rinse the resulting slurry in water. When immersed in water, the seeds will float to the surface. The seed is dried, disinfected and planted in pots with peat. Before transplanting plants to a permanent place, you can germinate them at home.

Features of landing in different regions of Russia

When planning to plant blueberries, you should familiarize yourself with the specifics of growing in a particular region. It is important to take into account climatic conditions, moisture index and soil type. The Moscow region, the middle zone of the country and other regions are characterized by individual conditions.

Harvesting

Harvest time is August-September. Ripe berries from plants are harvested manually, and when grown on an industrial scale - mechanically.

How to harvest

To preserve the beneficial characteristics of berries for a long time, you can make blueberries for the winter. To do this, the berries are washed, ground with sugar, the resulting mixture is laid out in sterilized glass jars and hermetically sealed. Also, the berry can be used to make compote, jelly and fresh consumption.

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