Blueberry Duke: variety description and characteristics, planting and care with photo

Delicious, vitamin-packed blackberry, formerly a rare berry found only in the forest. Thanks to the work of breeders, the shrub can be planted in the garden. One of the best species can be attributed to the blueberry of the Duke variety. The plant is tall, famous for its amazing yield, resistance to low air temperatures. To successfully grow a bush, you need to familiarize yourself with all the features of planting technology, care, and reproduction.

Description and characteristics of blueberry Duke

Tall shrub has a medium early ripening period and allows you to get a decent harvest, as a rule, the first blueberries can be consumed in the second year after planting.Blackberry has a fibrous rhizome, forms up to 5 shoots per season. Height and circumference is about 2 meters. The bushes are erect, skeletal, turn brown in the sun.

There are usually few branches, due to which the fruits are well warmed up by ultraviolet rays. They are thin, with a bend, as a rule, as the bush grows, it becomes quite dense. The leaves are oval, up to 8 centimeters long, 4 centimeters wide, with short cuttings.

According to the description of Duke's blueberry, in autumn it acquires a red tint, is collected in brushes up to 10 pieces with a bell shape 1 centimeter wide. Blueberries need insect pollination to ensure a decent harvest. The procedure increases the size of the berries, stimulates their rapid ripening and guarantees the symmetrical shape of the fruit.

Blueberries are large, rounded, 2012 mm in size, not uniform. Weight reaches 2 grams.The skin is bluish, with a bluish tint, smooth. It contains many seeds, the taste is sweet with piquant astringency. According to experienced gardeners, the Duke blueberry variety is an economical plant.

Cultivation history

The Duke blueberry variety was first bred in America around the end of the 20th century. And by the beginning of the 80s, the berry became available to most gardeners. In nature, blueberry fruits appear after 15 years, and garden species bring yields in the second year.

Good and bad sides

The berry has a number of advantages and disadvantages that must be reviewed before planting.

Matures fastHigh yieldsEasy to transport Frost-resistant variety The bush is rarely exposed to diseases and pests Requires no special care

Pros	Cons
	Requires a special soil composition, a certain moisture content
Large fruits
Deeply sweet taste

Features of cultivation

The bush is grown without problems in the northern regions of the countries of the former Soviet Union, where the temperature drops to -40 degrees. In mid-latitudes, blueberries also grow well. They love moisture, require a lot of water to get the entire root system wet.

Selection of site

The bush is planted in areas illuminated and warmed by the sun's rays. It also takes root in partial shade, but in low light the fruits will not be as sweet. In the shade, the variety will grow, but it will not produce a crop, since enough light is needed for its formation. It is advisable to plant bushes along the fence. Blackberries should not be planted in vegetable growing areas. Areas that have grown grass crops for many years and have not applied organic-type fertilizers are best suited.

Light sandy, sandy loamy, acidic soils are suitable for this blueberry variety. The roots are located in the surface layer with a depth of 20 centimeters. It is worth choosing a place where groundwater flows at a distance of 60 centimeters from the ground.

Selection of seedlings

2-3 year old seedlings are best for growing. You need to buy blueberry seedlings only in the market or specialized stores, where strict control is carried out and you can get professional recommendations. Before purchasing, carefully inspect the seedlings. It should be like this:

• flexible, not dry branches;
• there are no spots on the bark and leaves, they are a sign of disease;
• soil ball should be complete, braided with thin roots.

Planting material is sold in peat containers. It is undesirable to buy it with open roots, they may not take root.

Date of planting

Planting blueberries preferably in spring or September. In November, it is better to keep the seedlings in containers, transfer planting work to the spring, so that the seedlings have time to take root.Measures to be carried out after measuring the pH of the soil in the planned rows and between them. Monitor the indicator regularly.

How to plant blueberries

Shoots are planted in this way:

• bush method - holes are dug 40 centimeters deep, 80 centimeters in diameter, at a distance of 1.5 meters to each other;
• trench method - if there are a lot of seedlings, it is better to plant them in trenches and 50 centimeters wide, 40 centimeters deep, leave 2-3 meters between rows.

Place rows from north to south.

Blueberry Care Tips

Shrubs will bear fruit profusely if provided with comfortable conditions. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of watering, fertilizing, timely cut and prepare for wintering. In addition, it is required to loosen the earth in time, weed between the beds, remove weeds.

Irrigation Rules

Water plants with low acidity water. The earth should get wet before the root system occurs. For large plantations, drip irrigation is optimal - they are installed at a distance of 20-25 centimeters. Excessive moisture is fraught with a lack of air - the roots suffer, are subjected to fungal attacks.

Essential Fertilizers

It is desirable to feed the plant at the beginning of the growing season by 50%, in 2 doses before flowering and during the setting period.

1. On industrial plantations, it is necessary to correctly calculate the ratio of the components of the NPK complex, taking into account their concentration in the ground. Chlorinated fertilizers are undesirable.
2. From organic matter, give preference to fresh mullein, goat, bird droppings - no. You can use overripe manure.
3. The emphasis is on nitrogen, ammonium nitrate is great for soil, with an acidity of 4.0-4.5.
4. On acidic soil it is better to use urea, ammonium sulfate. Their acidifying properties are weaker.
5. From dry species, give preference to complex-mineral dressings: Florovit, Agrekol. They are pre-mixed with the ground, to ensure full watering.

Do not apply nitrogen after fruiting - this increases the level of shoot growth, winter hardiness decreases.

Shaping a bush

Pruning bushes in the first 3 years. When the plant becomes spreading, you can make a shaping pruning.

1. In early March, remove the blind growth on the green cone, thickening the plant and lower branches.
2. Of the large annual shrubs, leave the 5 strongest, cut the rest. Due to such pruning, an upright, sprawling bush is formed.
3. In plants older than 8 years, bearing a weak harvest and small fruits, anti-aging pruning is carried out. Completely excised up to 20% of old branches, stimulating the development of new ones.

It should be borne in mind that too much pruning is dangerous with a decrease in the number of fruits.

Preparing for winter

In winters with little snow, young bushes can freeze slightly. It is advisable to mulch them in late or mid-autumn. Shelter is made in this way:

• before frost, mulch the root zone within a radius of 0.5 meters with peat, needles;
• install wire arcs next to the bushes, bend the branches to them and fix them with twine;
• before frost, cover the bush with burlap or agronomic fiber, put spruce branches on top, they will protect blueberries from hares.

From mid-March - remove insulation, cut off frozen branches.

Disease and pest prevention

With proper care and planting, the plant is less likely to be affected by pests. To destroy fungal pathologies, use fungicide treatment in early spring.

Reproduction of blueberries

Blueberry bushes in nurseries are propagated by seeds, but such seedlings produce a crop in 8 years. The most convenient way is cuttings and layering. The berry is planted on the site after the formation of the root system in 2-3 years.

Harvest and storage of crops

Collect and store the blueberry harvest manually or mechanically. To keep the fruits fresh for 2 weeks, it is important not to damage the thin skin. To preserve the crop for a long time, it can be dried, frozen and processed for winter harvesting. Blueberry jam increases the protective properties of the body, enriches with nutrients and warms in the cold.

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