How to grow blueberries in your own garden: complete instructions

Blueberries are winning more and more hearts of Ukrainian gardeners. Not only is this berry incredibly tasty and healthy, but it is also relatively easy to care for.

In stores, blueberry prices reach incredible heights, so if you grow it yourself, you can save a lot of money. Family and Home has told you how to plant this crop and how to care for it.

Blueberries are usually planted at different times, depending on the region. But it is believed that the plant should have at least 1-1.5 months to adapt to the cold.

Choosing seedlings

The success of growing blueberries depends on the right seedling. It is best to buy seedlings in specialized nurseries and large stores. They are usually sold in small pots and have a closed root system.

When buying a seedling, pay attention to whether the strong annual growth is well expressed, whether the shoots are not damaged, and whether the foliage looks good.

Place for planting blueberries

Blueberries are a light-loving forest plant, so choose an open, sunny area that resembles a forest glade to plant them. This place should be protected from drafts and not be in a lowland so that water does not stagnate there. You can also plant these berries along the fence or near trees.

Planting hole for blueberries

The place for planting blueberries should be prepared in advance. In nature, blueberries grow in acidic soils that are highly permeable to moisture and contain a lot of semi-rotted organic matter. Such conditions are unfavorable for most other plants, so you should set aside a separate area for blueberries.

First, dig a hole 50 by 50 cm. If you plan to plant several bushes, it is better to dig a trench and plant them at a distance of 60-120 cm.

At the bottom, you need to put drainage 15-20 cm thick. It can be coniferous wood chips, sawdust, large pieces of pine bark or cones. If the groundwater is high on your site, then you need to put a layer of expanded clay under the drainage.

Then fill with a mixture consisting of:

• 5 parts of acidic high-moor peat;
• 3 parts of coniferous forest litter;
• 2 parts of river sand.

Then water the substrate well so that it settles.

Planting blueberries

Experts recommend choosing seedlings with a closed root system because they take root much better.

In the hole filled with the substrate, make a depression the size of a root ball. Put down a fertilizer for acid-loving plants, mix it a little with the substrate, and place the plant in the hole, spreading the roots a little. After planting, water the bush abundantly.

Caring for blueberries

Young blueberries should be well mulched with a layer about 8-10 cm thick. It is also important to keep the substrate moist at all times, but not flooded.

The first fertilization should be done a year after planting blueberries.

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