Bright blue blueberries tumbling over a heap of rich vanilla ice cream or bobbing in a bowl of cream is a treat few fruit growers want to pass up. But blueberries are loners in the fruit world because they do best in acid soil that would probably spell doom for almost any other crop. In fact, a pH as low as 4.0 is not too acid for them.
Varieties
A wide range of blueberry varieties means you can choose early-, mid-, and late-season types. But keep in mind that your blueberries are not self-pollinating, which means you'll have to plant at least two different Varieties A popular early variety is Earliblue; Stanley and Bluecrop are high-producing mid-season types. For late harvest, try Jersey or Coville.
Planting
When planning on a row or two of blueberry bushes, naturally the first consideration is soil acidity. If, after testing, your soil is too close to the neutral mark (pH 7.0), then increase acidity. Mix generous amounts of sphagnum peat moss with the soil, and mulch heavily with an acid material, such as oak leaves or pine needles. If drastic measures are needed, apply powdered sulfur. Four pints of powdered sulfur per every 100 square feet of garden soil will lower pH approximately one point. Be sure to have soil tested, though, before attempting to juggle the pH level one way or the other.
Blueberries, like many other fruits, need ample amounts of soil moisture for an abundance of well-formed fruit. But soggy conditions should be avoided.
Purchase three- or four-year-old plants from a reliable nursery, and set them out as soon as possible to avoid injury to roots. Dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the rootball. Then loosen the burlap root covering. If the bush is in a plastic container, slit plastic with a sharp knife, and carefully remove the rootball. Place exposed roots over a cone of soil heaped in the bottom of the hole. Cover with a mixture of equal parts sphagnum peat moss and topsoil.
Be sure to firm soil thoroughly so air pockets are eliminated. Then water generously so soil settles in and around roots. A mulch of sawdust, peat moss, wood chips, or shredded leaves will help soil retain moisture and protect the plant from invading weeds.
Care and feeding
A well-established blueberry bush is usually a relatively maintenance-free bush. But pruning is important if the best fruiting and yield are expected. An unattended shrub tends to pack every inch of stem with berries. In time, this overproduction will result in small, inferior fruit.
Good pruning provides three benefits: the chief bearing branches are given plenty of room in which to develop, air circulation is increased (this is one of the best defenses against disease), and leaves and ripening fruit are exposed to the beneficial rays of the sun. But save your pruning chores until the third year of growth. Then, in early spring or late winter, remove weak or deformed branches. Thin out some of the many side shoots that sprout. As the bush increases in age, it may be necessary to remove tough, old wood to give room for newer growth just coming along.
Recently planted shrubs require little in the way of supplementary feeding. Once plants are established, a dose of ammonium sulfate fertilizer at the rate of about one-half cup per bush may be applied. Later, the amount can be increased to one-quarter pound, applied as soon as buds begin to swell in spring.
Insects and diseases
Oddly enough, birds can be a greater threat to the blueberry grower than bugs. Ripe berries are choice morsels and will soon dwindle to nothing if counter-measures aren't taken. The most effective protection is a canopy of nylon or cheesecloth netting placed over each bush when berries show signs of ripening. Shriveled, dried-up blueberries, called "mummy berries," indicate the presence of a fungus disease. Spray bush with a fungicide recommended for use with this problem, according to label instructions. Good ventilation and adequately spaced plantings will go a long way toward preventing the spread of the fungus.
Harvesting
Resist plucking just-turned blueberries, because change of color by itself doesn't mean harvest time has arrived. Allow berries to remain on the bush two or three days longer. Then berries will drop off easily.
