Garden blueberries - planting, secrets and rules of cultivation

In the conditions of a household plot it is possible to grow successfully the majority of berry crops under condition of correct leaving and regular additional feeding. Garden blueberries, planting which is considered to be one of the simplest in comparison with capricious strawberries or gooseberries, can give up to 5 kg of berries from a bush depending on the variety.

Rules for planting blueberry

Berry bushes reproduce by seedlings and in one place can grow from 15 to 40 years, so the correct choice of planting material is the guarantee of health and high yield of the plant. Before correctly planting a blueberry garden, you need to select with the same accuracy the seedling, which at the time of planting should be at least 2-3 years old. Transfer to a permanent bed will be successful if all the conditions are met:

• introduction of peat turf for acidification;
• use of lightweight substrate with sawdust for backfilling;
• excavation of landing pits with a width of at least 60 cm.

How to plant a garden blueberry?

Transplanted into the open ground only a shrub with a closed root system - this way it can remain in pots or plastic containers. Open roots, which are exposed when moving a seedling from a greenhouse to a garden bed, are too fragile, so they rarely take root. Other rules on how to plant a blueberry garden include:

1. Before transplanting, the container with the plant is moistened in order to be easier to remove the earthen lump.
2. The root of the plant with the help of a scapula is removed and carefully cleaned of excess land and large clods of loam.
3. The blueberry bush is buried in the ground with the expectation that at least 5 cm of soil will cover the roots.

When to plant a garden blueberry?

Berry bushes can be transplanted both in spring and autumn, but each of the types of planting has its own subtleties. The determining factor in solving the dilemma of when to plant a garden blueberry - in the spring or in the autumn, should be the presence of the plant formed buds. If the seedling was purchased in the spring and the buds were already on it, the blueberry should be immediately placed in the open ground. Purchased in the summer or at the end of May, a bush with leaves under the condition of a cool climate can safely wait for planting in early September in a pot of suitable volume.

Place for planting blueberry bush

This berry culture likes a balance in everything - obtaining light, the volume of fertilizers and the level of groundwater. Therefore, decide where to plant blueberry garden can be with a small memo for the choice of the ideal place for the bush:

1. Due to the fact that the plant does not tolerate the close occurrence of groundwater, their level in the area with bushes should not be closer to the surface of the earth than a meter.
2. The plant likes penumbra. Gardeners with experience have long noticed that blueberries, growing in the shade of fruit trees located only on one side, have a sweet taste while berries that are ripening in the sun or in full shade, are sour and quickly spoiled.

Care of blueberries after planting

Mulching plays an important role in preserving the yield of the bush. The roots of the plant are sheltered by sawdust, spruce needles or other covering material both in summer and in winter. In the heat of planting any sort of blueberry garden, as well as caring for other berries, suggest the use of mulch as a retention factor for moisture in the soil, and in the cold season it also serves as a "warmer" for the roots of blueberries. Otherwise, the recommendations for the care of berry crops are no less simple:

1. Weeds and lack of oxygen at the roots are the worst enemies of the harvest. Regular weeding and loosening with turning the top layer of soil to 2-3 cm completely solve this problem.
2. Removal of foreign plants from the truncated circles. At 70-80 cm at a distance from the place where the garden blueberry grows, the planting of other plants with a strong root system is prohibited, because they will draw vitamins and top dressing from the soil, intended for berries.
3. Pruning to lay a strong skeleton. Every two years on the bushes remove all vegetative buds for hardening the plant and enhanced development in the future. Without hesitation, all broken or rotted branches are cut at any time of the year.

Correct planting of blueberry garden - watering

The mechanism of watering the blueberry is called a "water regime", which already directly indicates how important it is for a high level of moisture in the soil. The plant constantly needs it, so do not allow the soil to dry out. Planting and growing any variety of garden blueberry should be subject to the following basic rules for watering:

1. While the seedling does not survive and new leaves appear on it, the earth under the plant must be constantly moist.
2. During the first month, three-time watering is maintained for a week.
3. Starting from the second month after the transplant, the bush is transferred to a two-time watering weekly.
4. During summer sun, garden blueberry is sprinkled with cold water from the spray gun in the morning.

Planting seedlings of garden blueberries - top dressing

Contrary to vegetable crops that like organic fertilizers, this berry does not tolerate them. She prefers mineral substances consisting of elements in which the shrub needs some stage of growth. To understand how to do this, if it was decided to plant a blueberry in the garden spring, it is necessary to divide the period of its growth from the appearance of the first leaves to harvesting in three equal stages, each of which is fertilized with the plant. To understand which of them should be used, the appearance of blueberry will help:

1. With slow growth of the main shoots, the appearance of a yellow shade on the leaves or the formation of small berries, nitrogen is used as a fertilizer.
2. The death of the tips and cuttings of leaves and the acquisition of a purple hue of them indicate a phosphorus deficiency.
3. Acquisition of apical leaves of a blue hue immediately after planting the garden blueberry signals the need for additional feeding on the basis of boron.
4. The yellowish-white color of the leaves or the appearance of white mucus on the shoots indicate a lack of sulfur.

What can I plant next to the blueberry garden?

Planning the planting of berries in the garden, you need not only take into account which crops grew in the garden last year and which will be next to them. It is not enough to know the answer to the question of how to plant a blueberry properly - it is important to know what neighborhood can ruin its shoots. Since the transplantation of berries is associated with difficulties and poor survival, it is necessary to place a neutral crop next to it, not oxidizing the soil. These include:

• parsley;
• thyme;
• cucumbers;
• zucchini;
• rosemary;
• corn.