BLUEBERRY: LANDING AND CARE, CUTTING

Blueberries are becoming a popular shrub in home gardens. Her berries are beautiful, tasty and healthy. You can please the kids and surprise the guests. Moreover, berries are oh so expensive on the market. But will it grow and yield a crop? It seems to many that this culture is difficult to care for. This is not true. You just need to know some of the nuances.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BLUEBERRY HIGH

To begin with, there are two species that should not be confused - tall blueberries and marsh blueberries (the one that grows in our forests). Basically, the first species is planted on the plots. But the second also deserves attention.

The tall blueberry is native to North America, where it is found along the Atlantic coastline. At the beginning of the XX century. the American botanist F.V. Covill. To date, more than 60 varieties of this crop have been bred in the United States, and the area of ​​its plantings exceeds 10000 hectares. Over time, she moved to European countries: Holland, Germany, Austria, Poland.

Berries of tall blueberries are valuable both as a food product and as a medicinal raw material. Fresh, due to its taste and juiciness, it is an excellent dietary product that does not cause any allergic reactions. The largest amount of sugars (9-9,5%) is contained in the fruits of the varieties C kammel, Ran-kokas, Blurei, in the rest - from 7,8% to 8,4%. The content of organic acids is 0,54-0,78%. The pectin substances contained in the berries remove salts of heavy metals (lead, cobalt, strontium, etc.) from the body, and have anti-atherosclerotic and antibacterial effects. The fruits contain many vitamins of group B, C, A, PP (nicotinic acid) and microelements.

In official medicine, blueberry fruits are recommended for enterocolitis, pyelitis, in folk medicine - for dysentery, scurvy, and a decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Highbush blueberries belong to the lingonberry family, the blueberry genus. It is a deciduous branched shrub with a height of 1,3-2,5 m and a width of 1,5-2,5 m. The plant is distinguished by its fast growth and good shoot-forming ability. Depending on the nature of growth and how they are located on the plant, shoots are divided into formation shoots and branching shoots.

Formation shoots are zero shoots that emerge from underground buds or buds located at the base of old stems. They are powerful and give an increase of 0,5-1 m per season. Often their growth is delayed until the onset of frost, and the tops freeze.

The next year, branching shoots sprout from the axillary buds of the formation shoots, the length of which does not exceed 8-20 cm.Flower buds are laid on the tops and in the axils of the upper leaves, which determine the harvest of the next year From the vegetative buds located in the axils of the lower leaves, for the next year branching shoots of the second order develop. The higher the branching order, the shorter they are (4-5th branching shoots are only 3-5 cm long).

The vegetative and generative buds of tall blueberry vary in shape and size. Flower buds are rounded, located on the tops of the branching shoots of last year's growth. They are much larger than vegetative ones - their length is 5,5-6,8 mm. Vegetative buds are small, oblong, 2,5-3 mm long. They are located in the axils of the leaves of the formation shoots and branching shoots along their entire length.

The leaves of this blueberry are large, dark green, elliptical or rounded. Before autumn leaves, they turn yellow-orange or red. Flowers are collected in 6-10 pieces in racemose inflorescences located at the ends of the shoots and in the axils of the upper leaves. Flowers are large, white with a pink tinge, bell-shaped, corolla length 10-12 mm.

The plant is self-fertile, but the yield increases if at least two varieties are planted on the site. Blueberries are pollinated by bees, bumblebees, and other insects. In the middle lane, flowering begins in the second half of May and lasts 3-4 weeks.

The fruit is a blue or dark blue berry with a bluish bloom, rounded in shape with a flattened top. Ripe fruits retain the calyx. The size of the berries depends on the variety and location in the cluster. The first ripe berries in the cluster are often larger than the next ones. The diameter of the berries is 15-25 mm, weight is 1-3,4 g. The pulp is light, dense, with a light, non-coloring juice. The taste is sweet and sour, pleasant. One berry contains from 10 to 80 seeds. Ripen in the middle lane, depending on the variety and weather conditions, from mid-July to late September. Ripe fruits do not fall for up to 12 days, which is convenient for harvesting.

The duration of the growing season is 160-165 days, in the middle lane the plants manage to complete the seasonal cycle before the end of the growing season.

The root system is fibrous, highly branched, and does not have a main root. About 90% of all roots are located in the upper soil layer at a depth of 15 cm, the rest penetrate deep to 45 cm. The roots do not have root hairs, which in other plants absorb water and absorb nutrients from the soil. The functions of these hairs are performed by fungi, which enter into symbiosis with the root (endotrophic mycorrhiza).

WHAT DOES THE BLUEBERRY LOVE

Tall blueberries are a light-loving plant, and therefore try to place them on the site so that they are not shaded by other plants. Demanding on heat - keep this in mind, choose a well-warmed, wind-protected place. Prefers well-drained peaty-sandy, peaty-loamy or soddy-podzolic light loamy, sandy loamy soils. They should be fertile enough, well fertilized, with a high humus content, moderately moist, relatively acidic (pH 3,5-4,5). The optimum level of groundwater is 30-70 cm. Blueberries do not tolerate long-term flooding, as well as prolonged drought. In dry periods of summer, it needs watering.

In winter, plants freeze slightly when the temperature drops to minus 25-30 °. However, even after harsh winters, the bushes quickly recover. Flower buds are the least frost-resistant. In spring, flowers tolerate frosts up to 2 °.

With careful care, tall blueberry plants can grow and bear fruit for 30 years or more.

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See also: Growing blueberries - pruning and protection against frost, disease and pests

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HOW TO BREED A BLUE

Blueberries are harder to reproduce than other berry crops. Plants are best propagated vegetatively: lignified and green cuttings, vertical and horizontal layers. Seed propagation is used for breeding purposes.

When propagating by vertical layers in the spring, leave only annual branches in the bush, cut out the rest. Cover the base of the bush with peat in the form of a mound 20-25 cm high, then pour g abundantly and cover with plastic wrap. It is important to keep the mound moist throughout the summer. Separate the rooted vertical layers from the mother bush next spring.

When propagating blueberries with horizontal layers, do not cut the bush. In early spring, spread the annual branches on the loosened moist soil of the bite circle. To fix their position, pin them to the ground with metal or wooden hooks. Then cover the shoots with moist peat, but leave the tops of the branches above the soil surface. During the growing season, keep the soil loose and moist at all times. In the spring of next year, separate the rooted layers from the bush.

Propagate blueberries with lignified and green cuttings in greenhouses or greenhouses in the usual way.

WHEN AND HOW TO PLANT THE BRUSHES IN A PERMANENT PLACE

Blueberry seedlings can be planted in autumn or spring, but spring planting is preferable as the plants keep freezing during winter.

Prepare the site for spring planting in the fall.

Sod-podzolic soil... Based on 1 sq. m, add 5-10 kg of manure or compost, 10-30 kg of high peat, 50-70 g of superphosphate, 30-40 g of potassium sulfate. To acidify slightly acidic or neutral soil, add 10-20 g of ground sulfur. Spread fertilizers evenly over the surface and then dig to the depth of the humus horizon.

Place vigorous varieties according to the scheme 2,5-3 × 1,2-1,5 m, medium-sized ones - 2 × 0,7-1 m, low-growing ones - 1-1,5 × 0,3-0,5 m. Planting holes dig 1 m in diameter and at least 0,5 m deep (or trenches of the same depth and width). Fill the pits with slightly decomposed peat or a mixture of peat and sand (3: 1) with the addition of 1-3 buckets of humus. Mix everything thoroughly. Fill the dug holes with peat or peat mixture 10-12 cm above the soil surface.

Peat soil... For 1 sq. m, add 5-6 kg of humus, 50 g of double superphosphate, 150 g of wood ash and dig to a depth of 25-30 cm.

It is optimal to plant blueberries with 2-3-year-old seedlings (preferably with a lump of substrate). Pick 2-3 varieties that bloom at the same time. For single-row planting, every 3rd plant should be a pollinator, and for multi-row varieties, alternate through 2 rows.

When planting, deepen the seedling 5-7 cm compared to the previous position. Try not to damage the roots, spread them evenly in all directions and cover them with a substrate, which after planting slightly compact. Water the plants abundantly and mulch within a radius of 0,5-0,6 m with sawdust, foliage, hay or straw cutting with a layer of 8-10 cm. Cut the aboveground part of the planted seedlings, leaving hemp 10-12 cm high with 2-3 buds.

Blueberry pruning scheme

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See also: Autumn and winter pruning of tall blueberries

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CARE OF THE PIGEON

During the growing season, keep the soil in a loose and weed-free state, water the blueberries as needed. After watering, when the soil dries out a little, carry out shallow loosening (to a depth of 3-5 cm). Keep bite circles or stripes 1-2 m wide at all times under a layer of organic mulch 12-15 cm high.This is due to the fact that the root system of blueberries lies mainly at a depth of 15 cm, and in most growing areas this layer is prone to drying out, overheating or hypothermia. Mulching is considered a must when growing blueberries. The best results are obtained by mulching with coniferous sawdust, which, in addition, acidifies the soil. As the plants grow in width, increase the height of the mulch layer, adding the required amount of mulch annually in the fall.

In the first year after planting, if the plants grow poorly, in June, apply liquid fertilizing of blueberries with urea at the rate of 10 g of fertilizer diluted in 10 liters of water per 1 sq. m. In the future, apply nitrogen fertilizers annually, preferably fractionally: in the budding phase, before flowering or immediately after it and at the beginning of July, when the ovaries grow rapidly. If the soil is annually mulched with sawdust, the dose of nitrogen fertilizers is increased by 1,5-2 times. Periodically, once every 2-3 years, in the fall, add 1 sq. m of the bust circle 4-6 kg of humus or compost, 40-50 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium sulfate. Cover the fertilizers to a depth of 8-10 cm, and put a fresh layer of mulch on top.

CUTTING OF BLUEBERRY

Do it in early spring, before the buds swell. Before the beginning of fruiting of blueberries, which falls on the 3-4th year after planting, carry out only sanitary pruning: cut out broken, diseased, weak, creeping on the ground and frozen branches. Cut the strongest shoots of formation (zero) by 1 / 5-1 / 4. This promotes the formation of lateral shoots with numerous flower buds. Before full fruiting, a sparse bush with 7-9 main branches and a large number of annual shoots 40-60 cm long should be formed.

Prune fruiting blueberries annually. At the same time, remove 2-3 branches older than 3-4 years old, with a weak (about 2-3 cm) growth of shoots and small berries. Replace them with the same number of strong zero shoots. Remove thin, branched branches thickening in the middle of the bushes. Cut loose branches at the base of the bush, as well as those lying on the ground.

In some varieties, shoots grow to the very cold and freeze in winter. Therefore, it is advisable to pinch the tops at the end of summer, to stop their growth. In some winters, blueberry branches freeze to the level of snow cover. Cut such branches in the spring to healthy wood.

Blueberry bushes older than 12-15 years noticeably reduce growth, berries shrink on them, and yield decreases. Rejuvenate such bushes by cutting off all branches in early spring, including zero shoots. In June, after the regrowth of new shoots, thin out by cutting out thickening and weak branches.

In the conditions of the middle lane, tall blueberry bushes for the winter should be bent to the ground and covered, like low-winter raspberry varieties, with spruce branches, with snow. This reduces the risk of winter damage and protects plants from hares.

BLUEBERRY

It is a perennial shrub 0,25-1,5 m high. The stem is branched, often erect. The leaves are small, dense, smooth, ovate and oblong, falling for the winter. The flowers are small, water-lily, pinkish-white. The fruit is a round, pear-shaped, oval and other berry, dark blue with a bluish bloom, with a thin skin, 1,5-2 cm in diameter. The berry tastes pleasant, sweet and sour. Fruits are arranged in 1-3 pieces at the ends of last year's branches. The berries ripen usually in late July - early August.

Swamp blueberry grows in peat bogs of various types, especially on sphagnum bogs, as well as in shrub and mountain tundra, swampy pine forests. In Russia, it is common both in the European part and in Siberia, in the Far East. More common in the north than in the south. Sometimes blueberries live up to 90 years.

In the Siberian Botanical Garden (Novosibirsk) breeders A.V. Gorbunov, I.V. Shevtsova and O.V. Kenina developed varieties of blueberry marsh, which are included in the State Register and are recommended for cultivation in all regions of the Russian Federation, provided that they are planted on peat or peat-sandy soil with an optimal irrigation method. The varieties are more winter-hardy and more resistant to pests and diseases in comparison with tall American blueberries. This is the Blue Placer, Divnaya, Graceful, Iksinskaya, Nectar, Taiga Beauty, Shegarskaya, Yurkovskaya.

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Reference by topic: Blueberries (photo) - planting and care, reproduction and feeding

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WHAT VARIETIES OF BLUEBERRY TO PLANT?

Plant at least 2 varieties blooming at the same time for better pollination. Here are some of the American varieties recommended for mid-lane cultivation. Rankocas. Early ripe variety. The bush is medium-sized - 120 cm high, medium-sized, compact. Productivity -0,9-1,4 kg. Berries weighing 1,3-1.5 g, dense, tasty, transportable, but not stored for long. The variety is relatively winter hardy.

Weymouth. Early ripe. A medium-sized bush - 92 cm high. The berries are dark blue, 15 mm in diameter, the weight of one berry is 1,4 g, the taste is medium. Productivity from one bush 1,2-2.5 kg. The variety is winter hardy.

Erliblu. Early ripe. Vigorous bush - up to 160 cm high, with upright branches. Fruits are light blue, large, weighing 1,6-2,2 g, dense. Very tasty, sweet and sour, with a pleasant aroma. Ripe berries do not crumble. High-yielding variety.

Blue Ray. Mid-season. The bush is powerful, wide, with raised branches. Berries are light blue, with dense pulp, weighing 2,2 g. Productivity per bush 1,5 kg.

Jersey. Mid-season. The bush is 150 cm high, the branches are vertical or slightly spreading. Fruits are blue, large, 15-23 mm in diameter, round, dense, with a dessert taste. It is considered the best pollinator.

Herbert. Late ripe. The bush is vigorous, spreading.

Fruits are dark blue, round, slightly flattened, large, weighing up to 3,5 g, with a strong aroma. Productivity 2,9 kg per bush.

Covill. Late ripe. The bush is vigorous. The berry is blue in color, oval in shape, dense, dessert taste, weighing 2,2 g. Productivity -1,6-2 kg per bush.

When choosing varieties, give preference to early maturing - they are most adapted to the conditions of the middle lane. Secondly, select varieties of medium ripening. Late-ripening varieties should be at least or not at all (for example, for such an area as the Moscow region, and similar to it in climate). Fairly winter-hardy Finnish varieties: Nord country, Nord blue, Aino, Alvar, Jorma, Saani.

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See also: Tall blueberries - cultivation and care. Tips and my experience

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BLUEBERRY - LANDING AND CARE ON VIDEO

© Author: E. NADEZHDINA, agronomist, nursery grower

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