Growing blueberries in the garden - the nuances of agricultural technology and reproduction
Contents ✓
- ✓ WHAT IS THE "BEAST" OF BLUEBERRY
- ✓ NUANCES AGROTECHNIKA BLUEBERRY
- ✓ DO YOU NEED TO CUT BLUEberries?
- ✓ PICKING LEAVES AND BERRIES
- ✓ HOW TO DRAW BLACKBERRY?
- ✓ REPRODUCTION OF BLUEBERRY BY STEM SHUTCHES.
- ✓ REPRODUCTION OF BLUEBERRY BY ROOT CUTTINGS.
- ✓ REPRODUCTION BY PARTIAL BUSTS.
- ✓ ABOUT THE USE OF BLUEBERRY
- ✓ GROWING BLUEberries - VIDEO TIPS
BLUEBERRY IN THE GARDEN - CULTIVATION AND REPRODUCTION, PLANTING AND CARE
Blueberry is an amazing plant. Its berries are valuable not only for their aroma and taste, but also for their medicinal qualities, and the preparations from them are excellent. Leaves also have healing properties. For the sake of picking blueberries, amateurs go to blueberries even with an overnight stay, because they are often far away. This is probably why many gardeners began to grow blueberries in their own gardens. And quite successfully.
WHAT IS THE "BEAST" OF BLUEBERRY
The blueberry genus belongs to the lingonberry family. There are several types of blueberries: common, oval-leaved, hairy, Small.
In nature, blueberries grow in the zone of mixed and coniferous (mainly spruce) forests of the European part of Russia and Siberia, entering the tundra zone, penetrating to Transbaikalia and Yakutia. Grows in isolation in the Far East and in the mountain forests of the Western Caucasus.
In the middle lane, common blueberries are most common, found most often in blueberry spruce forests, in moderately humid areas covered with moss.
This plant is a small shrub 20-40 cm high with simple elliptical leaves, which crumble for the winter. Flowers are solitary, greenish-pink, on a plant there are usually about 50-80 of them, they bloom in early June. If at this time there are frosts, then you can be left without a crop. The first fruits weighing up to 0,6 g appear in July. Blueberries are juicy, sweet and sour, with a pleasant taste, slightly astringent.
The root system is superficial. The shrub has underground stolon shoots, which diverge in different directions from the mother plant by 10-12 m. Aerial shoots sprout from the buds on them, giving rise to new bushes. This is how the vegetative propagation of blueberries occurs. It reproduces by seeds much less frequently.
If the winter is snowless and frosts hit, blueberry bushes can completely freeze out. Consider the climate in which you live and use shelter if necessary.
Blueberry prefers moist, well-aerated, peaty-sandy soils. The optimal pH value is 3,5-5, and the groundwater level is 60-80 cm.
NUANCES AGROTECHNIKA BLUEBERRY
Blueberries prefer partial shade. On the site, it can be planted with subtrees, behind buildings. At the place chosen for planting, remove the soil to a depth of 25-30 cm.Pour a layer of drainage from sand, gravel or expanded clay on the bottom, and on top lay a substrate for growing blueberries (you can buy ready-made, either high-moor peat, or a mixture of peat with sand, sawdust, foliage). For 1 cubic meter m of the mixture, it is desirable to add 100-150 g of sulfur for acidification.
Most often, partial bushes are planted on the personal plot, which they simply brought from the forest, choosing the most productive and large-fruited. Under natural conditions, on blueberries, you can find plants that are slightly different from each other. Usually they are of two types - with black shiny berries without a wax coating and with blue, matte and covered with a dense waxy coating. It is preferable to take black chokeberry, it has larger berries with a high content of sugars and vitamin C.
Dig blueberry bushes from the forest together with a clod of earth, cutting off the connecting shoots at a distance of at least 10 cm from the base of the bush. The best planting material is young 1-3-year-old bushes. The bushes brought from the forest must be planted on the same day, in extreme cases - no later than 2 days later. In this case, store them in a plastic bag or sphagnum moss until planting.
PLANT the BUSH in rows with row spacing of 30-35 cm and a row spacing of 20-25 cm. Put the roots well into the soil, after planting, slightly compact the substrate near the plant. Then pour and mulch with sawdust in a layer of 2-3 cm.
Water often in dry weather (2-3 times a week). In the early years, until the bushes have grown and closed, it is necessary to especially carefully control weeds. Cover with spunbond or lutrasil to protect against spring frost during flowering.
Blueberries are very responsive to fertilizers, therefore, when preparing the soil for digging for 1 sq. m, add 3 g of nitrogen and phosphorus, 1,5 g of potash fertilizers and 200-300 g of humus. Or use a modern blueberry and blueberry specialty fertilizer.
DO YOU NEED TO CUT BLUEberries?
Here the opinions of the Experts differ. Some believe that annual pruning of blueberries is not required, others that due to the fact that blueberries yield a rich harvest on powerful last year's growths, their formation should be supported by regular pruning during the dormant period. At the same time, you should thin out the bush, removing weak or damaged shoots.
BRUSHES OVER 10 YEARS OLD should definitely be trimmed. Remove old branches or annually cut off selectively a quarter of the bush to hemp 2-3 cm.To rejuvenate the blueberry, dig out the partial bushes, separate them from the stolons and plant them in a new place.
From 1 sq. m of garden blueberry, you can get 300-500 g of berries. Plants begin to bear fruit at the age of 3, reaching a maximum yield at 7 years old, and at 14-16 years old, fruiting ends.
PICKING LEAVES AND BERRIES
LEAVES are harvested for medicinal purposes. Do this during the flowering period and keep in mind that this will reduce the yield. Therefore, it is advisable to harvest the leaves on a non-fruiting blueberry. Dry the leaves in the shade under a canopy, spreading them in a layer of 2-3 cm.
Blueberries are eaten fresh, frozen for the winter and dried. Moreover, you need to process the crop as quickly as possible - the berries do not lie for a long time.
To dry, do not wash the berries, sprinkle them on wire racks or baking sheets with a layer of 2-3 cm and dry for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 35-40 °, stirring regularly. Then bring the temperature to 50-60 °. Dry berries should not contain more than 17% moisture and stain your hands.
But it's best to keep blueberries frozen. So it retains all the useful properties.
Reference by topic: How to grow blueberries in the garden - personal experience
HOW TO DRAW BLACKBERRY?
Stem and rhizome cuttings, partial bushes. Seeds - for breeding purposes only.
REPRODUCTION OF BLUEBERRY BY STEM SHUTCHES.
The cutting period is from late June to early August. Root them in a greenhouse on a pre-prepared bed. It is better to make a wooden box and fill it with pure high-moor peat or a mixture of peat and sand or old sawdust.
Cut the cuttings 5-7 cm long from the young shoots. Remove the leaves from the lower part of the cutting, dip the cut into the solution or powder of the root former. Plant the processed cuttings in a greenhouse in a prepared place, trying to place them so that the leaves do not shade each other.
The cuttings will take 6-7 weeks to root. During this period, water them regularly, ventilate them, maintain the optimal temperature regime in the greenhouse. At the end of August, you can remove the shelter from the greenhouse. And in October, cover the plants with peat or sawdust with a layer of 3-5 cm. In November, a bed with young blueberries can be covered with covering material for the winter.
In the spring, when the soil has thawed, transplant the seedlings to a separate bed or grow containers.
REPRODUCTION OF BLUEBERRY BY ROOT CUTTINGS.
With this method, cuttings can be rooted both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Dig up the soil around the old bushes and cut off any underground shoots that are in it. From these shoots, cut the cuttings 15-20 cm long, always with a bud or young shoot.
On the prepared bed, make grooves 10 cm deep. Water well and spread the prepared segments in them so that part of the rhizome with a bud or shoot is directed upwards. Then cover the furrows with the spread cuttings _ with the substrate and water abundantly again. Place wire bows over the bed and cover them with spunbond.
Water within 2 months of planting. After this period, the shelter can be removed, but do not stop watering. Leave the rooted young plants to winter in the same bed. And to protect from frost, mulch the blueberry seedlings with peat and cover with spunbond.
REPRODUCTION BY PARTIAL BUSTS.
As mentioned above, in addition to aboveground shoots, blueberries also have underground rhizome shoots (stolons). From the buds placed on these shoots, young plants are formed, connected with the mother bush by the rhizome. For reproduction, choose young, well-developed bushes with their own root system. Dig them up in early spring or fall, separate them from the mother plant, and plant them in their permanent location.
ABOUT THE USE OF BLUEBERRY
Everything is useful in a blueberry plant: fruits, leaves, young shoots. In the leaves, the content of vitamin C reaches 250 mg%, tannins - up to 20%, they contain arbutin, a substance used in the treatment of kidney diseases and pyelonephritis.
In medicine, dried blueberries are used: they are used in the form of a decoction as a gentle astringent and dietary remedy for acute and chronic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, which is especially effective for diarrhea in children and acute enterocolitis in adults. The astringent effect of blueberries is due to the presence of tannins. Blueberries have antiseptic and anti-diabetic properties.
Studies have found that blueberry sharpens night vision, improves metabolic processes in the retina. Therefore, its fruits are very useful to everyone who has to work at night (drivers, machinists, pilots), by the way, blueberries are included in the astronauts' menu. In addition, oxycoumarins, a substance that inhibit blood clotting, are found in blueberries. Eating blueberries and blueberries can help prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of myocardial infarction.
Pectin substances in blueberries adsorb and remove intestinal toxins from the body (including compounds of strontium, cobalt, lead).
Blueberries are also widely used in folk medicine - they are used to treat eczema, burns, trophic ulcers, long-term non-healing wounds and anemia. It is recommended to rinse with a decoction of berries and blueberry juice for inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gums, larynx and mouth. Boiled, chopped berries are used for compresses for burns, skin diseases, especially eczema and psoriasis.
Infusions, extracts and decoctions of the leaves help with diabetes, promote the dissolution of stones in kidney and urolithiasis, inflammation of the bladder, gastric mucosa. Enemas from infusion of leaves are used for hemorrhoidal bleeding.
However, overuse of berries may not be good for your health, so you should consult your doctor. Nutritional advantages, versatile medicinal properties of blueberries invariably attract the attention of gardeners to this plant, and their desire to have blueberry bushes on their site is understandable.
See also: Blueberry garden - growing and care
GROWING BLUEberries - VIDEO TIPS
© Author: M.DYMOVA
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Jam “Vitamin mix”
I love blueberries very much, but the jam made from this berry turns out to be somewhat rustic and bland. To enrich the taste of the dessert, I try to add other berries to the stem.
The combination of blueberries with remontant strawberries and garden raspberries seemed especially successful to me. The jam turns out fragrant, has an excellent structure - it is not thick and not liquid, the aromas and taste of the three berries complement each other perfectly, maintaining a bright individuality.
Ingredients: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries - 0,5 kg each, sugar -1,5 kg, vodka - 3 tbsp. spoons.
Sort the berries, you can lay them out on a baking sheet to air (I try to pick them in dry weather, so I never wash them). Then carefully transfer to a bowl or pan and sprinkle with vodka: this is my grandmother’s proven way to preserve the color and integrity of the berries. Sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar and leave overnight to allow the berries to release their juice. Then bring the berry mass to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Repeat this procedure 3-4 times with an interval of 10-12 hours.
After the last settling, place a bowl (pan) with jam on medium heat, boil, cook for about 7-10 minutes, skimming off the foam regularly. The readiness of the jam is checked in the usual way - by dripping it on a saucer. If the drop does not spread, the jam is ready.
Let it cool (hot jam will cause condensation and it may become moldy), then put it into sterilized jars. Store at room temperature.
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We are pensioners, we have a summer cottage of 6 acres. This spring, two bushes of garden blueberries were purchased at the Dachnik store in the spring. We were told how to plant them, we all did so. They started growing. And what to do next? How, with what and when to feed them, when to water? We will be very grateful for your advice.
Anatoly