There are three species of blueberries in Poland: tufted blueberry, cowberry and American blueberry.The first two grow wild in natural sites, the last one is grown only in gardens and is the most popular.Until recently people went to the forest for blueberries, today everyone can grow them even in a pot on the balcony.
In the cultivation of blueberries, the most important thing is the substrate, which should be acidic (pH must be 3.0-4.0). When the soil is not acidic enough, the shrubs practically stop growing and bearing fruit. Good conditions for development will be created by mixing the substrate with pine, spruce or fir bark compost, and then covering the substrate with lining made of shredded coniferous branches. Only in such an environment will the mycorrhizal fungi with which the shrubs symbiotically survive.
Blueberry does not take deep roots, so the position prepared for its cultivation does not have to be deep. For blueberries, a sunny position should be chosen so that the fruit can acquire the proper flavor and aroma.If these basic conditions are met, the bushes will take off without any major problems.
One plant can harvest from 6 to 10 kg of fruit during the season (depending on the size of the bush). Several shrubs can be harvested in buckets (blueberry varieties bear fruit up to 2 cm in diameter!).Another argument in favor of planting several varieties is that cross-pollinated bushes bear larger fruit.Cutting is important in the care of blueberries. In the first years, we only remove damaged and dry shoots. Later, as the plants get older, cut out dry and non-fruit shoots.
Shining blueberries cut
This, of course, does not release us from the obligation to make the annual shining cut, thanks to which there will be simply more fruit.Cutting is best done in early spring.Among the varieties recommended for garden cultivation, 'Nelson', 'Bluecrop', 'Spartan', 'Goldtraube' (all described on the previous page) as well as 'Duke' and 'Toro' are noteworthy. 'Duke' has medium-sized fruit and ripens at the end of July. 'Toro' has large fruits and also matures in July.
Blueberry bilberry produces the most rich berries on two-year-old shoots. It is worth remembering that the longer and older the twigs, the smaller the fruit and the later ripening.This species is pruned every 3-4 years just above the young side shoot.Old shoots should be completely cut - in their place we take out new ones. Lingonberry does not require pruning. Low shrubs can be grown anywhere in the garden, also in the vicinity of rhododendrons and azaleas.
Good to know
American blueberry is also called tall (its shoots grow up to 250 cm) and, as you can easily guess, comes from North America. Tam almost all cultivars were bred.Interestingly, in terms of fruit production, Poland ranks third in the world, after the United States and Canada.
Step by step: we put on a blueberry
1. The stand for the cultivation of garden varieties is channeled, choosing the substrate 30 to 40 cm deep and 80 to 100 cm wide. The length of the trench depends on the number of bushes (planting distance at least 70 cm).Fill the hole with soil for rhododendrons or heathers up to a height of approx. 5 cm below the edge of the trench.
2. The bushes are planted to such a depth that the root ball protrudes approx. 5 cm above the ground.
3. Spread the fragmented cortex bedding (pine or spruce) on the substrate.Rake it in such a way that a flat mound appears in the middle. At the end, the bushes are watered abundantly with rainwater.We irrigate the rhododendron regularly, after the second year you can start applying fertilizer for rhododendrons in spring.
