American blueberry plantation

1. Why blueberry?

Blueberry has a great interest amongst growers and consumers because of its tasty, attractive berries. Shrubs can be grown on mineral and organic soils. Mineral Soils of IV, V and VI, class are a good place for blueberries. In Poland, we have a large percentage of these soils. A plantation of blueberries can be a good idea to use their potential as a source of additional income for small growers, or as the basis for the operation of a larger holding.

2. Biology

Blueberry high, sometimes called the American, comes from North America. As a species, it belongs to the heather family.. Shrubs reach the height of up to 3m (10ft).

Shoots are raised, they grow out of buds at the base of the plant, and at one year old are greenish. In following years they are cover with cracked bark. Blueberries bloom in the second half of May; the berries ripen from July to the end of September. The roots are well-branched, but they are very shallow - this creates the need to pay attention to the moisture of the soil.

3. Soil and climate requirements

Blueberry high grows on humus soils, sufficiently moist and very acidic - a pH of 3.8 to 4.5 (measured in KCl). It fails on soils which are compacted, dry and not sufficiently acidic. It prefers places which are warm, sunny, possibly sheltered from the wind (hedgerows). The content of humus in the soil should be at least 3.5%. The level of ground water should be at a depth of 40-60cm (16-24 inches). If the water is deeper, you may have to irrigate. Blueberry does not tolerate flooded soil, while long flooding causes rootsto die. Shrubs, depending on the variety, tolerate frost in the range of -25 to -34 C -13- -30F)( At lower temperatures, shoots which are above the snow, can freeze , but blueberry quickly rebuilds itself after cutting.

4. Varieties – the garden data

Plantations of blueberries are set up for many years, so the selection of varieties and quality of seedlings is very important.

Traditionally, blueberry varieties are divided into early, middle and late. In the early group there are some worth recommending: Earliblue, Patriot, Duke, Spartan. In the middle group there are: Bluecrop, Toro, Bluegold. Among the late group there are: Nelsona, Chandlera, Brigitte, Darrowa. You should not neglect a group of very late varieties, which include Lateblue and Elliot. A variety Bluecrop, for many years has been the plantation base in Poland and the world. Its share is more than 50%.

5. Preparing the field

Before setting up the plantation, it is very important to check the acidity of the soil. When it is found that the pH is higher than required, it must be corrected by sulphuring.

This activity has to be done a year before setting up the plantation. In order to lower the pH by one unit, use 1t (34 fl oz) of dusty sulfur per 1HA ( 2 ½ acres). Mineral soil requires enrichment by humus. This is done by ploughing the furrows (50-60cm (20-24inches) wide, about 30cm (12 inches) deep) and fill them with organic matter.

Composted sawdust from coniferous trees and acidic peat are the best, but in their absence other organic materialscan be used. Liquids must be mixed thoroughly with the soil. In addition, you can still use acid peat of 10-20 l (2 ½-5 gallons) per bush.

6. Planting shrubs

The best seedlings are 2-3 year old plants. One year old plants are not recommended, because they require special care after planting.

Plantations can be set up both in spring and autumn. Plants planted in autumn (September-early October) have enough time to enlarge their root system. Planting in spring lets you avoid potential damage by frost.

Space and distance between rows and bushes should close : 3-3.5 m( 10-12ft) for rows and 0,8-1,2 m (30-45 inches)between plants.

Blueberry is a plant which is self-pollinating to a large extent, but it is advised to plant two varieties – cross-pollination gives better quality fruit.

7. Fertilization and irrigation

Compared to other fruit plants, blueberry has a relatively moderate need for fertilizer . Its fertilization, because of the shallow root system, should be divided into 3 - 4 doses a year.

Fertilization of blueberries mainly supplyies the nitrogen necessary for intensive growth. Nitrogen fertilization in a dose of 30 - 50 kg / ha (65-110 lbs/2 ½ acres)_ should be applied by sprinkling ammonium sulfate during the growing season and urea – during the late autumn, after the end of vegetation. If you fertilize each time you irrigate, the added nitrogen should be balanced with sprinkled fertilizing. Sprinkled supplyof fertilizers containing nitrogen should be completed by early July.

After the completion of sprinkled fertilization when the leaves on the bushes are still green, it is recommended to implement at least one foliar urea treatment.

Another important component of fertilization is magnesium, the lack of which is particularly noticeable on light soils. Magnesium fertilization should be carried out in a single dose of 20 - 80 kg / ha(45-170 lbs/2 ½ acres) depending on the degree of the abundance of soil.

Phosphorus and potassium fertilization takes place once before the setting up a plantation. For several years thereafter, as a rule, there is no need to re-use it. After several years, depending on the degree of abundance of soil, superphosphate and potassium sulphate can be applied/. Both of these fertilizers are applied in the autumn. Fertilizers containing a form of chloride, as well as multi-component fertilizers, should be used only in autumn.

Blueberry fertilization should be based on the analysis of soil and plant material . On the basis of these two studies and inspection of the plantation blueberries can be properly fertilized.

On most plantations, there should be an irrigation system. Typically, it is trickle irrigation-in the form of lengths of garden hose with dispensers ( located as the manufacturer specified) and recommended volume of water. A common mistake in the installation of irrigation is the placing hose dispensers rightt next to a plant in a row (e.g. shrubs are 1m (3 ft) apart , so dispensers are also placed like that). This is a mistake! The aim should be to ensure that the entire row is supplied with water:this will enable the blueberry root system to develop. On lighter soils it is desirable to place dispensers at intervals of 30cm (12 inches), and 50cm (20 inches) on heavier soils. The quality of the water is very important! Hard water, high pH, with a high content of iron, calcium, should be properly prepared.

8. Plant care

The basic care procedure on the plantation is the cutting of plants. In the first 3-4 years it will be a health cut: removal of damaged shoots, dead shoots, etc. Another type of cutting is clearance cutting, which aims to stimulate the creation of strong one year old plant shoots and to ensure the stability of the yield. Old shoots (3-4 years old) should be removed and the number of young shoots should be adjusted. Young shoots with lots of flower buds must be reduced by 1 / 3. Cutting on the plantation is best in early spring in March or early April.

Another activity that affects shrubs is providing cover on plantations. The best materials are bark and sawdust from coniferous trees. In case there is neither of thse, you can use other organic materials (compost from oak leaves, sawdust from other trees, needles). On young plantations, rows are covered shortly after planting the bushes, on older ones - in the autumn every two years.

This activity is important for several reasons. It enriches the soil with humus, lowers its temperature, has an influence on better water balance, and reduces the existence of weeds.

9. Diseases and pests

In Poland's climate, the most dangerous disease is gangrene of the shoots. Infected shoots should be cut and removed from the plantations.

In humid weather there can also occur gray mold. One of the preventive activities is strong clearance cutting of shrubs, which enables the drying of leaves and shoots.

Plantations of blueberries are exposed to being gnawed by animals (hares, roe deer), therefore they should be fenced.

In the cover under bushes there voles and mice can occur, so it is best to put perches of 3-4 m( 10-12ft high) with a crossbar on which birds of prey can perch.. When there are a lot of these pests, the solution would be to insert poison baits into the holes.

As for insects, there may occur aphids, erence, gall mite, cockchafer – however, they are quite rare.

10. Harvesting

The varieties of blueberries ripen from early July until the end of September. On average, the fruits from one variety can be collected for 2-4 weeks. The collections take a few days (5-7) once they reach the standard color for the variety.

The fruit ripens unevenly and therefore we collect them 3-4 times with a couple of days’ interval. Fruit can survive in the cold room for a few or more days.

Krzysztof Botul