Rustic buckets full#

establish the overall health and shape of a new plant – the first two years after planting a new blueberry bush are spent pruning it to force new growth both above and below the ground.

A few of the most important reasons we prune blueberries are to: Once established, the bushes require annual care and pruning to ensure their overall health and continued fruit production. They require two to three years of specific care to establish when new. Blueberries are a long-game addition to your property.

Rustic buckets full#

Sure, you can do it the way mother nature does, but you’ll achieve the same results as in the wild – feast or famine depending on a multitude of uncontrolled variables.īecause they are cultivated to be raised in your garden, when we take the time to give them consistent care, they reward us with buckets full of tender, sweet berries, year after year. Not only that but they are meant to be cared for in a specific manner. After all, they get along just fine out in the woods why not let nature take its course in your garden as well? The blueberries we grow in our backyards have been bred and cultivated specifically for that purpose. If you’ve ever collected wild blueberries on the side of the road or in the woods, then you’re probably wondering why you need to prune the bushes growing in your garden. Why Do I Need to Prune My Blueberry Bushes? Leaf bud – a bud that will produce leaves. Shoots – new, scraggly growth that shows up quite often in the crown.įruit bud – a bud that will produce fruit.

They will start to appear woody after the first year or two.įruit-wood – these are canes that are capable of bearing fruit. They begin as long new growth that happens in late summer, starting out green and turning red-brown as they age. Let’s tackle that first.Ĭrown – this is the base of the bush, where the growth comes out of the ground.Ĭane – these are what we call stems that are at least a year old. If you’re new to pruning and maintaining small fruit crops, such as blueberries, you’ll likely encounter a few words you might be unfamiliar with. We’ll cover a lot here, so it’s probably a good idea to read this piece at least twice before tackling the job. But I promise, it’s not nearly as difficult as you would think, and after a couple of seasons, the annual pruning of the blueberry bushes will be old hat. Pruning any fruit-bearing plant seems to make most novice gardeners break out in a cold sweat. But beyond all that, one of the most important things you can do to ensure your blueberry bushes produce berries year after year is to prune them annually. That’s always an important consideration, especially if you grow your bushes in pots where nutrients are used quicker. You’ll want to fertilize your blueberry bushes properly each spring.

(It’s easier to make than you think.)ĭon’t worry we’ve got a few tricks to help you achieve optimal blueberry production. This is why it’s important to care for blueberry bushes to ensure they can grow buckets of berries for eating, jam, syrup and maybe even a gallon of blueberry basil mead. A bowl left unattended on the counter, destined for jam or homemade blueberry syrup, will likely disappear before you can get the water bath canner ready. When it comes to summertime fruit, our favorite is blueberries.