read more. If your bushes are large with thick canes, use long-handled loppers for cutting tough stems. As I mentioned in the video above, I had just pruned my elderberry bushes with my garden tools. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Dear milissa, I bought a blueberry tree two years ago and I have not got one blueberry in the past two years. Best of luck! above the ground. Prune plants in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. It will give the you all the organisms buleberries are used too. New to this. If you're okay with that, you don't need to do a thing! ”. I’m an English teacher. It sounds like you are doing a good job. Our Programs and Services. Our plants are about 6 or 7 years old so we get a good harvest. Melanie How to Prune Blueberries & Proper Blueberry Bush Care (For a Better Harvest), Blueberry Bushes are Great for Small Spaces. Here’s my favorite method for pruning blueberries, whether they’re high-bush, low-bush or half-high varieties. I have 2 that when planted had full sun. Remove any diseased or broken wood, plus crossing branches. Prune blueberries anytime after harvest, but before August 1 to ensure flower buds will have time to mature before the onset of fall and winter. When to Prune Blueberries In the northern hemisphere blueberries can be pruned at any time from November until March. I have 25 bushes. Some almost to the ground. Initially I searched , how to prune your blue berry bush, and came upon your page but reading the excerpt beneath your picture makes me feel a glimmer of my old self in that I used to believe in signs from god. I hope you and your family are doing well 🙂 Wishing you continued blessings. 2 of them are more or less like blueberry bushes that grow here except one of those grows in the shade. This is so that the blueberry fertilizer has time to penetrate the soil and make it to the roots of the blueberry bush before it enters active growth. Is it not harmful or inviting to pests to have the mulch and compost so high on the base of the blueberry plants? She’s the author of five gardening books, including the Amazon-bestseller, Bee Hives & Zero Waste Practices Keep Things Buzzing At The Living Home, Getting Started: 3 Other Reasons To Raise Chickens, An Automatic Coop Door Is A Chicken-Keeper’s Dream, Essential Implements For Your BCS Walk-Behind Tractor, Tips For Measuring & Spacing Raised Garden Beds, Prune Your Blueberry Bushes In Late Winter. Your new fan. In fact, our soil is about a 5.5 on the ph scale and it's not quite acidic enough for the blueberries. As we had some really warm weather in February and March the blueberries bloomed and had many berries for being such young bushes. They have to go. Your article has helped explain why maybe the yield is Ok. It also helps shape the shrub and limits disease by opening up the plant’s structure. If it's too compact the berries in the center won't receive much light and won't ripen well. Hi, I just transplanted a 3-n-1 combo blueberry plant. They had not been pruned in years, nearly 9 feet tall, but still quite productive. Horticulturist Jessica Walliser is an award-winning radio host on KDKA Radio’s “The Organic Gardeners” in Pittsburgh. Thanks Pruning blueberry bushes and proper blueberry bush care can help yield not only a larger harvest but also larger, juicier berries. This allows increased surface area for the tree, since the low areas around the trunk are not bare. They eat lots of bugs that would otherwise be on the bush and berries. Go figure. Almost anyone can grow blueberries, even if all you have is a patio or small yard because blueberries can be kept compact. We have several inches of snow covering our berry plants. I notice on one of my blueberry bushes, an area of multitude mini branches forming all in one area. This will encourage healthy new growth. Just remember new growth will not yield berries the first … […]. We feel guilty about removing branches with any potential fruit, but if your goal is to increase your shrubs’ long-term productivity and grow larger fruits, then pruning properly is a must. I’ll be sure to come back here to review before I prune next year. Are there branches that don't have any new fruit buds? If the plant is fully leafed out and blossomed, you might want to wait. they are a bane to many of us. Last year took out the largest of the trunk branches and has a bumper crop that summer! I still have my blueberries in their pots and am currently considering growing them in 30 gallon pots. Thanks so much for the advice on the larger bushes. How much fun does that wedding sound? Plus, they turn things purple (one of my high school’s colors), what’s not to love? ?S.A. You'll want to be sure your pruning shears are nice and sharp because it's best if you prune off the dead branches at a 45-degree angle. I have learned a lot. What I wouldn’t do to have him back but since that’s not possible, I’m going to do the best I can to car of his blueberries, apples, plums, peaches and raspberries! Lab Testing and Analysis Services Testing for soil, plant tissue, water quality, animal … The primary goal of good blueberry pruning is to remove enough old growth to encourage new—but not so much that you impact your berry production for the coming season. I don’t have experience with peach trees, but my neighbors have peach trees and pines close by without problems. How to Prune Blueberry Bushes. Of course I took it for granted. Thank you To allow more sunlight and air to penetrate the foliage, remove all branches that grow toward the center of the plant and prune away any limb that crosses over or rubs against … Any ideas? The problem I have is the weight of the fruit is bending the branches over. This time I will spread the mulch in a larger circle around the bushes… make sure it comes all the way out around the drip line of the bush! Do you have any advice on trimming them back to at least six feet without killing the plant? Next, step back and look at the bush. 2. Blueberry bushes tend to overbear, which shortens their lives. How to Prune a Blueberry Bush for a Larger Harvest - YouTube Your email address will not be published. Young blueberry bushes are usually planted in late winter while fully dormant and leafless. I have inherited some neglected blueberries that are in need of some dire love. I noticed you mentioned the “mummy berry” disease as your reason for deep mulching. Can you advise me on how to prune? I think it is awesome that this article caught my attention since I live in the PNW as well. If they’re becoming root bound in their current pots, I’d move them to a bigger pot rather than than pruning the roots. Melissa lives with her husband and two children in their own little house in the big woods in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains. Basically I remove what is not consistent with a strong and healthy plant. Hi, we live in New Zealand and I had a chuckle when I read the title for this article – a very helpful article I might add – I was not laughing about the information itself, which was actually really helpful, but laughing about how our blueberry pruning happens around here. By the time a branch is 7 or 8 years old, it’s pretty much done producing to the best of its ability, and if you don’t remove it, the plant will fail to generate new, more productive branches. They’re 30+ years old, and haven’t had any attention in at least 10 years. There’s even a Wikipedia page on us up here. I’ll give each a little of your tender loving care. It’s best to remove the fruit buds the first two years to let the roots get established. Pruning Young Blueberry Plants . While pruning, remember to take a step back occasionally to make visual observations of the plant to keep from getting carried away while pruning. The branches are about 1″ diameter. The best (and most tasty) blueberries tend to grow on newer, stronger canes that are pointing straight up, and while the older canes will still bear fruit, you want a constant steady rotation of new fruit-bearing canes to maintain the fruit quality. Additionally, weeds are suppressed since the low … We live in Northeast Pa. Just in time too, it reminded me I need to get outside and take care of this. I seriously needed this. God said “subdue the earth” which means If you Google it you’ll see much about our land and lake and cabins. in your garden can mean fresh breakfast berries -- if those bushes remain healthy and productive. She's an organic farmer who has served on the board for Organic Tilth, making her my go-to person when I have gardening questions. The buds are on them now, do you think I should trim them again now before I fertilize this month? It depends on how old the plant is, if there’s a bare spot there, and if they’re fruit producing or just leaves. Required fields are marked *. Actually, that depends on the variety, always save the tags if you can or document your fruit tree varieties. So I guess I should thank the little lambs, not freak out every time I see them out their nibbling away to their hearts content?! Blueberry pruning is an annual chore; mark your calendar with this important task every February and watch the berries roll in for years to come! A: Prune your plants at the end of each growing season. Thank you for the informative post. If your plant is only a year or two old, I wouldn’t prune it yet, just let it grow and establish its root system. I need them 🙂 so Keep an coming. 1st year the bush produced ok. Hence, blueberry pruning is a constant renewal process where older canes are removed to encourage new, strong and more upright growth. February is the perfect time to prune blueberry bushes. Because of this, I always start by sterilizing my tools to avoid the possibility of spreading disease between my plants. The bush may also become unruly and an undesirable shape for harvesting berries. My parent’s have older bushes and they’re still doing well, but they did require some extensive pruning on some of them. Very large fruit. None have broken yet. They have huge harvests every year. Great tips! 4 tips for using coffee grounds in the garden. Blueberry pruning should be performed on an annual basis for several reasons, the most important of which is increased fruit quality. Hoping to move to property East of the mountains in a couple of years and want to take them with us. I prune our blueberries and raspberries at the same time. Nice pruning pointers! Whatever you can get your hands on basically. I remove the broken diseased branches. How Many Fruit & Berry Plants Do You Need Per Person? There is one branch growing straight up with huge leaves nothing like the other blueberry leaves. Blueberries should be pruned during the winter while the bushes are dormant. I’ve always piled peat moss as a mulch that eventually works its way into the soil. Wrong. Yes, pruning is the same for in the pot or in the ground. Also take a look into the 7 years rest of your land. 5 Tips for Starting an Orchard and Growing Fruit, Caring for fruit trees in the fall and winter, http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/FactSheets/blueberry–pruning-techniques.php#, https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/blueberry/infos, The Ultimate Seed Starting Guide- Planning, Starting & Mistakes to Avoid, How to Grow a Large Scale Garden & Livestock Without Acreage, How to Get Everything Done in a Day Without Wasting Time or Getting Distracted, How to Create a Gardening Plan for More Harvest and Less Stress, How to Make a Sourdough Starter + Tips for Success. Adding things like sulfur to the soil is completely unnatural. This is where the pruning happens, they love the blueberry leaves, which annoys me a lot and means I have to try and protect them from their little nibbling mouths, but every year we get a great crop of blueberries, considering the plants are so young. Focus on SOIL LIFE by application of good compost and mulch only once a year, then add some mid to late winter pruning, and keep them moist and see what happens before you enter a lifetime cycle of chemical fertilizers and sprays and amendments. Is there an advantage to pruning raspberries in January? Subdue means “prune that plants wild growth” not chemically treat the plants with stuff we made with some chemistry. Sheena, Beings I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the wild blueberries in Florida so if the local growers don’t know, I don’t think I”d be of anymore help. Cedar is a good choice for blueberries (but not all plants), fir, maple, and pine will work as well. Growing blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) Blueberries make a gorgeous addition to your flower beds as their flower buds turn to dainty white blossoms in spring and in the fall, their leaves turn a pretty red before falling. Plant in late winter to early spring. These bushes also had a load of birds in them for many years due to feeders nearby. Rabbiteye blueberries are available in early, mid and late season ripening varieties. Be sure and cut the branch off down to the very base of the bush. My blueberries are about 28 years old and never been pruned.They make loads of berries.I wont to make bigger berries.My berries are about 1/2 inch size.So i am going to prune them and see how that works. My plans are to grow CNG (certified naturally grown) produce. Adding to many amendments can do more hard than good as it throws off the balance. I hope your fruits give you wonderful rewards. I snip the unwanted as I pick berries, but not pulling it out (I don’t want to sacrifice the berries). I think we have 66 of them now. Modern agriculture is the worst thing to ever happen to mankind. Irene and Melissa, Thanks for all the detailed information. Being new to growing blueberries, I have searched to find out what I should do to my blueberry bushes. I also spread a tarp on the ground near my bushes so I have somewhere to toss the braches after they’re pruned. Those blackberries…. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Can I Prune My Blueberries in the Summer?. Check out my FREE Preserving Blueberries & Blueberry Recipes eBook or my Home Fruit Preserving eCourse. In winter, flower buds are easily visible on one-year … The secret to a great blueberry crop is … Should I prune the roots and feed this spring? Hello. By pruning to regulate crop load, the grower can lengthen the life of his bushes and increase the number of commercial crops. Your email address will not be published. And love meeting another Sister in Christ! If you're cutting off an entire branch, you'll want to cut the branch straight across, right at the very base. These plants are in very large pots and growing great but I see constant growth, and some suckers, all summer long. When pruning blueberry bushes, you should prune to where the bush is narrow at the base and open in the center. Getting them disentangled from the blackberries is going to be enough of a project for this spring I think, but I’ll give them a good haircut next winter! Forgive my scrupulosity. Hubbie wants to cut them down an start over! How to prune blueberries. You can’t go wrong with Mason jars in my opinion. To keep them producing well, blueberry bushes need to be pruned every year. I moved our blueberry orchard this year closer to the farm house and planted daffodils between the bushes to discourage armadillo and moles from uprooting them before the roots get a good hold of the soil. Peat moss is an excellent way to help acidify your soil! You want to prune them when the fruit buds are showing. I have one sad looking blueberry plant and one good looking fella. I am in Alberta Canada and have 2 1/2 months of growing season before frost. Begin by cutting off any damaged stems or those that are broken off. If your bushes have never been trimmed, be careful not to go … Great Article! The best time to prune blueberries is in late winter to early spring (January to early March) after all chance of severe weather has passed. Kay, if the bushes aren’t even quite a year old, they don’t really require much pruning. But it is the ones that are more at a 45-75 degree angle from the ground that are leaning badly. But waiting until spring allows me to assess the winter damage and take care of it then, instead of pruning twice. This year, I am putting them in the ground so these tips are much appreciated. If you live further south, I recommend the earlier pruning time. Improperly pruned blueberry bushes often contain many old, woody branches that have reduced fruit-bearing abilities. I’d wait and see what happens next year, you won’t get any fruit this year anyways and should remove blossoms next year to allow the roots to establish themselves. Yes, you should prune the blueberry bushes in the fall so new growth can come in the spring, when you will feed the bushes. Whenever I prune I think of how God works in our lives. Harold, I’m “renovating” some 30 year old bushes. Source: sampson.ces.ncsu.edu. At this time, it is easy to assess how much, if any, winter injury has occurred as well as how many fruit buds are present. Your feedback would be appreciated. I’m also much to busy in the fall to prune the berries with harvest and preserving of other crops. Thank you for your help. While the plants are dormant, it’s easy to see their structure and make decisions about where to make the cuts. Thanks Melissa, very helpful info, much appreciated as my wife and I are growing blueberries here in New Zealand to sale at the local markets, bless you sis. You can then make the necessary adjustments in pruning type and severity. Loved your article about pruning blueberries. On mature plants, follow up by removing one-third of all the remaining branches, which means you’ll be cutting out three of every 10 canes left on the plant. Just Google Winnisook. I think you’ll find the last few paragraphs of this article on pruning really old and neglected blueberries very helpful http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/FactSheets/blueberry–pruning-techniques.php#. That would be January through March depending on where you live. God said to let your land rest every 7 years. Pruning blueberries is slightly different than pruning fruit trees, though some of the principals remain the same. With a little care, your blueberry plants will continue to produce abundant crops of delicious, healthy blueberries for many years. It’s probably just too young to produce anything yet. Thank you. Hi Jessica, we’re in western WA, up in the foothills of Skagit County. Growing Grass My question isn’t on pruning. They have reduced productivity, too. Finally, look for branches that grow long and leggy with no branches until the end. Blueberry pruning should be performed on an annual basis for several reasons, the most important of … I believe it’s seven years and about an inch in diameter, is when the trunk is getting too big and won’t produce like newer growth. We just purchased 18 1/2 acres of land adding to our current 4 1/2 acres. The best time to prune blueberry bushes is late winter while they're still dorant. If we get back to mimicking nature and simple “subdueing” of WHAT ALREADY EXISTS we will get back to healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy bodies and well-being in lieu of DISEASE! Betty. I recently read this link article that describes the disease and it’s states very well with great ID pictures. Best wishes 😇 Helpful. Again the birds may have little to do with the crop but I can tell you having birds around is great except when the crop ripens of course! Now, look at the bush again. Well, just checked them and I still really need snowshoes to get around out there so I guess that’s getting put off for now. The Best Method for Pruning Blueberry Bushes, 4 Tips to Identify Which Branches to Prune Off Your Blueberries. If you have good organics, mulching is fine, and put down some compost you will keep the soil life growing well and the plants will do very good. Should I do this in winter as well? It’s a two part phase infection, that is correct, but the mulch is to cover any berries that were infected that dropped to the soil so that they don’t continue to spread the disease, which is why it says in the article you shared to bury the berries at least 1 inch thick, that’s the purpose of the mulch. At the present time it’s just laden with green leaves. I’m a new caretaker of nearly two acres of blueberries that have not been taken care of very well for a few years. Oh, goodness. Your email address will not be published. If you put down a thick enough layer of mulch, the fungus can't grow and therefore can't spread. I net this monster bush, but at the end of the harvest when there is still a good bit of berries, I open it up and let the birds have their fill and again they will eat bugs and berries alike. I planted the blueberry bushes last fall. 0 0. For good fruit production water them during any extended drought, especially when newly planted and when the berries are sizing up in June. A good annual pruning encourages lots of fruitful new growth and high berry production. Once leaves begin to appear, protect the plants from frost. Sadly, we had a freeze and now all the berries are either dead or in bad shape. Ever wondered about the proper pruning methods for your blueberry bushes and crape myrtle trees? With them being that overgrown you may decide to do a heavy pruning in the winter/spring which will reduce that year’s crop, but will put the bush into a good place for the following years. Its name refers to its tall stature. How smart is that? . Great timing on this for me! When I’m finished pruning, I grab two corners of the tarp and drag it over to the compost pile to unload. Branches with no (or very few) fruit buds. I live in Ireland and we get bad weather in winter. I can not see where the branch comes from as it is under the burlap on the root. I read somewhere that I need to pinch off most of the flowers the first year so they build a better root system? As a rule of thumb, prune blueberries for height no later than the end of July, and cut them one foot lower than the maximum height at which you want to pick. I have never pruned it yet. If the bushes are that young, I probably would just wait until next year and not prune again. This prevents the spread of disease. Reply. Dianna, Here are two grammatical errors that need repaired. It’s probably a disease, but so far it has been incurable. The bushes are covered in vine, honeysuckle and posion ivy. We just got them last year and have no idea how old they are. For the first 4 years or so after planting, there is no need to prune blueberry bushes. The optimum time to prune blueberries is in late winter to early spring after the chance of severe cold is over and before new growth has begun. Sincerely, Mimic nature and plant with diversity NOT MONO-CULTURES! We keep our bee hives out by the bushes to help with pollination. I love the verse you have included and am going to paint it on the orchard shed side wall. For instance, throughout the growing … Those are some wonderful old bushes. I’ve been told that it’s the oldest crop in Tennessee. I have 2 peach trees that didn’t even have one bloom last year? I’m cursed with being a compulsive proofreader. I loved your article on pruning blueberries. Melissa K. Norris inspires people's faith and pioneer roots with her books, podcast, and blog. I have 3 types of wild blueberries but am having trouble with identifing them.Can I send you pictures to see if you can tell me anything about them? Plant several variety types in the home garden … She gave me a quick pruning lesson and I'm passing it along to you guys, cuz us homesteading peeps have to stick together. 🙂 I’d prune off any damaged or dead branches but you won’t need to do any true heavy pruning the first few years. Thanks so much for the informative description on pruning. Thank you for the good information. Thank you for enlightening me with the proper pruning of Blueberries. They’re usually pretty forgiving. The presence of these old branches also inhibits the generation of new, productive growth. It is tempting to prune these off, since they make the tree look unbalanced. Trade in the chemicals for a sickle and a pitch fork and while you make that compost to give you complete nutrient rich foods you will also sweat out the toxic crap from the mass produced food laden with pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers for a synergistic effect on your own health. Once you're ready to prune, the first thing you want to do is take off all of the dead branches, these should be the oldest canes on your plant. Can I Plant Blueberries and Raspberries Together? It is about 18 inches higher than all other branches. Here are the steps in properly prune blueberry bushes: Visually observe the blueberry bush. Hi, no fruit, no branches. They are going on 4 years old. Our bushes are going on five years old and are definitely in need of some pruning. It's a fungus that infects first the branch of the plant and then the blossoms. Making some good compost is a bit of work and I suppose most people these days find it easier to mix some chemicals and spray instead, but if you want truly healthy plants that are not supported by the crutches you give them every year that produce the most nutrient rich complete fruits there is no other way. My husband passed away August 1, 2016 and I’m so overwhelmed as he was an avid gardener and grower of anything. Should I prune it abit or leave it? Last year i cut them all down and the bush didn’t do nearly as well as when I left the weeds alone. My question is when is it best to transplant blueberry plants. While two types of blueberries can grow in the state, rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei) and southern highbush (Vaccinium darrowii), only rabbiteye berries are recommended for the home grower.Southern highbush blueberries can grow between zones 6 and 10, but are much higher maintenance, … Help keep in the moisture come our drier summer months (though in the Pacific Northwest that's usually not until after July 4th). The land has been unattended for about 20 years. This is their second year here. Please let us know a convenient time to call you on, (*All time slots are available in CDT zone.). Tammy, Tammy, These old branches often have a grayish coloration to their bark. Where I first planted the plants there are now about 6-8 one inch branches coming from the ground. Copyright 2021 - Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC. Please try again. We do not have enough yard space to plant them in the ground so I have to keep them in pots on patio. The blueberry bush is a perennial plant with hardy varieties available for most growing areas in North America. Each fruit bud will produce a good handful of berries, so if a branch has several, that's a decent amount of berries. well recent research shows that about every 7 years when land is NOT TOUCHED, some kind of reset happens in the soil that dramatically increases its fertility! Victoria, See if it blossoms at all this spring. The best time to prune your blueberry bushes is in the late winter or early spring. I am wondering if I should prune them off or what? I am new to gardening but am all ready to go, and I’m always looking for tips and tricks around the garden. Highbush blueberry, a native of North America, grows six to 12 feet tall and is the major blueberry-producing species in commerce. lol. ?? I just need a bit of guidance to start. Just wanted to say that if someone has older bushes, they need to take out a couple old main trunks AND leave the new shoots coming up, as those are the future of the bush! Our experts will call you on your preferred time. Under good management, blueberry bushes will produce some fruit the second or third year after transplanting. It's also best to prune on a dry day. But the years the feeding stopped came the huge production increase. Subdue means “fence in those animals” not genetically alter them and feed them stuff they are not supposed to eat. If you're in a wetter climate like me, you've probably heard of the dreaded mummy berry disease. I live in the older part of unincorporated King County not far from the Snoqualmie Casino above me and the Snoqualmie City Hall below me. Preserving Blueberries & Blueberry Recipes eBook. That means dont till it, don’t work it, dont prune it, don’t touch it other than you may eat of what might happen to grow there and share what is produced with poor folks. The recommended time to prune your blueberry bushes is during their dormant period in late winter. Hope that helps. I’m always amazed at how gardening brings to mind so many of the scriptures. Or maybe that's a sign I'm starting to get old… nah. Thanks for the great pointers. How would wood ash from a outdoor woodstove work for acidifying my blueberry plants? I wait until February so I can also take care of any canes that are damaged by winter weather and remove the tips of those canes.
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