Simple tips on how to grow blueberries from seed

This particular plant brings a unique combination of delicious fruit and it also bring a striking year round ornamental beauty to the garden and landscape. Blueberries are relatively easy to grow and they require minimal care. If you actually follow the few basic steps, your blueberry plants will really thrive for many decades and it will provide you with abundant fruit every year.  The following are some of the basic tips that will help you to grow a successfull blueberries:

The site selection and preparation for the blueberries plant

Try as much as possible to select a sunny location with well-drained soil that is also free of weeds and that is well-worked.  Under normal condition it is advisable to locate your blueberry plants in an area where irrigation is already available, with this a best results will be achieved.
Furthermore, in a case where the soil is not ideal or marginally-drained, you can use raised beds as an excellent option. From experience blueberries plant also does well in patio containers and they offer a great way for apartment and condo dwellers and those with little or no yard to enjoy blueberries.
One thing about Blueberries is that they prefer acidic soils. One of the safe way to grow blueberries in almost any soil is to incorporate peat moss into the planting medium. If you are planting directly in the ground, make sure you work up a planting area approximately 2½ feet in diameter and 1 foot deep for each plant. Make sure you remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the soil. Make sure you add an equal amount of pre-moistened peat moss and mix it well.  (for example One 4 cubic foot compressed bale will usually be sufficient for 4-5 plants.) in the case of raised beds you can mix equal volumes peat moss with bark (not cedar or redwood), compost or planting mix.  

The Spacing of blueberries plant

This particular plant can be planted as close as 2 - 2½ feet apart to form solid hedgerows or spaced up to 6 feet apart and grown individually. If the blueberries plant is planted in rows, allow 8 to 10 feet between the rows depending on the equipment used for mowing or cultivating.

The Planting of the blueberries

From experience it is advisable to plant in the fall or spring although in many regions it can be planted year round. By peradventure if you purchased containerized blueberry plants, remove it from the pot and lightly roughen up the outside surface of the root ball. Make sure you mound the plant’s top soil about 1/2 inch higher than the existing ground and firm around root ball.  Then mound soil up along sides of exposed root mass and water in well.

Mulching Blueberries

One thing about Blueberries is that they does best with 2-4 inches of mulch over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds and add organic matter. The following works well; Bark O Mulch, acid compost, sawdust and grass clippings all. Make sure you repeat it every other year.  Make sure you don’t use bark or sawdust from cedar or redwood trees.

Pruning Blueberry Plants

Under normal condition it is a good idea to allow the blueberries to get established before allowing them to bear fruit. By peradventure if you start with smaller plants, you can simply remove most of the flower blooms as they appear.  Make sure in the future years, the blueberry plants is heavily pruned each year to avoid over-fruiting which can results in small fruit or poor growth.
From our little experience, we know that one of the biggest mistakes most home gardeners normally make with their blueberries is lack of pruning.  From experience, an annual pruning will result in healthier, more vigorous plants and also more prolific fruit production.  The following are the simple tips:

1. Try and remove low growth around the base.
2. Make sure you remove the dead wood, leaving bright colored lateral branches. Also cut out any short, discolored branches.
3. Make sure you continue pruning until you have removed 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood out of your plants each year.

Fertilizing the Blueberries plant

One thing about blueberries plant is that they like acid fertilizers like rhododendron or azalea formulations. (make sure you ask your local garden center for recommendations.) make sure you take care when fertilizing, blueberries plants are very sensitive to over-fertilization. Make sure you follow the label instructions. Under normal condition it is ideal to fertilize once in early spring and again in late spring. Make sure you water thoroughly after fertilizing.  If you want to use organic fertilizers, blood meal and cottonseed meal work well.  Try to avoid using manures as they can damage the blueberry plants.
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