Blueberry Pruning How To

Ever wonder why the blueberry plants in your back yard aren't doing as great as the ones you see at Wilt Farms? Well this should help improve that. We are going to reveal some top secret information as to what we do for pruning our blueberries. 

With moderate pruning of high bush blueberries (this would be the type of bush you see at farms and in your backyard) that is done every year in the late fall or winter, you can increase the constancy of production, and performance of the bush or quality of fruit 

Pruning should happen when the bush is doormat (December – March), for us we start pruning our 70 acres late December to early January. When pruning be sure to remove low growth, cut off short, soft shoots that develop at the base of the plant late in the season. Take off canes and twigs damaged by the winter, diseased or insect damaged. Cut off unproductive canes: those that haven't produced much new growth in at least one year. 

When pruning keep in mind that you want to let light down into the center of the plant. Completely clean the center of the plant. This will let the light in and help promote new growth for the next year.

Many times we prune up to 50% of the fruit buds. Why you ask? We want larger fruit. You can prune less and have smaller fruit and less growth for the following year or have larger fruit and more growth for the next year.

The downfall of pruning too lightly or not pruning them at all can result in the bushes having weaker, twiggy growth, as well as smaller fruit or to the point that fruit is non-existent. 

Planting and Pruning Tips

Newly cleared land is best for planting since it usually contains more organic matter. Thoroughly work the soil for at least two years proceeding planting to subdue weeds and grasses. Add lime if the soil tests below pH 4.5 add sulfur to soils testing above pH 5.5 to acidify problem areas. When planting use 2 or 3 year old plants. Avoid plants older than 3 years old for commercial planting. Plant early in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Space the plants 4' apart in rows 10' apart. Set plants at the same depth as grown in the nursery. Mix a shovelful of acid peat with the soil in each planting hole when setting in sandy soils low in organic mater. Remove fruit buds, either before or soon after setting the plants. Cultivated berries are self fertile. However , if you want a long harvest season plant 2 or 3 varieties ripening in succession. Experiments indicate berries may be larger and slightly earlier- maturing when cross pollination dose occur. Most blueberry roots are close to the soil surface. Cultivate no deeper than 2 or 3 inches and only often enough to keep weeds in check.The blueberry needs annual pruning. Remove all the small spindly growth near the base of the plant. This will promote a more upright bush and keep the fruit away from the ground. Prune to remove dead and injured branches, fruiting branches close to the ground, spindly, bushy twigs on mature branches and old stems or parts low in vigor. Blueberry bushes which are pruned moderately each year produce larger berries, and tends to make the fruit ripen faster. Prune during dormancy, after the leaves have dropped in the fall, and during winter until buds swell in the spring.