{"id":238,"date":"2015-02-07T15:39:01","date_gmt":"2015-02-07T15:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/?page_id=238"},"modified":"2020-05-22T01:51:42","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T01:51:42","slug":"planting-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/?page_id=238","title":{"rendered":"Planting Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Blueberry Plants<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Blueberries are in the same family as azaleas and rhododendrons.\u00a0 These plants do not have a dominant tap root nor does the root system send down deep penetrating roots.\u00a0 In an ideal situation, this creates a shallow (roughly 6 \u2013 12 inches) root zone.\u00a0 In well drained and aerated soils, it is possible for the roots to reach much deeper.\u00a0 Blueberries grow well in acid soils with a pH of about 4.0 to 5.5.\u00a0 Blueberries will grow in shade or full sun.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

SITE AND SOIL PREPARATION: <\/strong> Because blueberries have a shallow root system, only the top 6 \u2013 12 inches of soil needs to be prepared.\u00a0 The area should be well-drained.\u00a0 There should be no standing water, nor should the area be subject to standing water, even during times of maximum rains.\u00a0 Excess water should be able to drain away from the plants within a few hours.\u00a0 Blueberries will not tolerate standing water.<\/p>\n

SPACING AND PLANTING:<\/strong> Spacing within a row may average from 3 \u2013 6 feet, dependent upon personal preference. \u00a0Three feet will give a high density planting and form a hedge quickly, 5 \u2013 6 feet is the average distance between plants.\u00a0 Plants can also be grouped, separated as singles or planted within almost any landscape configuration.\u00a0 The best time to plant blueberry plants is during the winter months, from November to early Spring time.<\/p>\n

Prepare a hole about 2 feet diameter and about 8 inches deep.\u00a0 If the dirt appears to be poor, try to have some good potting soil\/compost to supplement the soil removed from the hole.\u00a0 Fill the hole about \u00bd full with this mix of loose soil.\u00a0 If the plant is in a pot, it should be removed and the roots should be fanned out horizontally.\u00a0 This is accomplished by shaking or dipping the roots in a bucket of water and washing the soil from the roots.\u00a0 Place the plant in the hole and fan into a flat configuration.<\/p>\n

Do not let the roots dry out, freeze or be exposed to ultraviolet light during this process.\u00a0 Sunlight will kill the small fibrous roots.\u00a0 Roots should be kept wrapped or covered with a damp covering until planted.\u00a0 Place the plant in the hole and fan the roots out in all directions.\u00a0 While holding the plant trunk upright, rake 3 \u2013 4 inches of soil back over the roots and pack by stepping on.\u00a0 Wet the soil to allow the soil to settle around the roots.\u00a0 Do not fertilize at this time of planting.<\/p>\n

WATER: <\/strong> The root zone area should always be kept moist \u2013 but not too wet!\u00a0 A top mulch of 1 \u2013 4 inches over the root zone is encouraged to conserve water and control weeds.\u00a0 Since blueberry plant roots are shallow, weeds are a major threat.\u00a0 Mulch can be leaves, pine needles, hay, or bark.\u00a0 During the summer, the blueberry plants need about 1- inch of rainfall per week, depending on the soil. The major reason for blueberry plant failure is either too little water or too much water.<\/p>\n

FERTILIZERS:<\/strong> Fertilizers formulated for azaleas and rhododendrons are usually ideal for blueberries.\u00a0 Blueberries can tolerate only small amounts of nitrogen at a time, but this important nutrient is required at all stages of growth for healthy development.\u00a0 Fertilize in small amounts or with a specially formulated slow release fertilizer no greater than 10-10-10.\u00a0 Best time to fertilize is right before or during the change from bud to bloom and soon after fruit harvest in late summer.<\/p>\n

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Blueberry Plants Blueberries are in the same family as azaleas and rhododendrons.\u00a0 These plants do not have a dominant tap root nor does the root system send down deep penetrating roots.\u00a0 In an ideal situation, this creates a shallow (roughly 6 \u2013 12 inches) root zone.\u00a0 In well drained and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-238","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":495,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238\/revisions\/495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblueberryfarm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}