Blueberry Plant Care

Where the soil is poor or marginally drained, raised beds 3–4 feet wide and 8–12 inches high work very well
for blueberries. (Otherwise, the flat & lazy kind’a plantin’s best.)

A fail-safe way to grow blueberries in almost any soil is to incorporate peat moss into the planting medium.
For planting directly in the ground, work up a planting area about 2½ feet in diameter and 1 foot deep.
Remove ⅓ to ½ of the soil. Add an equal amount of pre-moistened peat moss and mix well.
One 4 cubic foot compressed bale is usually sufficient for 4–5 plants.

For raised beds, mix equal volumes of peat moss with acid compost or a suitable planting mix.
Blueberries thrive in acidic soils—between pH 4.5–5.5. You will very likely need to amend your soil.

DAD SAYS: If you don’t test and amend your soil—don’t waste your money on blueberry plants! They will not thrive—no matter what you do—if your pH isn’t right.

Want the science behind soil pH and blueberry performance?

Read this blueberry soil pH reference

For local planning questions, you can also contact us here.

Blueberry Plant Care: Spacing

Blueberries can be planted as close as 2½ feet apart to form solid hedgerows, or spaced up to 6 feet apart
and grown as individual plants. If planted in rows, allow 8–10 feet between the rows depending on equipment used
for mowing or cultivating.

Blueberry Plant Care: Planting

For container stock, remove from pot and lightly roughen the outside surface of the root ball.
Set the top soil line of the plant about 1–2 inches higher than the existing ground and firm around the root ball.
Mound soil up along sides of exposed root mass. Water in well.

Blueberry Plant Care: Mulching

Blueberries do best with a 2–4 inch mulch over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds, and add acidic organic matter.
Bark mulch, acid compost, sawdust, grass clippings, etc. all work well. Repeat every other year.

Blueberry Plant Care: Pruning

Blueberries should be pretty heavily pruned (about ⅓ of the plant) each year to avoid over-fruiting, which can result in
small fruit or poor growth. Follow these steps after the leaves have dropped:

• Remove low growth around the base. If it doesn’t grow up, it gets pruned out!
• Remove dead wood and non-vigorous twiggy wood. Select bright-colored wood with long (at least 3 inch) laterals. Remove blotchy-colored short growth.
• If ⅓ to ½ of the wood has not been removed by the steps above, thin out fruiting laterals and small branches until that balance has been obtained.

Need a deeper pruning walkthrough?

OSU Extension has a helpful pruning overview
.

Blueberry Plant Care: Fertilizing

Blueberries like acid fertilizers such as rhododendron or azalea formulations. For newly planted stock, use
2 tablespoons (or less!) of 10-20-10 (or similar) in late spring or once plants are established.
(Be very careful! Blueberries are very sensitive to over fertilization! Less is always more!)

For subsequent years, use 1 ounce of fertilizer for each year from planting to a total of 8 ounces per plant.
Apply in early spring and again in late spring for best results. Always water well after fertilizing.
Do not fertilize after the 4th of July—your bushes need time to go dormant before fall.
For organic fertilizers, blood meal and cottonseed meal work well. Avoid using fresh manure as it will burn the plants and, well, it smells like fresh manure. ;/

Blueberry Plant Care Shopping List

• Blueberry plants (2 per family member)
• Peat moss (4–5 plants per bale)
• Soil test kit
• Mulch (1 cu. ft. per plant)
• Fertilizer (details above)
• Soil acidifier

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Looking for a hands-on blueberry experience instead?
Explore U-Pick Blueberries when the fields are open.