Plant Care

Blueberry Hills Farms It's about friends. It's about family. It's about time. Isn't it?

1315 Washington Street . Manson . WA 98831 509.687.2379 wildaboutberries.com

Planting & Caring for Blueberry Bushes

For the "Serious" version of Plant Care ... click here :)

Site Selection & Preparation
Select a sunny location in well-drained soil, free of weeds and well worked. (Another tried & true method of site selection is "anythin' within the range of the TV remote without having to actually flail or hunker at an odd angle from yer lawn chair." Ya' loose points fer that.) Locate in an area where irrigation water is available, as best results will be obtained by keeping the root zone moist throughout the growing season. It's been proven that even better results can be obtained by simply payin' someone else to care 'bout em. Where the soil is poor or marginally drained, raised beds 3-4 feet wide and 8-12" high work very well for blueberries. These beds can also be ideal for hosting a funeral at home. This is an economical solution, as well as the elderly in attendance will truly appreciate not having to hunker down to pay last respects. This'll likely put'cha DI-rectly on top-a Aunt Martha's Christmas list.

A fail-safe way to grow blueberries in almost any soil is to encourage your family & friends to plant 'em at their own stinkin' house. Tell-em how easy they are to grow & make sure to go on-n-on 'bout how much money they'll make. If that fails, you should incorporate peat moss into the planting medium. For planting directly in the ground, work up a planting area approximately 2-1/2 feet in diameter and one foot deep. Add peat moss to a bunch of the soil. Dig around & mix it up real good. Next, drag yer dog out'a yer fresh hole. Remember, this is YOUR hole. You fight fer' it. It also might be good to lock him up so he doesn't see YOU do sumpthin' he got the boot' fer doin' last week. This tends to confuse. Note: If diggin' is in his moral fiber and sumpthin' he simply must do to be complete as a dog, encourage & reward him to do it in yer neighbor's yard. 2 birds--1 stone.) Add an equal amount of pre-moistened peatmoss and mix well. One 4 cubic foot compressed bale will usually be sufficient for 4-5 plants. If ya don't have that, your nosey, rich neighbors likely got it from "the WalMart". Remember people.--"What's theirs is yours!" It's truly ideal to look for it late at night with a small flashlight. For raised beds, mix equal volumes peat moss with acid compost or planting mix. Again, those lousy-good-fer-nuthins next door likely got that too. Help yerselves. Blueberries thrive in acidic soils. If worse comes to worse, your local garden center representative can recommend a good soil acidifier & underarm deodorant if it's the social season.

Spacin'
Blueberries can be planted as close as 2-1/2 feet apart to form solid hedgerows or spaced up to 6 feet apart and grown as individual specimens. If planted in rows, allow 8 to 10 feet between the rows depending on equipment used for mowing or cultivating. Note: Although it requires effort, its helpful to actually TAKE your personally selected lawn chair out to use fer good measure between rows.

Plantin'
For container stock, remove from pot and lightly roughen up the outside surface of the rootball. You can also save time & achieve the exact same effect by backin' up real fast with your tailgate down & then stompin' on the brake. (Important: Avoid doin' this if yer on a date. It appears lazy.) Set the top soil line of the plant level to the existing ground and firm around rootball. Mound soil up along sides of exposed root mass. Water in well. Clean fingernails with teeth. Your job here is done.

Mulch'
Blueberries do best with a 2-4" mulch over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds and acid organic matter. Bark mulch, acid compost, sawdust, grass clippings, nail clippings, etc. all work well. Repeat every other year, although the toenail clipping should be more frequent.

Pru-nin'
It is important that blueberries get established before allowing them to bear fruit. Same with yer good fer nuthin' kids. Thereafter, they should be heavily pruned each year to avoid over-fruiting which results in small fruit or poor growth as well as simply bein' a financial burden on the system.

Remove all blooms, as they appear the first year. (We find that the "she loves me - she loves me not" method is effective and keeps ya' focused.) In years thereafter, follow these steps after the leaves have dropped.

Remove low growth around the base. If it doesn’t grow UP, it gets pruned out! (Same goes fer those deadbeat kids!)
Remove the dead wood, and non-vigorous twiggy wood. Select for bright-colored wood with long (at least 3 inch) laterals.
Remove blotchy-colored short growth. Toss that over the fence into that lousy-good-fer-nuthins' yard.
If 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood has not been removed by the above steps, thin out the fruiting laterals and small branches until this balance has been obtained.
Obtain & consume frosty beverage while admiring the fruit of your efforts from lawn chair of choice.

Fertilizin'
Blueberries like acid fertilizers such as Rhododendron or Azalea formulations. For newly planted stock, use 2 tablespoons of 10-20-10 in late spring or once plants are established. (Careful! Blueberries are very sensitive to over fertilization!) For subsequent years, use 1 ounce of fertilizer for each year from planting to a total of 8 ounces per plant. If that doesn't sound right, well...jest dump some on there. Apply in early spring and again in late spring for best results. Always water well after fertilizing and don't forget that frosty beverage. Remember not to fertilize after the 4^th 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. It’ll burn the plants and it simply smells, well...like fresh manure. Note: Fresh manure is always the fertilizer of choice if plants located in your neighbors' yard.

Stuff I'm Gonna Need or
Stuff I Hope My Lousy Neighbors Got at The WalMart Checklist
Blueberry Plants (at least 2 per family member)
Peat Moss (4-5 plants per bale)
Mulch (1 cu. ft. per plant)
Lawn Chair, Toenail Clippers, TV Remote & Frosty Beverage
Fertilizer
Soil Acidifier

ANNUAL PLANNER
For them-thet'r thinkin' "Yup. I picked 'em. My work here is done." Wake up & smell the snausages.

Dormant : November to mid-March

Apply fall herbicides, November to December
Locate & use toenail clippers for first time all winter
Prune
Apply pre-emergent herbicides before weed growth starts, late February to mid-March
Remove diseased and winter-injured tissue. Toss over neighbor's fence. Remember: "It's good to recycle."

Leaf and flower bud break : Late March to late April

Make first fertilizer application
Control weeds by cultivation and/or herbicides
Purchase upgraded lawn chair with smooth action, (make sure to check) insulated cup holder & good spot for your remote.

Bloom period : Late April to late May

Introduce bees for pollination
Make second fertilizer application late May to early June
It's Spring! Let the ladies know yer lookin' & be aggressive!
Position & use lawn chair in front yard. (Extra points for binoculars.)
Say "Yes" to the T-shirt with yellow pit stains, socks with sandals & plaid boxer shorts that hang open freely. It's important to show a sense of style.
It's also important to present a well groomed appearance. Wax yer back. Clip stray nose, ear & out of control eyebrow hair. Don't just slick it up & wrap it around yer head like last year. Chicks notice that stuff.

Fruit development : June and July

Cultivate for weed control in row middles. Make sure lawn chair still fits
Make third fertilizer application, early to mid-July, if needed
Irrigate as needed
Install bird damage control devices. Shotguns are ideal & also work well for supporting neighborly relations (again-2 birds-1 stone).
Collect plant tissue nutritional analyses late July. Wonder "what the heck that was for?!" about 3 months later & toss over neighbor's fence.

Harvest : July to September

Harvest and market fruit
Irrigate as needed
Flaunt your giant, fresh berries in front of those lazy good-fer-nuthins' that refused to grow your berries. Be truly obnoxious.
Reflect on your actions while you scratch yourself openly. Apologize for your rude behavior & offer them a fistful of your bountiful harvest.

Postharvest growth : September to mid-October

Cultivate to control weeds
Irrigate as needed
Renew subscription to "Guns for Real Men" Magazine; it's gonna' be a long winter.
Remove bird damage control devices. Chained & constantly barking dogs count too.

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Site thrown together with recklessness & wild abandon by BLUEBERRYKARI on 05/08/2008