Highbush blueberry plants provide crops of beautiful, delicious fruit. However, making sure this perennial plant is ready to blossom takes a lot of time and effort. If you’re up to the challenge, you should be aware of a few important guidelines. These tips will help you understand how to care for highbush blueberry plants to produce a thriving, bountiful crop.
WATERING
Just like the rest of the plants in your garden, highbush blueberry plants require a healthy amount of water throughout the week. However, the plants require a different amount of water depending on what stage they’re in. For instance, during the growing season, provide highbush blueberry plants with one inch of water each week. However, during the time in which the plants are ripening, provide them with four inches of water each week.
MULCHING
Blueberry plants have shallow root systems. Because of this, you’ll need to provide them with three to four inches of organic mulch so that they can properly thrive in your soil. The best types of organic mulch to use with blueberry plants include leaves, bark, and pine needles.
FERTILIZING
After planting, wait about a month before fertilizing highbush blueberry plants. Once that month is up, provide the plants with some fertilizer, the exact amount of which varies depending on the type you use. If you’re using 10-10-10 fertilizer, provide each plant with one and a half ounces of it. However, if you’re using ammonium sulfate, you only need to supply each plant with one ounce of it. Repeat this process once each year to keep your plants healthy.
REMOVING BLOSSOMS
To allow the highbush blueberry plant to establish its roots, don’t let the blossoms fully grow. In fact, you should remove these blossoms for the first two years. During year three, begin allowing a reserved amount of blossoming, and after that year, you can begin allowing full crops of blueberries to begin blossoming in your garden. Years of preparation can provide your garden with years of blueberries with the right amount of patience and effort.
If you don’t know how to care for highbush blueberry plants, then growing them for yourself is going to be quite difficult. However, if you stick to these guidelines and care for your plants all year round, it’ll be immensely satisfying when they finally produce those delicious blueberries. At the Gentlemen’s Backyard, we can supply you with highbush blueberry plants as well as a colorful collection of perennial shrubs to spruce up your garden this year and—with the right amount of care—many years after.