Blueberries
"Learn How To Grow Them
Fat and Juicy!"

Blueberry plants can thrive and last a lifetime by following a few basic steps.

They are easy to grow, require little care and seldom bothered by pests.

Blueberries bring a combination of a healthy, delicious fruit and a striking ornamental beauty to any garden.

Varieties

Different varieties are distinguished by their ripening season, growth size and habit. At Johnson Brothers, we only carry varieties of blueberries that are proven in our Northwest climate zones.

Selection of several varieties with different fruiting times or feature large fruit (best for fresh eating) or smaller fruit (best for baking & pancakes) utilize your landscape for the most efficiency.

Bushes with brilliant wood or with different growth habits offer the gardener lots of choices to use throughout the garden.

For blueberry lovers, allow at least two plants per family member and, though blueberries are self-fertile, plant at least two varieties to ensure optimum fruit set and size.

Culture

Select a sunny location in well-drained soil that is free of weeds and has peat moss worked into the soil.

Blueberries thrive in acidic soils and one four cubic foot bale of compressed peat moss usually is sufficient for 4-5 plants.

Dig a hole large enough to spread out the roots. And take care not to bury below the base of the plant. Space plants as close as 2.5 feet to form hedgerows or 4-5 feet between plants, with 6-8 feet between rows.

Keep The Soil Moist

Add at least two inches of mulch each year to control the germination of weeds and to keep the soil consistently moist.

Be careful when fertilizing and cultivating the soil around these shallow-rooted plants. Use a balanced fertilizer, such as Osmocote 14-14-14, in early spring. Follow with Ammonium Sulfate in May and again in June if needed.

Delay fertilizing newly transplanted plants for at least a year to avoid burning the shallow roots.

Pruning

Blueberries must become established before allowing them to bear fruit. Prune them heavily each year to avoid over production, which results in small fruit or poor growth.

Remove all blooms, as they appear the first year. In coming years follow these steps after the leaves have fallen.

Remove low growth around the base. If it doesn’t grow up—it’s out!

Remove the dead wood and non-vigorous twiggy wood. Select for bright colored wood with long (3-inch or more) lateral twigs.

Remove blotchy-colored, short growth. Branches should not be over three years old.

If 1/3 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.

Click here for a printable care sheet for blueberries and a list of the many varieties carried at Johnson Brothers

You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open this file. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will open so you can download it without leaving this page).