Planting
Choose a site in full sun with well-drained soil. In heavy soil, plant in raised beds. Space pants 4
to 6 feet apart. Dig a hole about 2 ½ feet wide by 1 foot deep. Blueberries need acid soil (pH
4.5-5.5). If your native soil is alkaline, acidify it by replacing 30-50 percent of the soil in the
planting hole with the same volume of moistened peat moss mixed with 2 cups of soil sulfur.
After planting, cover the soil around the bushes with 2 to 4 inches of mulch. Water to keep the
soil moist. Remove flowers the first year to allow plants to get established.
Feeding
Feed plants in spring with a half-strength dose of an acid-type fertilizer (often labeled for
camellias) or apply fish emulsion. Feed established plants again after harvest.
Care
Blueberries bear fruits on the ends of canes that are at least one year old. In summer (after
harvest from second year on), prune back wood that has borne fruit to brightly colored, smooth-
stemmed new growth. In winter, while plants are dormant, cut out twiggy growth to foster good
air circulation; remove low, prostrate growth to maintain vase shape.
Information taken from “Grow Blueberries in California? You Bet!”, by L.B. Swezey. Sunset
Magazine.
Choose a site in full sun with well-drained soil. In heavy soil, plant in raised beds. Space pants 4
to 6 feet apart. Dig a hole about 2 ½ feet wide by 1 foot deep. Blueberries need acid soil (pH
4.5-5.5). If your native soil is alkaline, acidify it by replacing 30-50 percent of the soil in the
planting hole with the same volume of moistened peat moss mixed with 2 cups of soil sulfur.
After planting, cover the soil around the bushes with 2 to 4 inches of mulch. Water to keep the
soil moist. Remove flowers the first year to allow plants to get established.
Feeding
Feed plants in spring with a half-strength dose of an acid-type fertilizer (often labeled for
camellias) or apply fish emulsion. Feed established plants again after harvest.
Care
Blueberries bear fruits on the ends of canes that are at least one year old. In summer (after
harvest from second year on), prune back wood that has borne fruit to brightly colored, smooth-
stemmed new growth. In winter, while plants are dormant, cut out twiggy growth to foster good
air circulation; remove low, prostrate growth to maintain vase shape.
Information taken from “Grow Blueberries in California? You Bet!”, by L.B. Swezey. Sunset
Magazine.
| Blueberries Planting and Care |
