Keys and techniques to domesticate and grow blueberries

01/02/2016

Some details of the blueberry

The blueberry is known mainly by this name although we have some more like mirtillo, anavi, calderilla or raspberries. All of them less common names but which designate both the fruit and the plant whose botanical classification is of the genus Vaccinium spp. The cultivated species are several and differ by countries. Mainly distinguished are Vaccinium corymbosum L. (American), blueberry (popular in Europe) or V. myrtillus L., or others such as V. ashei, V. oxicoccus. and a few other species. All of them cultivated and consumed. The differences and popularity lie in the geographical zones and, consequently, climatic zones, differentiating dozens of species according to warm or temperate climate.

The most cultivated today is the blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), selected for its great fruits. This has caused this variety to spread across the 5 continents for commercial exploitation. As a crop it is found mainly in the USA, Canada, and on the other side of the Atlantic in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.

How is the blueberry plant?

It is a woody shrub up to 4 meters high in its fullness. It is a very very long-lived species of deciduous and flowering abundant in cluster. Its fruit turns to bluish black with a waxy layer called pruin that gives it that velvety matt texture. The cranberry root system is shallow and very thin root, so soil moisture will be key.

Climate and soil, the keys to its cultivation

It has a typical temperate forest climate, although it is not very bleak. Lighting is necessary. Its weak point is late frosts where flowers die when temperatures fall below 4 or 5 below zero. It should be noted that during the winter dormancy, it is capable of withstanding temperatures of -30ºC. In addition, it is a species that needs a minimum cold hours during the winter so that flowering and fruit set are adequate. You need to accumulate between 400 and 1200 hours below 7ºC, according to species and varieties, so that the next phenological stage is correct. Summers are hot and very dry. Wrinkling of the fruit can occur above 30ºC if the humidity is very dry.

The soil corresponds to the typical acidophilic forest floor. In addition, it must be very humid but with good drainage (avoid waterlogging), with a high content of humified organic matter and acid pH. Around 4,5 on average not exceeding 5.5 or less than 4. Below this value we can find calcium and sulfur deficiencies and above 6 the production drops drastically. Refrain from growing blueberries in limestone and high pH soils. It is a very limiting factor.

The wind, the great enemy of the fruits

The wind does not damage the tree or bruise branches as it can in other more delicate fruit trees. In this case, the wind is a great enemy of the fruit. If it lashes too much, the fruits fall irremediably, and those that do not, are damaged by friction. If your intention is the cultivation for productive purposes, it is convenient to provide windproof elements.

How can we grow a blueberry? There are a few tips

The best planting season is during the winter. Sprouting marks the plantation boundary so we have time during the cold season to plant it. It is convenient to bury the seedling a few inches more than they had in the nursery.

For a correct development of the blueberry we must refrain from picking fruit during the first 2 years at least. That is, we will eliminate the flowers to avoid fruit setting and encourage vegetative growth in order to develop the tree well in the first place.

The pruning from the first 3 years will consist in controlling the height and eliminating dead and unproductive branches that in the case of the blueberry are the branches of more than 4 years. The rest of the pruning operations will consist of encouraging the growth of new branches that will ensure production.

The mulch of peat or pine bark is highly recommended in cranberry for several reasons. They are materials that help maintain an acidic pH in the root environment of the plant and conserve soil moisture with greater stability, also preventing the growth of adventitious.

Irrigation and fertilization should not be neglected

The critical time is summer. As we have already anticipated, hot and dry summers ruin the cranberry production. To avoid this, we must pay close attention to the risks during this period.

We have already commented on the need for soils with high contributions of organic matter. In addition to this, we must pay attention to the pH of the soil because if it is too acid can be deficient in some essential elements such as calcium that we have to observe and supply.

Varieties of blueberry

There are many varieties of blueberries. Some depending on their maturation (from earliest to latest) are the following:

Earlyblue, Bluetta, Spartan, Patriot, Berkeley, Bluecrop, Liberty, Elliot, among others.

The cranberry Finally, a very appreciated and very little cultivated variety (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.). It is located in the northern hemisphere mainly. Its fruits are of an intense red and for that reason it is more special than the common blueberry.

Source: Agromatica.es