Blueberries : Fertilizing and Mulching Tips
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- How to fertilize and mulch your blueberry plants. I walk you through my springtime routine of fertilizing and mulching my 75 blueberry bushes.
Varieties we grow (in order of ripening):
Reka
Patriot
Blueray
Jersey
If I was going to do it again, I'd plant almost all Patriot and Blueray with a few Reka for early harvest. The late Jersey's are OK, but they take so long to ripen that they get forgotten near the end of the season and the birds have a lot of time to eat them. The Patriot and Blueray bushes are amazingly prolific, with giant, sweet berries. The Rekas are a nice early treat, but a bit on the tart side and not very prolific.
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Shot with a GoPro Hero 3+ Silver and an iPhone SE
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We have had a blueberry farm with about 7000 bushes for the past 20 years. Next year's berries come on this year's growth. So to maximize fresh growth and maintain proper bush size, we prune immediately after harvest on the top to about 5 feet and on the sides of the bushes so as to tip the branches so they will produce more fruit. We use auto controlled drip irrigation for water and and use it to apply fertilizer once a week starting at leaf bud break in the spring until the first of October (south Mississippi). Wood chips as a mulch are excellent if they are not incorporated into the soil. To maximize harvest apply nutrients as indicated by soil samples. And beware the relatively new pest which appeared in California in 2010. the Spotted Wing Drosophila. It lays eggs in the ripe berries and worms appear in as little as two days. It is all over the country and may cause you to have to use some form of insecticide (ugh). make sure you plant the best varieties for your region and you will be blessed with wonderful and copious fruit.
How do you keep your soil acidic? I just got 30 free blueberry plants 5 yo and my soil is alkaline. I’m in Florida zone9b
Jan Doolin you’ll have to add elemental sulfur to acidify the soil. It takes some time though to change the pH. Peat moss as a soil amendment is good because it is low pH
Hey ,
This is rudra khanal from NEPAL, I want also blueberry in hills of how can I get plants?
That's right good information
Thanks for sharing your tips on pruning to maximize harvest
Started (and have been) watching you at the beginning of your bee adventures several years ago. As I continue to develop my own micro-stead, I stumbled across this pre-bee video!! Thanks for the info and your being up front with failures/challenges opposed to only successes!! Blessings!
Stumbled upon your video by accident sir and I must say I really appreciate it. Clear, concise information, no unnecessary commentary. Thanks
I have 28 blueberries bushes in 25 gallon pots in pure mulch and they love it p.s. I have rabbiteyes blueberries
very informative and illustrated so thoroughly. Thank you!
Excellent mate....due to our hot summers this will work extremely well for our plant growth structure...it was 42 Celsius here yesterday and today it’s raining ...thanks again mate
Thanks fer the tips.. inherited my ol mans home with lots of big blueberry bushes..they deffinately need a little tlc...this vid helps alot!👍
Maravillosos y diversos comentarios, aunque sólo he leído las traducciones del inglés al español.
Me encanta cuidar mis arándanos aunque soy principiante. Mis saludos desde España.
I grow my blueberries in straight peat moss with a dressing of pine bark mulch. Fertilize with azalea food . Also fish emulsion watering once in early spring as flowers and berries form. Then just water regularly. They have grown about 5’ in just two years. Time to prune this fall.
PleaseLet us know why we should not use fertilizer after leaf forms? This is the first time growing blueberries. Thank you for your time.
@@lalithaganesan3372 blueberries are very sensitive to hot fertilizers . The roots will burn if wrong type used.
If you want to fertilize after berries and leaves are on , then use fish emulsion water fertilizer occasionally.
But my plants do great with just early spring application of azalea fertilizer and then fish emulsion before summer heat . Then just keep them watered as needed.
@@rottenrobbie66 Thank you for your time
Thank you for helpful information, well explained and nicely shown in the video
Great video!
Great informative video. Thanks for Sharing!!!
❤️Love, 🌞Light, ☮️Peace🌳 & 🌈Gratitude🦋.
Great video,I have been growing blueberries for years ..., with moderate success.., I have a farm located away from my residence...(I know ,I am probably fighting a loosing battle) without seeing your video I have noticed we are doing the same things..., that makes me feel better....I will be putting my fence up soon and have spaced mine too far apart which I will fix by planting more plants between the existing ones...I also do not like mowing between them.1) how long can your plants make it in the summer without water.given the intense mulching,..? and 90 degree days, I probable need a irrigation system on a timer?are you afraid to go on vacations?2)Do you test for ph?...add sulphur?3)Can you repost a video showing early summer with berries2)
Espoma also makes a Berrytone which works very nicely as well, I have had more success with that although I still love Hollytone for everything else - Thank you
Good to know! Thanks.
I like ur video its amzing and u explain very good (gd luck with the blueberries)
Great video. I think I’m gonna try some cypress mulch. Aged of course. The pine or cypress mulches have good acid as the blueberries love acid. I grow Rabbit eye blueberries. #TIFF BLUE, #Premier, and #Climax. I understand about the deer. They come around late Summer and take some blueberries. Thanks again for the great video
It would be nice to know the name of your blueberry plants/ bushes in order of times they ripen at...?...Great videos.
They are listed in the description in order of ripening. Thanks for watching!
That's great....thank you
Thanks for your reply.
Perhaps I missed it but how often do you water during the summer?
Nice to blueberry farm
What about rododendras barks for mulching?
I planted blue berries last fall, do I need to fertilize them this spring? I'f so, can you suggest on what type of fertilizer to use? Thank you, your video is very informative.
You should watch the informative video to find out....
At; 3:22 you mentioned adding; "fresh wood chips". Wood chips must be allowed to sit for a year (minimum) for it to be an effective mulch. Other wise the chips would draw nitrogen for the ground that the blueberry needs. It is just the nature of decaying matter!
I clarify at 11:26 in the video... When I said "Fresh" in the beginning, I meant adding 'new' chips on top of the old mulch that had been on the ground for about 2 years. The 'New' chips had been sitting in that pile for well over a year. This was one of my very first videos on youtube and my delivery was not as clear and concise as I've since learned to be. It still gets a lot of views and the info is in there... it's just a bit long winded. Thanks for watching.
Hey Jim, I was just wondering how big your blueberry patch is and approx how many plants you have per row. I was also wondering how far apart your rows are. Love your videos and thank you so much for inspiring me to start me own little farmlett. We just purchased a new home on 4 acres and trying to figure out where I want to put things.
Jaime Fox 75 bushes. 7 rows. Rows are about 9’ apart. Bushes are spaced about 5-6’.
I see you have not done, an update on your Blueberries. Could you do a series thru the months?
Next time I do anything major with them, I'll make a video. This is really the main thing I do for the whole year. Mulch and fertilizer in early spring. After that, they just grow and you harvest when the berries ripen. Every three years, I'll prune away old stems. Blueberries are the easiest fruit to grow! No spraying, very little pruning and if you have a fence, very few pests. Thanks for watching!
@@vinofarm Do you harvest by hand, or do you have a tool or machine to do the picking?
Cathy Hanley We hand pick everything. Once the blueberries start ripening, we go out about every other day and harvest. After a few weeks, the chest freezer is full and the birds get the rest.
@@vinofarmWe only have 5 blueberry bushes and it seems like a lot of work! I'm in southern New Hampshire, so your channel is very helpful, as in our growing season is pretty much the same. We just got Italian honey bees this year, so your mistakes are so helpful to us. We love your channel and your sense of humor. By the way, I'm not so sure about Steve Carell resemblance, as maybe Lindsey Buckingham?? 🤔
I wish you would of shown how these grew
Where did you get your gloves? Wonderful info. Thanks.
What fertilizer should we use? 4/9/2024
😊
Great Video how do you deal with birds eating your berries? i don't see any netting. thanks.
With fewer bushes, we'd probably net them, but we just try to pick the berries faster than the birds. We don't mind sharing.
oooo scary owl... wonder how effective that is :D
Thank you Vino and chips are not to be mixed with soil, right, and why? Also, they have to be chips not wood splinters from the forest?
I'm not sure I understand either one of your questions. Basically, add a layer of chips around the base of the plants. Don't disturb the soil because the blueberry roots are right at the top and super delicate. There can be soil in the chips. You're trying to protect the roots from drying out and suppressing weeds.
right, and I heard never dig chips into soil by accident as will alkanalize soil or something? With wood from forest- it is not chips but can be mushy,broken down wood fibers so.... that would not be good? OH! Heard chips should be aged and if so how? They said 6 months?? Many thanks
The recommendation is to use older, partially rotted wood chips or sawdust, because with fresh wood (or leaves or vegetable material) microbes that break these materials down use up nitrogen in the process. Supposedly you can lose a lot of useful nitrogen this way. I would think this mainly occurs where the material laid down contacts the soil. Hence the recommendation not to dig in the fresh chips.
When refreshing the old mulch, it is safe to apply fresh wood chips on top of the old.
Wood chips can take a year to break down to nice, dark mulch. A lot of it depends on rainfall. Leave them in a pile in a shady area to speed up decomposition.
Don't pile them too deep against the plant shoots, as this can cause the bark to rot off. 1-2 inches deep at the plant crown is OK. Ditto for trees, shrubs. Don't create volcanoes of mulch!!
Cedar and walnut sawdust or chips are to be avoided due to toxins in them.
Can you use beech sawdust on blueberried
Thanks for the video. What fencing material did you use?
7 foot tall deer fence. It’s heavy plastic netting.
Do you happen to remember what netting you used for your enclosure? I see a ton like that on amazon but they look cheaply made compared to your.
Evlhat 13 google “deer fencing”. I got mine from a fence company in CT. It’s 7’ tall. You don’t want the cheap bird netting. Look for deer fence.
how do you keep the birds from getting all of the berries?
Plant more than you need and Pick fast. Or get a big net.
Does it matter which kind of wood chips you use?
The chips I use are a mix of mostly pine, oak and maple. Local trees. I'm sure there are trees out there that would probably not be beneficial to blueberries, but I don't know. Sorry I can't help.
Vino Farm kkiyttjjg in guy uh I
thank you.! How often do you add new chips? Yearly?
New chips on top of the old chips every OTHER year. You could do it every year, but it takes a couple days of work and it's just a pain in the ass... so I skip a year.
Hi. Thanks 4 the great video. Is your region-area similar to western Ohio? Where are you?
Massachusetts, Zone 5b. We're at 1200' elevation.
Is the fertilizer you applied made of potash or ammonia?
www.espoma.com/product/holly-tone/#tab2
This might be a silly question but what purpose does the mechanical owl serve? I assume to keep away other birds?
Little birds that eat blueberries are supposed to be frightened of the scary predator owl. Not sure if it works, but it was a gift and doesn't hurt! Also, it's not mechanical, it's kind of like a bobblehead that moves in the wind.
Thanks!
You have 4 varieties listed. Did you plant a variety in one row and another in the next? Or are they mixed together?
Steve Krout Each varietal has its own row. They're planted in order of ripening. Earliest at the top.
Thanks again. I'm working on restoring a blueberry patch right now. There currently exists rabbiteyes but I look to add new varieties. This was helpful.
In my experience, Patriot and Blueray are fantastic. Big, sweet, very prolific plants. I'm not sure where you are, but we got our plants from Nourse Farms in MA.
any comments or experience with human urine....? and watering amount and frequency?? TY from michigan
I have a decades of experience with human urine, but, thankfully, no issues with amount or frequency. I have not tried putting it on my blueberries. I have tried using it to keep deer away from my apple trees but that does not seem to work.
Is sea weed a good mulch for this plant ?
Do you have to cover the bushes from freezing?
No, not at all. They harden off in the late summer and are just fine in our harsh winters.
Thank you.Volume is comprised, sounds like whispering, also scratchy in many areas.
Sorry about that. This was one of my first videos... recorded on an iphone. Production quality has improved a lot since this one. Thanks for watching.
Do you allow the mulch touch the bush
Preston Thompson No, I leave a small well around the base of the bush. Keep the mulch away from the stems.
You are giving some contradicting information here. You said you can mulch while berries are forming but then you said you can mulch as long as leaves are not formed.... well leaves are formed and are forming when blueberries are as well.... so which is it?
I think you misunderstood me. You can MULCH anytime you want. I was talking about fertilizer and fertilizing. The main rule is don't fertilize AFTER picking berries. You don't want new growth at that point in the season.
Yes I meant fertilizer not mulch, still contradicting information :) Do you suggest picking flowers off plants I just planted? I believe they are mostly 2nd year potted plants I got at nursery and local hardware stores but still not many stems or height.
This video has been up for a year and you're the first person to call that out. So you get 25 internet points. Congratulations!
I didn't say it gracefully, but what I was trying to say was not to get fertilizer ON the leaves. I did actually say not to fertilize when there were leaves on the plant. That was not what I meant. It is possible to fertilize when there are leaves on the plant, but try not to get fertilizer ON the leaves.
The BEST practice would be to fertilize in late winter JUST as snow is clearing and then again, JUST as buds are forming and before leaves are on the plant to give the plants a power boost right as the burst of yearly growth happens. That's what was in my head when I was speaking at 7:55. I aim for the second fertilizing to happen right at the point where my plants are in the video. (pre-leaves) But again, if you miss that window, you can fertilize again right up until you pick berries as long as you're careful not to get fertilizer on the leaves or berries. Just don't fertilize after that point. You want the plants to stop growing and harden off their new growth before winter.
Regarding your new plants: I would pick flowers off the first year DEFINITELY. If you can wait, you can even pick them off the second year, too. Get a really strong bush going before you let fruit form. You'll be much happier in the future.
Thanks for the call out.
thanks for clearing it up.... I am starting with blueberries and did not want to get it wrong. That is why I wanted to be sure.
Why not just mulch the whole damn thing?
TheVoiceofReason 1 That would definitely be an option if you had enough chips!
@@vinofarm I am a Marine Corps vietnam purple-heat winner (odd term) from and confined to walker...so I have to fill w/wood chips completely. hard bending over seat on tummy on seat as legs won't/can't bend. Any other vets out there doing similar
Need to slow down a little in your filming so that the observer can see the point that you are making. Makes a person dizzy trying to keep up with it. Also appears that you need to prune and finish siding your house.
Sorry about that. This was one of my first videos... recorded on an iphone over a year ago. Production quality has improved a lot since this one. Bushes have been pruned and house is currently sided. Thanks for watching.
fish bone meal
N P K numbers?
www.espoma.com/product/holly-tone/
I se you don't prune your bushes every year, Big mistake. I don't see any new shoot growth on those plants. eventually you won't get any berries. My suggestion to you is to cut them all down to the ground this year and let them regrow and then start pruning yearly starting next year. You will be sorry if you dont do what I say, Also that mulch needs to be decomposed or you will starve the plants of nitrogen during the rotting process. Some people need to learn from the school of hard knocks
Hi Ray, Yes you are correct that I need to prune. I plan on cleaning up those bushes this spring. From what I've read and was told, I heard you were not supposed to prune anything for the first 3-4 years. (These were just very small 1-2 shoot plants when they went in the ground 5 years ago.) The first 3 years, most of them took a while to get going. Last year was the first year they really started to look like bushes. So this year they need pruning. I'm on it. As for the mulch, those chips were sitting in that pile for almost 2 years. They were mostly decomposed below the surface. I know not to put fresh wood chips on blueberries. Thanks for watching.
Ray - Woodchip mulch will only lock-up nitrogen if it is incorporated within the growing medium (in this case the soil), used as a mulch it is perfectly fine.
Ray, this is certainly NOT the advice I hear from the commercial guys who grow thousands of blueberry bushes - let them GROW! I have 20 blueberry bushes with impressive yields after only two years, and NO pruning. You only cut out the dead stuff and want an upright growth. Best wood chip to use is from conifer trees, it is more acidic and highly favored by blueberries. Study the natural environment of these plants and you will grow impressive and very high yielding plants. Mulch does NOT need to be decomposed, in nature - leaves fall onto blueberry bushes. I've never seen "decomposed" leaves falling in the fall. You are right, some folks like you really do need to learn from the mistakes you make.
Nonsense. Prune just the biggest and oldest. Don't cut them all to the ground. Burying them in wood chips works well for me too. What do you use to net the top?
the wood chips he used were aged 18 months. it looks pretty fine so it's more like 50% compost and 50% semi-decomposed wood chips. even if they were fresh wood chips in larger chunks, it's perfectly fine on top of the soil. people plant blueberries in 50% peat and 50% pine bark chunks without problems. I think the thing with wood chips in the ground are only more detrimental to vegs and not as much so for shrubs/trees.
The voice sooooo low