Now every gardener wants to surprise others and neighbors with something unusual grown on his site. If you have a “patriot” blueberry, the description of which is given in this article, then the neighbors will definitely not remain indifferent. Everyone will ask you for a cutting. There is nothing difficult in growing this plant, simple nuances will provide you with a high yield and excellent taste of berries.
Variety description
To anyone who is beginning to be interested in such a plant as the patriot blueberry, a description of the variety, reviews can tell a lot and help make a choice. If you still doubt whether you want to see this beauty on your site, check out the characteristics in more detail.
The variety is mid-season, the ripening of the year comes around mid-July. Depending on the region, these terms may vary slightly. The plant is a perennial, growing up toeven two meters. The bush is not very branched, its stems are mostly rectilinear in shape. In spring it is covered with beautiful flowers, and in autumn it has a very decorative color. Due to this property, it is used for decorative purposes.
Useful properties of the plant
Patriot blueberry (description of the variety, features, reviews about the berry literally beckon to plant it on the site) has not only decorative properties, but also a number of other useful characteristics. Its berries perfectly remove toxins and decay products, which is due to the presence of natural anthocyanins in them. Also, the fruits of this plant contain the necessary elements that stimulate the digestion process, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart.
Patriot blueberry variety, berries with sourness of which do not leave anyone indifferent, is very useful for pregnant women. After all, it is in it that there is such a necessary folic acid, as well as ellagic acid.
Blueberries are also very useful for people suffering from disorders of the organs of vision. If you work at a computer for a long time, then you just need to periodically include these berries in your diet. But with peptic ulcer, you need to be very careful about the use of these fruits.
Delicious fresh blueberries have a beneficial effect on the human body and help improve immunity.
Choosing a landing site
Patriot blueberry (description of the variety, reviews, planting which sometimes just pushes to start it onown site) has its own characteristics of agricultural technology. These include the choice of planting site and soil. Most of all, this shrub will like a sunny place, protected from the winds.
As for the choice of soil, an acidic composition is best suited for blueberries. If the acidity is insufficient, then the harvest will be poor. With a large discrepancy between acidity indicators, the bush may stop growing altogether. However, if the acidity index is higher than 3.7, then the plant may start to get sick, or even die.
When choosing a place for planting blueberries, you need to choose a place that is not very waterlogged. Also, groundwater should not come too close to the soil.
Planting and care
Description and cultivation of the patriot blueberry variety does not cause any difficulties. Biennial seedlings are preferably planted in rows or individually. After the landing site is determined, a hole should be dug about 70 cm deep. The distance between the bushes should reach 1.5 meters. This distance is necessary for the plant to develop normally.
Before planting blueberries in the hole, you need to fill the hole with certain materials, the type of which will depend on the type of soil you have. With the predominance of sand in the soil, it is better to put clay on the bottom. Chopped moss is also good as a supplement. If the acidity of the soil is very weak, then you can apply irrigation water withdissolved organic acid.
After planting new plants, the soil around them must be mulched. This will protect against drying out, and will also prevent the reproduction of weeds. A layer of mulch is made at least 7-9 centimeters. As the mulch rots, it needs to be updated.
Growing in hot climates
Patriot blueberries, planting and caring for which under normal conditions are not difficult, need additional attention in hot climates. In conditions of extreme heat and drought, plant bushes must be sprayed daily. It is recommended to loosen the soil several times during the season.
Pruning the bush
Patriot blueberry (a description of the variety is given in this article) needs periodic pruning of the bush. This makes it possible for him not only to have a neat appearance, but also to heal, get rid of diseased branches. Also, during pruning, it is recommended to remove old and broken branches. This is best done in spring or winter. If old branches are not removed, then the distribution of nutrients will not occur correctly, which can adversely affect the crop.
Reproduction of blueberries
Patriot blueberry (description of the variety was given above) can reproduce perfectly in several ways. First of all, seed material is suitable for this. You can also use lignified cuttings or divide the root system.
Toto select high-quality seed material, you need to pour crushed berries with a glass of water. Good seeds will immediately settle to the bottom. They can be immediately collected and landed in containers with sand. However, this method did not earn much trust from gardeners, since plants obtained in this way can only begin to bear fruit after 6-7 years.
The following method of reproduction is considered more successful. Several low-growing branches are bent to the ground and sprinkled with sawdust or earth. As a rule, after a couple of years, such a branch has its own roots, and this bush can already begin to bear fruit. However, for this, it is first separated from the mother plant.
Blueberry diseases
Patriot blueberry diseases in some cases can carry a significant danger and even lead to the death of the bush. To avoid this, it is necessary to take timely preventive measures.
Moniliosis is very common among blueberry diseases. In appearance, it looks like frostbite of some parts of the bush. In this case, the affected parts must be cut off and burned to avoid further spread of the outbreak.
If red swelling began to appear on young shoots, this is a reason to sound the alarm. These symptoms may signal the appearance of physalosporosis. The disease is characterized by the fact that it has a huge spread rate. Control measures are quite drastic - cutting and burning bushes.
Patriot blueberry (a description of the variety is presented in this article) canalso affected by gray mold. The disease is quite dangerous, often the bush is completely destroyed. There is a possibility of rehabilitation, but this process is long and troublesome, and no one gives a complete guarantee of success. Nevertheless, if the disease is noticed in time, then there are still good chances to cure it.
Wintering blueberries
Blueberries are winter-hardy plants and can withstand frosts down to minus thirty degrees! However, in snowless winters, the probability of freezing bushes is very high. In order to prevent this moment, it is necessary to start preparing your bush for winter in advance. Twigs must be carefully tied and bent to the ground until the first frost. As soon as a stable sub-zero temperature is established, the plant is covered with burlap or other similar material. However, polyethylene should not be used.
As evidenced by the reviews of experienced gardeners, it is better to protect the base of the blueberry bush for the winter. A mixture of peat and sawdust is well suited for this purpose. If snow falls, it will serve as additional protection against freezing and the plant should overwinter well.
Micronutrient deficiency
The appearance of a blueberry can tell the gardener what micronutrients the plant needs. If you began to notice that the leaves on the bush began to turn pale or even turn yellow, and the yield dropped significantly, then the plant is deficient in nitrogen. But if the leaves begin to turn black and die, then there is a high probability of potassium deficiency. With a lack of magnesium, a red border may appear on the leaves.
Oftengardeners in their reviews complain that a network of green and yellow veins begins to appear on blueberry leaves. This may be the result of a banal lack of iron. But the appearance of bluish leaves at the top should really alert: this is a lack of boron, which can have quite serious consequences.
Lack of certain microelements negatively affects not only the appearance of the bush, but also its fertility and viability. Severe depletion should not be allowed, because due to a lack of one or another trace element, you can not only not get the desired crop, but also destroy the plant. To avoid trouble, you need to timely feed and apply the necessary preparations to the soil. Timely preventive measures will be the key to a good harvest and a he althy garden.
