Garden tall blueberry or shield berry has recently been very popular with gardeners. This is due not only to the taste of the berries, but also to the unpretentiousness of the culture. However, not every novice gardener knows that in order to obtain a stable harvest, blueberries should be pruned annually. Otherwise, with each subsequent year, the bush will lose its potential and produce fewer and fewer fruits, and their quality will noticeably deteriorate. To understand how to prune blueberries correctly, and also know when it is best to do it, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for this procedure.
Features of the berry plant
On the backyard plots of good owners, you can see a variety of fruit and berry plants. Let's give a brief description of garden blueberries. A tall variety of culture is a deciduous shrub, the height of whichreaches 1.2-2.5 meters. The shoots of garden blueberries can be erect or spreading, depending on the variety chosen.
The leaves of the plant are smooth, oval in shape and rich green. Their length is from 4 to 8 cm. In autumn, the leaves turn a red-crimson hue.
The garden blueberry blooms in late May - early June. At the same time, pink or white flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences and are distinguished by a weak pleasant aroma.
Fruit ripening occurs in late July - mid-August. The hue of the berries can be blue or inky with a bluish coating on the peel. The size of the fruit is 10-20 mm, which depends on the variety of garden blueberries and the care taken. Fruit ripening occurs gradually, so their collection is carried out in stages. Productivity from 1 bush reaches 3-7 kg. Ripe fruits can hang on branches for about 2 weeks without loss of taste and commercial qualities.
The beginning of the garden blueberry vegetation comes as soon as the air temperature rises above 0 degrees, which is in mid-April. The first harvest of fruits can be harvested 3 years after planting in a permanent place. The maximum yield occurs by 8-10 years. The life potential of a bush is 30 years. The stability and quality of the crop depends on the correct pruning of blueberry bushes. Therefore, this procedure is mandatory when growing this crop.
Perennial shoots of the corymbium can withstand frosts down to -35 degrees, and buds and flowers can withstand temperatures down to -6 degrees.
Blueberriesprefers to grow on acidic soils (3.8 - 4.8 pH). At the same time, the plant does not tolerate drying out of the roots and stagnant moisture.
Autumn pruning
The formation of a strong plant skeleton is the main condition for caring for fruit bushes. Blueberries are no exception. In the absence of this procedure, the annual growth of young animals will not be able to fully develop and bear fruit. As a result, the bush will begin to degenerate into wild shoots, while the fruits will shrink and lose their taste.
In addition, the dense crown of the shrub is a favorable place for the development of fungal diseases, as it is poorly blown by the wind. Therefore, the shaping and sanitary pruning of blueberries in the fall is an integral part of caring for the berry. It is during this period that sap flow in the shoots slows down, so the plant tolerates this procedure painlessly.
To cut blueberries, prepare a pruner. The tool must first be disinfected, which will exclude the possibility of penetration into open sections of pathogens.
Pruning timing
It is recommended to remove extra shoots starting from the last ten days of October and throughout November. This period is the most suitable, as the plant is already resting, so when the shoots are cut, no nutritious juice will be released.
Delaying the procedure may lead to freezingcut shoots in case of early cold weather.
The formation of the skeleton of the bush should be started immediately after planting the plant in a permanent place in the garden. Ignoring this rule in the early years may adversely affect the further development of the bush.
Seedling formation during planting
The first blueberry pruning is carried out when the plant is transplanted from the container. This will help reduce the load on the root system and allow the seedling to redirect its forces to rooting.
To do this, it is necessary to plant during the period when the growth of the aerial part stops, which occurs at the end of September and continues throughout October.
When pruning a young seedling, you must perform the following actions:
- Remove all branched stubble that grows straight out of the ground.
- Leave only strong erect shoots (2-3 pieces), and then shorten them by half.
This will help the plant quickly and painlessly take root in the new location.
Pruning a young seedling
Before the start of stable fruiting, it is necessary to form a strong crown skeleton. If you leave the bush unattended for 1-2 years, then the number of small shoots will increase, which will thicken the bush, and flower buds will be laid on the tops of the main shoots.
This will encourage the formation of the first berries. At the same time, a thickened blueberry bush will not be able to give a full-fledged harvest, since its forces will begin to be randomly distributed into small unnecessary shoots. On the backgroundthis plant weakens, the probability of its defeat by fungal diseases increases. Therefore, it is worth sacrificing the first berries by removing the top flower shoots to form a strong bush with productive shoots.
We offer recommendations for beginners on blueberry pruning in the fall in the second year after planting:
- Remove all small shoots extending from the root.
- Select 3-4 shoots. They should be the strongest in appearance and directed upwards. These shoots will form the skeleton of the bush.
- Cut off all vertical branches growing on the remaining shoots below 30 cm from the soil surface.
- Cut off the tops where the flower buds have formed.
As a result, this procedure will postpone the first fruiting for some time, but will make it possible to form a strong bush, which will consist only of productive and strong branches.
Formation of an adult bush
At the age of 3-4 years, the bushes are at the final stage of formation. By this time they should have up to 7 lignified branches that yield a crop, and up to 5 replacement shoots.
In the process of pruning blueberries at this age, the following actions are assumed:
- Remove all horizontal shoots that grow downwards or towards the middle of the bush.
- Cut off excess replacement shoots near the root, leaving only strong and erect ones.
- Remove all small shoots growing from the root.
- Clear the main branches from vertical shoots growing below30-40 cm from the soil surface.
- Shorten horizontal fruit-bearing branches to a length of 10-20 cm.
As a result of this, you should get a thinned bush, in which the main stems are at a certain distance from each other, which allows them not to touch. This will help reduce the likelihood of developing fungal diseases and redirect the main forces of the plant to productive branches.
Sanitary and rejuvenating blueberry pruning
In the future, the bush is cleared of unnecessary and unproductive shoots. With proper care, blueberry bushes can produce crops for 30 years. But at the age of 5-6 years, their potential decreases, as they are overgrown with a large number of side shoots at the top. This results in reduced fruit quality.
You can correct the situation with the help of a special technique. To do this, it is necessary to identify one strong vertical shoot in the middle part of the main branch and make a transition to it. This will require shortening the deprecated branch directly above it.
In the absence of such an escape, it must be cut off completely at the root. And in return, leave a young replacement shoot. When rejuvenating blueberry pruning, all branches thicker than 25 mm should be cut, as they have completely exhausted their fruiting potential. In one season, about 20% of old branches can be removed without harming the plant.
In addition, sanitary pruning of tall blueberries should be carried out annually in the fall. It includes cleaning the bush from damaged, broken and dry shoots.
When it is necessary to cut the bush underroot
There are situations when only cardinal pruning can rejuvenate a plant. This procedure means cutting the bush to the root.
Main reasons:
- The bush began to dry out in the absence of timely watering during the heat wave.
- The plant was reborn into wild as it was not cleaned for 5-6 years.
- All the main fruit-bearing shoots are outdated, resulting in a loss of crop quality.
After cardinal pruning of blueberries at the root, it is necessary to provide the plant with adequate nutrition and timely watering. Then within 2-3 years the bush will be able to recover.
Care after trimming
After the autumn stripping of the blueberry bush, it is necessary to process the sections with garden pitch. This must be done if the thickness of the shoot is 10 mm or more. Such a measure will eliminate the likelihood of pathogens getting into open wounds.
In addition, caring for blueberries in the fall includes fertilizing to restore the vitality of the plant before winter. During this period, it is necessary to use mineral fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium (15 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium magnesia per 10 liters of water).
It is forbidden to use nitrogen fertilizers during this period, as this can lead to freezing of the bush.
Preparing for winter
Blueberries have a high level of frost resistance, but in the case of a snowless winter, plants may suffer from hypothermiaunder 3 years of age and young one-year growth.
Therefore, caring for blueberries in the fall and preparing for winter is to carry out the following activities:
- At the end of leaf fall, the shoots should be straightened and pressed to the ground with twine or special holding arcs.
- When persistent frosts come, they should be covered with agrofiber or burlap. And to cover small bushes, you can use coniferous spruce branches.
- When it snows, you should lightly sprinkle them with shoots, which will further warm them.
These recommendations will help preserve not only the young shoots, but also all the fruit-bearing branches that form at the top, which guarantees a generous harvest for the next year.
Conclusions
Despite the unpretentiousness of blueberries, mistakes made when pruning bushes can adversely affect the development of the plant and the formation of fruits. The more responsible the novice gardener is to this procedure, the better the harvest and the quality of the berries.
