Selecting Varieties

We sell over 32 varieties, but feature the most popular blueberry plant varieties to grow. Allow at least two (2) blueberry plants per family member in your house. For example, if you are a family of four, you should buy at least eight (8) blueberry plants, althought we recommend 10 to 12 plants for a household of that size.

Site Selection & Preparation

 Select a sunny location. As sunny as possible.
 Soil should be well drained, free of weeds and well worked.
 Locate where water is available, as blueberry roots should be kept moist throughout the growing season.
 If soil is poor or marginally drained, raised beds 3' feet wide and 8-12" inches high work well.
 Incorporate QUALITY high-grade peat moss into the soil. Dig a hole 2-1/2 feet wide by 1' foot deep. Remove 1/2 of the soil, mix in an equal portion of pre-moistened peat moss and work well. PEAT MOSS IS CRITICAL FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESSFUL BLUEBERRY PLANT GROWTH. If you don't have quality peat moss, it we can sell you the best quality commerical grade peat moss at a fair price.
 For raised beds, mix equal amounts of peat moss with acid compost or planting mix. Remember, blueberry plants thrive in acidic soils.
 For soil that is not acidic enough, amend it with Rhododendron planting mix or organic matter.

Blueberry Plant Spacing

Plant blueberry bushes about 2.5' feet apart between plants in the row. If you are planting an edible blueberry hedge row then space plants 2' feet apart. Row spacing will depend on your cultivating or equipment. Everyone spaces differently. Be careful not to plant too deeply.

Planting Blueberry Bushes

Simply dig a small hole hole about 1'x1'x1' and mix soil and peat moss together at a ratio of 30-40% peat moss to 60-70% soil. Place this mixture around each blueberry plant. If you use peat moss, make sure that it is thoroughly saturated with water, because peat moss that is not saturated can wick moisture away from the blueberry plant and cause the roots to dry out quickly. WARNING: Manure has too much nitrogen for newly planted young blueberry plants.

Mulching Blueberry Plants

A heavy mulch is good for water retention and improves plant health. We recommend 3" to 4" of untreated, older woodchips. Avoid using leaves, grass clippings, or too much sawdust as they can mat down and prevent moisture from reaching the blueberry plant. If using these mulches you may want to use a little extra nitrogen to maintain growth.

Blueberry plants do best with a 3" inch peat moss layer over the roots to conserve moisture, prevent weeds and add fully composted organic matter. Pine bark, acid compost, sawdust, etc. Repeat every year. If you use high-quality Canadian peat moss (whch is the right way to do it) then you are giving your blueberry plant the long-term food it needs. Avoid using treated or colored bark mulch.

Irrigation & Pruning Blueberries

We recommend using drip irrigation placed at the base of the blueberry plant. Then you may apply water at your conveniene and know the water is getting to the root zone where it is needed. Because of blueberries' shallow fibrous root system, they require frequent watering. Maintain moisture, and do not allow roots to dry out. Water at least 1-3 times per week.

Every year your blueberry bushes should be heavily pruned to avoid overfruiting, which results in small fruit or poor growth. Follow these steps after the leaves have dropped during the winter months. Keep soil moist throughout the establishment period of blueberry plants.

 Remove low growth around the base. If it doesn't grow up, prune it.
 Remove the dead wood, and non-vigorous twiggy wood. Keep the bright colored wood with long (at least 3" inch) laterals. Remove blotchy-colored short growth.
 If 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood has not been removed by the above steps, thin out the fruiting laterals and small branches until this balance has been obtained on the entire blueberry bush.

Fertilizing Blueberry Plants

We recommend using organic fertilizers. A mixture of 1 part kelp, 3 parts fish meal and 3 parts bone meal works well. Apply in early spring. Or use an acidic commercial preparation, such as Rhododendron food (5-5-3) for acid-loving plants like blueberry bushes or Holly Tone.

Avoid using fresh manures, and always water well after fertilizing.

If using a non-organic fertilizer, on newly planted stock, use two tablespoons of 10-20-10 (or similar fertilizer) in late spring or once plants are established. Be careful! Blueberry bushes are very sensitive to over fertilization. For subsequent years, use one ounce of fertilizer for each year of blueberry bush age, to a total of eight ounces per blueberry plant. Apply in early spring and again in late spring for best results. However, our farm practices and supports supports organic blueberry plant growing, and strongly encourages you to stay organic.

Wait 4-6 weeks after planting your blueberry plants before fertilizing. Don't fertilize after July.

Blueberry pH Requirements

For best success with your blueberry plants, we recommend that you meature/maintain pH levels regularly. Keeping pH levels between 4.5 to 4.8 is very important for your blueberry bushes. Regular garden sulfur is the best material to use to reduce pH.

Birds and Blueberries

Not many of our customers have issues with birds, but some do. Here are some helpful tips from DiMeo Blueberry Farms on dealing with birds and blueberries:

The netting can be drapped over the blueberry plants, but we recommend installing a light, yet simple support structure. This will avoid entanglement of the net in the blueberry branch tips. Always remove netting at the end of your harvest to extend the life of netting. Some of our customers even paint the corner post poles and decorate them as to become more of a decorative piece in the garden.


Bluberry Trouble-Shooting

Yellow leaves on blueberries can be quickly corrected with a foliar application of 1-table-spoon iron chelate in a gallon of water sprayed over the leaves. You should see greener leaves in a few days. However, the real culprit may be that the soil pH is probally too high.

You should be getting 12-18" inches of new blueberry bush growth each year. If not, re-check your soil pH and/or use a little more fertilizer. Of course we always recommend using organic fertilizers. A slow-release fertilizer is best - this way you won't burn your plants.