How to plant blueberries at home to have endless supplies and never buy them again?
Slightly sweet, the blueberry is a dark red to purple fruit that is distinguished by its richness in vitamins including vitamin K, trace elements and mineral salts. Indeed, this small fruit contains significant quantities of magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and vanadium. Coming from the blueberry bush, a shrub of the Ericaceae family, blueberries are both tasty and low in calories. To harvest blueberries, you can learn how to plant the shrub at home.
In various sweet preparations such as pies, muffins or even juices, blueberries retain their taste while offering a range of benefits to the body. Cultivated for its fruit, the blueberry bush can grow in the garden or in a large pot placed on the balcony.
The blueberry bush: two species to distinguish
The blueberry bush
There are two species of blueberry bush:
Vaccinium myrtillus, a wild blueberry bush that measures between 20 and 50 cm in height and has persistent foliage. The latter is generally grown in heather soil in moors, or in woods and clearings
Vaccinium corymbosum, a shrubby blueberry bush 1.5 to 2 meters in height that is easily grown in pots, in garden soil or in the vegetable garden.
From May, the clusters of white bells appear on the shrub.
clusters white bells
In summer, the berries appear and ripen to be eaten. Some blueberries pollinate themselves and you can simply plant them so that they fruit.
How to plant blueberries at home?
small sweet fruits
The blueberry bush must be planted in the sun or partial shade. In addition, this shrub thrives in very acidic, well-drained soil that is free of limestone. If your garden is not suitable, you can plant the shrub in a fairly large container and line the bottom with a layer of clay balls or gravel. Then, you will need to fill the container with heather soil, 1/10 compost or potting soil to ensure that the substrate retains as much water as possible. In addition, to have a good harvest, try to plant your shrubs in the fall to encourage rooting. If you plant them in the spring, remember to water them regularly to allow them to grow optimally.
How to maintain the blueberry bush?
sweet fruits
From March, you will need to give the blueberry bush a special rhododendron fertilizer. The shrub will need to be mulched with pine bark or pine needles in the fall to preserve the acidity of the soil. When the climate is dry, make sure that watering is regular and use non-calcareous water. In winter, remember to remove dead wood without pruning the blueberry bush. In addition, the blueberry bush can be propagated by cuttings, division and layering.