How to grow blueberries from seeds at home

Blueberry
Blueberries are a very healthy berry that contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. The shrub grows mainly in coniferous forests and shady places. To blueberry has taken root in the garden beds, it needs to create comfortable conditions. Growing berries at home is not difficult, the main thing is to know how to properly plant and care for them.
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Blueberry propagation methods

Blueberries belong to the Ericaceae family. It is a shrub with numerous shoots. It can reach a height of up to 80 cm. Blueberry fruits have black-purple pulp, inside of which there is a large number of seeds. When planting blueberries in your summer cottage, you should take into account the composition of the soil and choose a suitable location. The shrub grows well in acidic soils. It is better to choose shady places for placement: along fences, next to outbuildings or under the canopy of trees.
There are 3 ways to grow blueberries:
Propagation by cuttings is carried out as follows: in summer, cut cuttings 60 mm long. Then root it in a greenhouse and after some time plant it in a garden bed. Division is carried out in the fall when the mother bush grows. It should be dug up and divided into partial bushes. This procedure is quite painstaking.It is important that about 5 intact buds remain on the separated bushes. The most common method of propagating blueberries is by seeds. Seeds can be separated from both ripe and frozen berries.
Blueberries, drawing
Ready-made planting material can be purchased at a specialized store. It is necessary to distinguish garden blueberries from wild ones. Garden blueberries are much taller than those berries that grow in the forest. The length can reach 1.5 m in height. The aroma of garden blueberries is weaker than wild blueberries. Garden berries do not taste bitter.

Garden blueberries: propagation from seeds of ripe berries

To obtain seeds, the berries should be mashed in a glass and add a large amount of water. After the seeds float, remove the skin and pulp and drain the water. This must be done several times to ensure the water remains clean. Dry the resulting seeds: remove from the glass and place on napkins. Fill boxes, pots or other containers with peat. Seed material can be planted with a paper layer.
The first shoots will appear in a few weeks. Before the onset of cold weather, the seedlings are transferred to a warm room, where the temperature should reach 5-10 degrees. In the spring, they pick and grow the plant. The seedlings are planted in the designated area the following year. You can grow blueberries in another way: dig the berries in a designated area without separating them seeds. After this, they wait for spring shoots. This method of propagation is unproductive due to the heterogeneous formation of seedlings.
Blueberries, berries
The germination process can last up to 3 years. It's easy to grow blueberries from frozen berry seeds. You can buy them at the store or do it yourself. Since the berries are stored in the freezer, they do not need stratification.
Separate the seeds from the frozen berries and leave them to soak in the Zircon solution for a day. You can use a similar growth stimulator. After this, seed the school.
It is important that the soil environment is as close to natural as possible. For the substrate, you can use peat in combination with sand, bark, sawdust, and fallen leaves. To acidify, you can add 100 g of sulfur to the peat mixture. Also, when planting, the soil is watered with slightly acidified water. Add a teaspoon of citric or oxalic acid to 3 liters of water. You can use malic, acetic acid: 10 liters of water 100 ml of food acid. With the right approach and compliance with all growing conditions, the emergence of shoots from stratified seeds can be noticed in a month. After sowing seeds, the first berries appear in the third season.

Recommendations for growing blueberries

  1. Bushes should be placed at a distance of a meter from each other.
  2. If water constantly stagnates in the area, this indicates a high groundwater level. It is not recommended to plant seeds in these places.
  3. It is not advisable to plant blueberries with an open root system. The bush must be in a pot. After purchasing, the seedling must be immersed in water for half an hour and then planted in the ground.
  4. Should not be forgotten mulch the soil and remove weeds.
  5. When planting bushes in open ground, water them 2 times a week. For one bush you will need 2 buckets of water.
  6. Pruning is done in the spring. If there are diseased, dried branches, they must be removed.
  7. Mineral fertilizers are applied in March or November.
It is also worth noting that every 3-4 years blueberry bushes should be fed with mineral fertilizers.You can use a complex fertilizer intended for heathers. Birds often enjoy eating delicious, ripe blueberries. To scare them away, you can use a net or New Year's tinsel. Homemade blueberries require constant attention, so after planting the seeds and the appearance of the first shoots, it is important to properly care for them.
Video with recommendations on growing blueberries:
Blueberries, drawingBlueberries, berries