Planting blueberries in a summer cottage

I live on Lake Baikal, where the forests contain a large abundance of various berries, including blueberries. But recently, more and more summer residents have been cultivating this shrub on their plots, since blueberries grown in the garden also contain many vitamins; jam, compotes can be made from it and frozen for the winter.

Planting blueberries in a summer cottage requires compliance with certain conditions.

The plant is planted in acidic soil with a pH level of 4.0, adding powdered sulfur at the rate of 10-15 g per 1 m. Blueberry roots are located in the upper layers of the soil, which dries out quickly. Therefore, you need to ensure that the soil is constantly moist, but at the same time, the water should not stagnate, since a lack of oxygen leads to the death of the plant. When watering, it is advisable to acidify neutral and alkaline water with table vinegar.

Blueberries are planted in holes 50 cm deep and 1 meter in diameter, at a distance of 1 meter from each other. The bottom of the pit can be lined with plastic film with holes in the bottom. so that the water does not stagnate. The hole can be filled with peat or a mixture of soil with fallen pine needles and pine litter from the forest (50-50%). 2-3 year old blueberries are suitable for seedlings. The top layer of soil under the bushes can be mulched with pine sawdust, which maintains soil moisture, temperature conditions and prevents weeds from growing.

Blueberries need nitrogen, so when planting and every spring, add 35-40 g of ammonium sulfate to the soil, the dose of which can be increased every year.

Old and weak branches must be removed in the spring, leaving 3-5 young shoots that grow from the base of the bush. Some of the branches that have been bearing fruit for more than three years are removed in order to obtain larger berries.

There may be frosts during blueberry flowering. To protect against them, the plant should be watered abundantly in the afternoon.

Blueberries can be propagated from woody cuttings.