Garden tall blueberries or corymbos have recently been particularly popular with gardeners. This is due not only to the taste qualities of the berries, but also to the unpretentiousness of the culture. However, not every beginner gardener knows that in order to obtain a stable crop, annual pruning of blueberries should be carried out. Otherwise, with each subsequent year, the bush will lose its potential and produce fewer fruits, and their quality will noticeably worsen. To understand how to prune blueberries correctly, and also to know when it is better to do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for carrying out this procedure.
Features of the berry
On household plots in good hosts you can see a variety of fruit and berry plants. We give a brief description of garden blueberries. A tall variety of culture is a deciduous shrub, the height of which reaches 1.2-2.5 meters. Shoots of garden blueberries can be erect or sprawling, depending on the selected variety.
The leaves of the plant are smooth, oval in shape and saturated green. Their length is from 4 to 8 cm. In autumn, the leaves acquire a red-crimson hue.
Blooming garden blueberries occurs in late May - early June. In this case, pink or white flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences and have a weak pleasant aroma.
Ripening occurs in late July - mid-August. The hue of the berries can be blue or ink 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. Ripening of fruits occurs gradually, so their collection is carried out in stages. Productivity from 1 bush reaches 3-7 kg. Ripened fruits can hang on branches for about 2 weeks without loss of taste and marketability.
The vegetation of garden blueberries begins as soon as the air temperature rises above 0 degrees, which occurs in mid-April. The first fruit crop can be harvested 3 years after planting in a permanent place. The maximum yield is reached by 8-10 years. The life potential of the bush is 30 years. Stability and quality of the crop depend on the proper pruning of blueberry bushes. Therefore, this procedure is mandatory when growing this crop.
Perennial shoots of the gluteus berry can withstand frosts to -35 degrees, and buds and flowers are able to withstand lowering temperatures to -6 degrees.
Blueberries prefer to grow on acidic soils (3.8 - 4.8 pH). In this case, the plant does not tolerate drying out of roots and stagnation of moisture.
Autumn pruning of bushes
The formation of a strong skeleton of the plant is the main condition for caring for the fruit shrub. Blueberry garden is 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 growth, and the fruits will fade and lose their taste.
In addition, the thickened crown of the bush 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 autumn is an integral part of berry care. It is during this period that the sap flow in the shoots slows down, so the plant tolerates this procedure painlessly.
To prune blueberries, prepare a pruning shears. The tool must be pre-disinfected, which eliminates the likelihood of pathogens penetrating into open sections.
Trimming Dates
It is recommended to remove excess shoots starting from the last ten days of October and throughout November. This period is the most suitable, since the plant is already resting, therefore, when cutting the shoots, nutritious juice will not stand out.
A later procedure may lead to freezing of cut shoots in the event 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 negatively affect the further development of the bush.
Seedling formation during planting
The first pruning of blueberries is carried out when transplanting plants from a container. This will help reduce the load on the root system and allow the seedling to redirect forces to rooting.
To do this, it is necessary to land at a time when the growth of the aerial part stops, which occurs at the end of September and continues throughout October.
When pruning a young seedling, it is necessary to perform the following actions:
- Remove all branched short shoots that grow directly from the ground.
- Leave only strong erect shoots (2-3 pcs.), And then shorten them by half.
This will help the plant to take root quickly and painlessly in a new place.
Pruning a young seedling
Before stable fruiting begins, a strong skeleton of the crown must be formed. If you leave the bush unattended for 1-2 years, then the number of small shoots that will thicken the bush will increase, and flower buds will be laid on the tops of the main shoots.
This will contribute to the formation of the first berries. At the same time, the thickened bush of blueberries will not be able to give a full-fledged crop, since its forces will randomly be distributed on small unnecessary shoots. Against this background, the plant weakens, the likelihood of its defeat by fungal diseases increases. Therefore, it is worth sacrificing the first berries by removing the apical flower shoots to form a strong bush with productive shoots.
We offer recommendations for beginners on pruning blueberries 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 a bush.
- Cut off all vertical branches growing on left shoots below 30 cm from the soil surface.
- Trim the tops where the flower buds 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.
Adult bush formation
At the age of 3-4 years, the bushes are at the final stage of formation. At this point, they should have up to 7 lignified branches that give the crop, and up to 5 shoots of substitution.
In the process of pruning blueberries at this age, the following actions are expected:
- Remove all horizontal shoots whose growth is directed down or in the middle of the bush.
- Cut off excess substitution shoots near the root, leaving only strong and erect.
- Remove all small shoots growing from the root.
- To clear the main branches of vertical shoots growing below 30-40 cm from the soil surface.
- Shorten the horizontal fruiting branches to a length of 10-20 cm.
As a result of this, a thinned bush should be obtained, 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 anti-aging pruning blueberries
In the future, the bush is cleaned from excess and unproductive shoots. With proper care, blueberry bushes are able to produce crops for 30 years. But at the age of 5-6 years, their potential decreases, since they are overgrown with a large number of side shoots. This leads to a decrease in the quality of the fruit.
Correct the situation using a special technique. For this, it is necessary to identify one strong vertical shoot in the middle part of the main branch and make a transition to it. To do this, you will need to shorten the obsolete 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 substitution shoot. When rejuvenating pruning blueberries, cut off all branches thicker than 25 mm, since they have fully exhausted their fruiting potential. About 20% of old branches can be removed in one season without harming the plant.
In addition, annual pruning of tall blueberries should be carried out annually. It includes cleaning the bush from damaged, broken and dry shoots.
When it is necessary to trim the bush under the root
There are situations when only cardinal pruning can rejuvenate a plant. This procedure means cutting the bush under the root.
Main reasons:
- The bush began to dry out in the absence of timely watering during the heat.
- The plant degenerated into a wild game, since it was not cleaned for 5-6 years.
- All major fruit-bearing shoots are outdated, resulting in a loss of crop quality.
After cardinal pruning of blueberries under the root, it is necessary to provide the plant with full nutrition and timely watering. Then within 2-3 years the bush will be able to recover.
Care after trimming
After the autumn sweeping of the blueberry bush, it is necessary to treat the slices with garden varieties. This must be done if the shoot thickness 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 feeding 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 l of water).
Use of nitrogen fertilizers in this period is prohibited, as this can lead to freezing of the bush.
Winter preparations
Blueberries have a high level of frost resistance, but in the case of a snowless winter, plants under 3 years of age and a young one-year growth may suffer from hypothermia.
Therefore, caring for blueberries in autumn and preparing for winter is to conduct the following activities:
- At the end of leaf fall, the shoots should be straightened and pressed to the ground using twine or special retaining arcs.
- When persistent frost sets in, they should be covered with agrofibre or burlap. And for sheltering small bushes, you can use coniferous spruce branches.
- When snow falls, sprouts should be lightly sprinkled on them, which will allow them to be additionally insulated.
These recommendations will help to save not only young shoots, but also all fruit-bearing branches that are formed 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 beginner gardener relates to this procedure, the better the yield and quality of the berries.