How to Plant Blueberries

Blueberry Bush

If you want to grow blueberry bushes on your property you will need to find out the pH level of your soil. Blueberries require a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 4 to 4.5. If your soil is too alkaline you can purchase products from garden centres to make your soil more acidic. Blueberries need moist soil and one way to achieve that is to add a lot of sphagnum peat moss into the soil around your plants. You could also add a layer of mulch on top of the soil. The plants will require full sun to produce a lot of berries

If growing blueberries from seed it will take about three years until the plants produce a crop of berries. If you were to buy a blueberry bush you are not able to get berries the first year and the second year's crop may not be that great. Although three years may seem like a long time to benefit from growing from seed the benefits are that the plants tend to be more hardy for your area and it is a lot cheaper. To germinate blueberry seeds you can surface sow them onto a 2-3"" layer of sphagnum peat moss and lightly cover them with more peat. The seeds require some light to germinate. Keep the seeds moist but not soggy and never let them dry out. The temperature should be around 70-80 F (20 C). Germination will take around 4-8 weeks.

There are two major types of blueberry plants which are highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) and lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) also known as "wild blueberries". High blueberries produce a lot more blueberries and they take up a lot less space. All varieties tend to share the same amount of health benefits, but it's always the latest researched variety that is touted as the best.

To produce a large blueberry and an abundant crop you will need to have several varieties of blueberry bushes. Cross pollination will ensure a great tasting and large berry. Blueberries require a dormant season where temperatures fall to below freezing or near freezing to thrive the next season. The seeds also benefit from being stratified (kept in freezing temperatures for a couple weeks), it increases the germination success significantly.

You can buy mixed highbush blueberry seeds from this link.