How Do Blueberry Trees Overwinter? A Detailed Guide to Winter Cold-Protection and Care Methods

Blueberries generally grow in the south; in the north, they must be moved into a warm indoor space or a greenhouse in winter. In winter, artificial snow piling can be used for cold protection.

Blueberry branches have a relatively poor degree of lignification and a shallow root system, so in our cold regions, cold protection is essential when growing them in the open field. When cold-protection measures are used improperly or fail to meet the standard, in mild cases there will be shoot dieback and flower bud frost damage, affecting tree growth and the yield and quality of the fruit; in severe cases it can lead to a total loss of harvest, or even the death of the entire plant from freezing.

Although lowbush blueberries and half-high blueberries have relatively strong cold resistance, even the most cold-resistant variety, Blomidon, will suffer serious damage when overwintering in the open field, with fairly severe shoot dieback. Our city is located in a high-cold forest region, with long winters and springs, extremely low temperatures, and long durations; in early spring the air is relatively dry and there are many windy days, so doing a good job of overwintering cold protection for blueberries is all the more particularly important.

In the cold, snowy regions of the north, artificial snow piling can be used for cold protection in winter. Blueberries protected by snow piling show a substantial increase in yield compared with those without cold protection and those covered with leaves or rice straw, and it has the advantages of using readily available materials, saving labor and time, costing little, and maintaining soil moisture. Generally, the covering thickness should be about 2/3 of the tree height, with a suitable thickness of 15-30cm.