How to Grow Blueberries? A Detailed Guide to Balcony Planting Methods
SummaryPurchase relatively adaptable 2-3 year old saplings, choose well-ventilated and appropriately sized clay pots or ceramic pots, purple clay pots, plastic pots, etc. The soil PH for growing blueberries is best between 4-5. If it does not meet the requirements, it can be adjusted through some methods; after the blueberry saplings are planted in pots, first let them recover indoors in a ventilated place without direct sunlight for a week before taking them outside. Ensure sufficient light, water and chilling hours, apply additional fertilizer at the right time, and prune them into shape.
1. Purchase blueberry seedlings
It is best to buy 2-3 year old small seedlings. They are cheap, highly adaptable, relatively easy to grow, and have a high survival rate.
2. Flower pot selection
It is best to choose clay pots with relatively strong breathability, and they are also relatively cheap. The only drawback is that clay pots are black, so their appearance is not very attractive; you can also choose ceramic pots, purple clay pots and plastic pots. Never use glazed porcelain pots. The pot size must be appropriate. Do not use a large pot for a small seedling. Generally, for growing 2-3 year old saplings, keeping the pot diameter at about 25-30cm is enough. After the saplings grow larger, replace them with suitably large pots. If you are growing 4-5 year old mature blueberry trees, then you can choose a larger pot size.
3. Soil requirements
The soil for growing blueberries needs to be acidic. The PH value in the soil is best kept between 4-5. However, the PH value of ordinary garden soil is 6-7, and the PH value of acidic soil sold in flower and bird markets is also between 5.5-6. The following methods can be used to adjust the soil PH value.
The first method: choose imported peat, whose PH value is generally around 3.5-4. Mix peat, coarse sand particles, garden soil and leaf mold at a ratio of 2.5:2.5:2.5:2.5 to make a growing medium.
The second method: mix garden soil, coarse sand particles and leaf mold at a ratio of 4:3:3 to form a growing soil. Add 1g of sulfur powder to each liter of growing soil. After half a year, the soil PH value will become 5.08. At this time, add another 1.5g of sulfur powder to each liter of growing soil. After half a year, the soil PH value will reach 4.48. Then add another 2g of sulfur powder to each liter of growing soil. After half a year, the soil PH value will reach 4.21. The specific amount of sulfur powder added should be adjusted according to the PH value of the local garden soil.
The third method: directly use decomposed pine needle soil with acidity suitable for blueberry growth. This kind of soil has good breathability, and the nutrients in the soil are moderate, but it is relatively loose, so it will be a bit difficult for plants to stay firmly anchored.
In the first two methods above, the coarse sand particles to be added are essential. Adding coarse sand particles to the soil is to enhance the breathability and water permeability of the medium. Coarse sand particles are the relatively coarse sand particles left after screening yellow sand. If it is difficult to find them, you can also use vermiculite.
4. Daily precautions
After the blueberry saplings are planted in pots, first let them recover indoors in a ventilated place without direct sunlight for a week. After a week, they can be moved outside the balcony for normal growing and care. Blueberries like moist soil. In hot summer weather, water them every day, but do not water too much, so as to avoid water accumulation and cause blueberry root rot.
Blueberry growth requires sufficient light. As long as there is sufficient water, even the sun at 40°C in summer will not kill them. During their growing period, they can tolerate temperatures of 40-50°C. But if there is a lack of light, the growth of blueberry trees will slow down or even stop, and even if they bloom, they will not bear fruit.
Blueberries need a certain amount of chilling hours. If blueberries are to bloom and bear fruit normally, they must grow for a certain period of time in an environment below 7.2°C. The specific time varies depending on the variety. If the chilling hours are insufficient, blueberries will only bloom and not bear fruit. If growing blueberries in the Jiangnan region of our country, in winter they can be left to grow on the balcony directly, but the Hainan region of our country is not suitable for growing blueberries.
5. Fertilization
When growing blueberries, the soil does not need to be too fertile. As long as the soil medium contains a certain amount of leaf mold, it can meet their growth needs. If you want to eat blueberry fruit from balcony-grown blueberries, you still need to apply additional fertilizer regularly when growing them. Generally, apply a relatively mild “Huaduoduo” once a week, with a ratio of 1 gram of water to 1000g of fertilizer.
March to October is the rapid growth period for blueberries. During this period, fertilizer water should be applied frequently, and potted blueberries should have some flower buds thinned out.
6. Pruning
The flowering season for blueberries is March-April. The flowers they produce are white and bell-shaped. To ensure sufficient nutrients in the pot soil and promote blueberry fruiting, some flowers should be thinned out; by April-May, blueberry trees will begin to bear fruit one after another. At this time, shriveled and poorly developed fruits on the tree need to be removed; the fruit ripens in mid-June. Blueberry fruits first turn purplish red and then blue. After 10 days, when their fruit stems turn purple, they can be picked and eaten.