Can blueberries be grown in northern regions?

Blueberries are a fruit that has only become popular in recent years, and there are not many areas in our country where they are grown, so can blueberries be grown in the north?

1. Basic introduction to blueberries

Blueberries are perennial low shrubs of the Ericaceae family and the genus Vaccinium, native to North America and East Asia, distributed in Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, Europe, North America, as well as China's Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Jilin Changbai Mountain and other countries and regions, growing in areas at an altitude of 900-2300m.

The first country to cultivate blueberries was the United States, but even so it has a cultivation history of less than a hundred years. Because of its high health value, it has become popular around the world and is one of the five healthy fruits recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

2. Can blueberries be grown in the north?

Blueberries can be grown in the north, but not all blueberries are suitable for growing in the north. Some blueberry varieties can be grown in the north, such as northern highbush blueberry, Bluecrop and other highly adaptable varieties.

1. Northern highbush blueberry

Highbush blueberries mainly come from selected and hybridized varieties of the wild species Vaccinium corymbosum. They are naturally distributed in North America. They are not drought-tolerant and are suitable for growing in moist soil, often forming communities in swamps, streams, moist sandy land, and places at the foot of mountains with groundwater seepage.

The tree is generally about 1-2m tall, and the fruit is of excellent quality, making it a widely cultivated type. Northern highbush blueberries prefer a cool climate and have strong cold resistance. Some varieties can resist low temperatures of -30 to -35°C. The dormancy period requires a longer period of low temperature, generally requiring a low temperature. The dormancy period requires a longer period of low temperature, generally requiring a chilling requirement of <7.2°C for about 800-1200 hours, and some varieties for more than 600 hours. Note that the soil must be acidic, and the suitable soil pH for growth is between 4.3 and 5.2. For most varieties, when pH>5.5, growth performance is poor.

2. Bluecrop

Bluecrop is a blueberry developed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1952. The plant is upright, has moderate vigor, and produces high yields year after year. It is resistant to fruit cracking and tolerant of drought.

It is suitable for mechanical harvesting. The fruit is large, bright blue, of medium quality, and has a small stem scar. The fruit ripening period is 5 days later than Duke.

This variety currently has the largest planting area in the world.