How Many Blueberry Plants Can Be Planted Per Mu? A Detailed Guide to Growing Techniques

Blueberry is a blue berry with rich nutritional value and is a fruit tree of relatively high economic value; it is cultivated in Northeast China.So how many blueberry plants can usually be planted per mu? What are the growing techniques?

1. How many blueberry plants can be planted per mu?

1. The planting density differs for blueberry seedlings of different specifications. For 1-year-old propagated seedlings, transplant them into the field at a plant spacing of about 20 cm, with the planting depth such that the base of the stem is about 1-2 cm lower than the ground surface. Generally, 8000-10000 plants can be transplanted per mu.

2. For 2-year-old blueberry seedlings, 2000-3000 plants can be planted per mu.

3. For 2-3-year-old blueberry seedlings with 3-5 branches and a tree height above 80 cm, the price is 330 plants/mu.

2. What are the blueberry growing techniques?

1. Blueberry planting time

The blueberry varieties grown in different regions are different, and the planting times are also different. For example, in the north (north of the Yellow River), planting in the warm spring season (March—April) is better, while in the mountainous areas of southern China, planting in autumn (September—November) is best; in addition, in some areas planting can also be done in December or in 2-3 years. This can, to a certain extent, improve the survival rate of young seedlings and the yield per mu.

2. Blueberry growing techniques

(1) Blueberries can only grow healthily in an acidic medium; a pH value of the growing soil between 4-5 is most suitable for blueberry growth. When choosing a planting site, try to choose land with a small slope that is loose and well aerated, as this is beneficial to the growth of its root system.

(2) Plant the prepared blueberry saplings according to their corresponding plant and row spacing. The planting time is spring and autumn, generally mainly autumn planting, because the survival rate of autumn planting is higher than that of spring planting. In addition, different blueberry varieties have different plant and row spacings; simply plant them according to their corresponding plant and row spacing. After planting, promptly water thoroughly to settle the roots; for cultivation, the general intertillage depth is preferably 5 cm-10 cm, and the height of the cultivation tool is generally no more than 15 cm; it can be carried out from early spring to August each year, and 2-3 clean cultivations per year are preferable. After the beginning of autumn, clean cultivation is unfavorable for overwintering.

(3) For blueberry growing soil, use hole application, with a hole depth of about 10 cm, or carry out foliar application. Apply fertilizer 2 times per year: the first fertilization is around flowering, from mid-April to early May, and the second is after fruit harvest is completed, that is, from late August to mid-September; the scion orchard and young orchards should always maintain the most suitable moisture conditions, while mature orchards and full-bearing orchards should reduce water supply during the fruit development stage and before fruit ripening, and after fruit harvest, restore the most suitable water supply; from mid-autumn to late autumn, reduce water supply to help the plants enter dormancy in time; for young trees transplanted after being removed from pots, only the flower buds and a small number of excessively thin and weak branches or small branch groups need to be pruned. For seedlings transplanted without soil, in addition to thinning out flower buds, more relatively weak and small branches also need to be thinned out, thinning out the thin and weak branches in all parts of the canopy and the weak branches that gradually weaken due to fruiting, heading back the dominant branch groups that have weakened due to fruiting and been replaced by new branch groups, and thinning out diseased branches, dead branches, crossing branches, and closely overlapping branches.

(4) In late November, in combination with winter pruning, cut off diseased branches and insect-infested branches, clear weeds, and eliminate overwintering pests and diseases. In December, in combination with deep plowing and winter pruning, plow the soil to a depth of about 20 cm to eliminate overwintering pests in the soil; during the blueberry fruit ripening period, drive away birds using bird-proof nets or scarecrows, electric bird repellers, or firecrackers. From mid-to-late April to early-to-mid May, use about 50% carbendazim at 400-600 times dilution for 2 treatments, with an interval of 10-15 days between the 2 treatments. From mid-to-late August to October, use about 50% carbendazim at 400-600 times dilution or about 2.5% deltamethrin emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1200 times dilution for combined control 1-2 times.

Because blueberries do not ripen uniformly, growers must harvest them in batches. Generally, during the full-bearing period, harvest once every 2-3 days, and at other times harvest once every 4-6 days.