How to Increase Blueberry Yields? Practical Yield-Boosting Methods Shared

Blueberry is a shrub fruit, a new type of fruit introduced from abroad in recent years, but at present the annual yield of blueberries is limited, so it is far from meeting market demand, and the price is very expensive, so how to increase blueberry planting yields?

1. Select Good Varieties

There are quite a few blueberry varieties, including lowbush blueberry and highbush blueberry, some suitable for growing in shady and cool areas and some suitable for growing in warm areas. At present there are as many as more than twenty existing blueberry varieties, so the types are diverse, and among them rabbiteye blueberry is the easiest to keep alive, and O'Neal is also a very good variety, especially suitable for planting in the southern regions of our country.

2. Sow at the Right Time

There is a suitable time for planting blueberries; they cannot be planted at random. The most common planting time is chosen in the period from the end of August to September in autumn. Planting at this time gives a much higher survival rate, and at the same time it suits the growth and development of blueberries. Of course, they can also be planted in spring, but it is best to do so in early spring, so that the blueberry can take root and sprout in this season.

3. Fertilizer and Water Management

After blueberries are planted, reasonable fertilizer and water management is needed according to the nature of the planting soil. The fertilizer and water management differs to some extent for each growth period of blueberries, and the management also differs for each variety. Under normal circumstances, the seedling stage requires two rounds of fertilization. Taller blueberry plants should be top-dressed by digging trenches, while shorter plants only need broadcast application. Each time, farmyard manure or organic fertilizer is the main choice. After the blueberries bear fruit, on the basis of these two fertilizations, apply one more round of top-dressing, mainly foliar fertilizer, to promote fruit growth. Afterwards, about every two to three months each year, foliar fertilizer needs to be sprayed once, which allows the blueberry seedlings to grow better and avoids premature aging and reduced yield.

4. Field Management

Each plant must be planted according to a four-to-one pattern, which can increase the chance of pollination and thereby raise the fruit-setting rate. The blueberry seedlings in the field should be thinned of branches, removing the relatively weak branches and leaves; new branches will then grow. After a certain number of years, all the old branches need to be pruned away, and new branches will emerge, meaning new life. Every winter the saplings need to be given cold protection, otherwise the blueberry saplings will be frostbitten. During the flowering period, flower control is needed, and after the flowers fall, fruit control is needed. Both flower control and fruit control are handled on the principle of keeping the good and large ones. Weeds, debris, fallen leaves, dead branches and so on need to be cleared away and burned with fire into ashes, to avoid viral infection.

5. Artificial Pollination

Artificial pollination is also a way to increase yield, but it is generally not used; there is more of a preference for pairing pollinator trees well. When the weather is relatively stable, the pollination success rate is very high. Of course, other situations cannot be ruled out, so artificial pollination methods need to be used. External forces can also be borrowed, for example putting bee colonies into the orchard for bee pollination, or collecting pollen for pollination. You can also directly pick male flowers and then smear the pollen of the male flowers onto the female flowers, then cover the female flowers with the male flowers for pollination. These are all methods of artificial assisted pollination, which can also be used when necessary, and are also of great help in increasing blueberry yields.

The above is Tuliuwang's introduction on how to increase blueberry planting yields, for everyone's reference only.