Pruning blueberry bushes and proper blueberry bush care can help yield not only a larger harvest but also larger, juicier berries. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions on how to prune blueberries and properly amend the soil for quality growth.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Why Should I Prune My Blueberry Bushes?
- How to Prune Blueberries & Proper Blueberry Bush Care (For a Better Harvest)
- Blueberry Bushes are Great for Small Spaces
- When is the Best Time to Prune Blueberry Bushes?
- The Best Method for Pruning Blueberry Bushes
- How to Prune New Blueberry Bushes
- 4 Tips to Identify Which Branches to Prune Off Your Blueberries
- Mulching and Feeding Your Plants
- Why Mulch for Proper Care of Your Blueberry Bushes?
- What is the Mummy Berry Disease?
- More Spring Gardening Posts You Might Like:
Why Should I Prune My Blueberry Bushes?
It seems so contradictory to cut OFF branches in order to get MORE fruit, but that’s exactly what we need to do with our fruit trees and shrubs, namely, blueberry plants.
If you want larger, tastier berries, then yearly pruning of your blueberry bushes will become your new best friend. The best (and most tasty) blueberries tend to grow on newer, stronger canes that are pointing straight up, and while the older canes will still bear fruit, you want a constant steady rotation of new fruit-bearing canes to maintain the fruit quality.
Furthermore, blueberry bushes that are neglected year after year can become overcrowded, making it hard to produce sizeable fruit. The bush may also become unruly and an undesirable shape for harvesting berries.
Pruning blueberries is slightly different than pruning fruit trees or pruning raspberries, though some of the principals remain the same.
I can’t help but think of this verse every time I think about how to prune blueberries or any of our plants. I’m always amazed at how gardening brings to mind so many of the scriptures.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2
Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits. They’re sweet and juicy on the tongue, freeze better than any other berry, dehydrate well, and can even be grown in a container or pot. Plus, they turn things purple (one of my high school’s colors), what’s not to love?
Looking for great ways to preserve all those blueberries your bushes will be producing? Check out my FREE Preserving Blueberries & Blueberry Recipes eBook or my Home Fruit Preserving eCourse.
How to Prune Blueberries & Proper Blueberry Bush Care (For a Better Harvest)
Update: Watch this video to learn how to prune blueberries, especially older or mature blueberry plants, including restoring old blueberry bushes that might have missed a few prunings.
Blueberry Bushes are Great for Small Spaces
Almost anyone can grow blueberries, even if all you have is a patio or small yard because blueberries can be kept compact. One mature bush, allowed mostly full sun will produce a good amount of berries for eating fresh and preserving.
Blueberries make a gorgeous addition to your flower beds as their flower buds turn to dainty white blossoms in spring and in the fall, their leaves turn a pretty red before falling.
Blueberries are a fairly slow-growing plant. If your plant is only a year or two old, I wouldn’t prune it yet, just let it grow and establish its root system. Our bushes are going on five years old and are definitely in need of some pruning.
When is the Best Time to Prune Blueberry Bushes?
The best time of year to prune blueberries is in late winter or early spring. You want to prune them when the fruit buds are showing. It’s also best to prune on a dry day.
If you’re like us, the answer for when to prune blueberries (in Washington State) would be mid-January through the first part of March. I also was out for a run and happened upon my wonderful neighbor pruning her blueberries. She’s an organic farmer who has served on the board for Organic Tilth, making her my go-to person when I have gardening questions.
She gave me a quick pruning lesson and I’m passing it along to you guys, cuz us homesteading peeps have to stick together.
The Best Method for Pruning Blueberry Bushes
As I mentioned in the video above, I had just pruned my elderberry bushes with my garden tools. Because of this, I always start by sterilizing my tools to avoid the possibility of spreading disease between my plants.
Once you’re ready to prune, the first thing you want to do is take off all of the dead branches, these should be the oldest canes on your plant. You’ll want to be sure your pruning shears are nice and sharp because it’s best if you prune off the dead branches at a 45-degree angle.
If you’re cutting off an entire branch, you’ll want to cut the branch straight across, right at the very base.
How to Prune New Blueberry Bushes
If your blueberry bush is brand new (the first or second year after planting), you’ll stop after the step mentioned above and only remove any dead or diseased branches. You don’t need to prune anymore than that on first or second-year-old blueberry plants. The goal for newer bushes is to establish their shape and set them up for success in years to come.
4 Tips to Identify Which Branches to Prune Off Your Blueberries
As mentioned above, the first thing you’ll look for is dead branches. They have to go.
Next, step back and look at the bush. You want the middle of the bush to have good circulation. If it’s too compact the berries in the center won’t receive much light and won’t ripen well.
Look for branches in the middle that don’t have any or very much new growth. Those will be the ones you want to remove.
Be sure and cut the branch off down to the very base of the bush. This will encourage healthy new growth.
Now, look at the bush again. Are there branches that don’t have any new fruit buds?
There’s no point in keeping branches that aren’t going to be producing any fruit. Each fruit bud will produce a good handful of berries, so if a branch has several, that’s a decent amount of berries.
Finally, look for branches that grow long and leggy with no branches until the end. It’s best to cut these as they’re not producing fruit along the length of the branch, just the end. Your goal is to keep the branches with lots of new red growth and fruit buds.
So to recap, when identifying branches to prune off you’re looking for the following four things:
- Dead branches.
- Branches in the middle with zero or very little new growth.
- Branches with no (or very few) fruit buds.
- Long and leggy branches.
As your blueberry bush grows, you’ll want to cut off any small shoots coming up at the very base of the plant to encourage upright growth. It’s not much fun to hunch over the whole time you’re picking berries. Or maybe that’s a sign I’m starting to get old… nah.
Once your branches start showing signs of slowing down their production (usually after six years or so) you’ll want to begin to trim them back to allow new younger shoots to get established.
Mulching and Feeding Your Plants
After you’ve gone through and pruned your blueberry bush(es), you’ll want to add some new mulch and fertilizer. Blueberries are one of the most acid-loving plants around. In fact, our soil is about a 5.5 on the ph scale and it’s not quite acidic enough for the blueberries. My neighbor even adds sulfur to her soil.
I’ve found various reports on the acidity of used coffee grounds. Some articles say it’s only about a 5 while others say it’s more. Regardless of how acidic it is, it’s an excellent food for your bush and something most of us have on hand.
I put a good layer of coffee grounds around the base of my blueberry bushes each year, making sure to mix it up so it doesn’t grow mold. Here is my article on 4 tips for using coffee grounds in the garden.
Next goes on a good layer of manure. Because this layer is going on top of last year’s layer of mulch, I don’t worry if it’s a little bit hot because it won’t be hitting the roots right away. After I’ve added my manure I put on a 5 to 6-inch layer of sawdust.
Cedar is a good choice for blueberries (but not all plants), fir, maple, and pine will work as well. Whatever you can get your hands on basically.
The reason we mulch so heavily here is threefold.
Why Mulch for Proper Care of Your Blueberry Bushes?
- Prevent new weeds from growing.
- Help keep in the moisture come our drier summer months (though in the Pacific Northwest that’s usually not until after July 4th).
- To prevent mummy berry fungus.
What is the Mummy Berry Disease?
If you’re in a wetter climate like me, you’ve probably heard of the dreaded mummy berry disease. It’s a fungus that infects first the branch of the plant and then the blossoms. The berry starts to develop, but then stops about halfway through and instead of ripening, turns into a shriveled mauve-colored berry that resembles mummification.
If the infection gets worse, you’ll eventually end up with no berry harvest.
The fungus actually comes from a tiny mushroom that grows during the first part of spring (and develops where the mummified berry falls). If you put down a thick enough layer of mulch, the fungus can’t grow and therefore can’t spread.
Do you have blueberries or plan on putting some in?
Here’s a great resource for further reading:
More Spring Gardening Posts You Might Like:
- How to Get Rid of Mummy Berry Disease on Blueberry Bushes
- How to Prune Raspberries
- How to Prune Tomato Plants for a Better Harvest
- Spring Gardening Tips to Increase Harvest Yield
- How Many Fruit & Berry Plants Do You Need Per Person?
- 5 Tips for Starting an Orchard and Growing Fruit
- How to Grow Elderberries & Planting Tips
- When & How to Plant Fruit Trees
Here’s our resources page for pretty much everything I’ve ever covered on growing your own food.
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Melissa,
Your comment regarding the verse from John at the beginning of this article helped me know that I was in the right place, in my search for good advice for pruning my mother’s blueberry bushes. It brought tears to my eyes, and reassurance to my soul. As I take on the joy of caring for my mom’s garden, including her blueberries, I want to do well, and steward well the efforts that she made to establish her beloved blueberry plants. Most are 4-5 years old, and two bushes were replaced about 3 years ago, my dad and I think. My mother went to be with Jesus in Heaven, August 6, 2020, after a short and intense battle with colon cancer that had gone previously undiscovered. We enjoyed picking her blueberry and other garden harvest during the short and difficult summer, and bringing her fresh blueberries while she lay resting in her bed. They were one of the last favorite foods that she was able to enjoy, before slipping into oblivion and peacefully passing from this world into the next. She longed to be with her Creator, and knew with confidence that she would go to Heaven, from the moment that she was given her dire diagnosis. Her only sadness was leaving us so soon, at only barely 65 years old. Our family will never quite be the same without her earthly presence, and we cherish her memory.
Thank you again for this post/article. It brings me joy and confidence to take on the legacy tasks that have been left for me by my mother.
From one Pacific Northwesterner and faith based homesteader to another,
Thank you and God bless your journey ~ Jessica, Central Point, Oregon
Our Oregon property came with massive blueberry bushes. They had not been pruned in years, nearly 9 feet tall, but still quite productive. I’ve been pruning cautiously for a couple years now, because I’d be heartbroken if I killed them, but with your descriptions I have more confidence now! Especially helpful to see the difference between leave/blossom buds! I’ll be sure to come back here to review before I prune next year. Great post, thank you!
Hi, I just transplanted a 3-n-1 combo blueberry plant. There is one branch growing straight up with huge leaves nothing like the other blueberry leaves. no fruit, no branches. It is about 18 inches higher than all other branches. I checked on google photos and it says its a poplar branch. I can not see where the branch comes from as it is under the burlap on the root. I am in Alberta Canada and have 2 1/2 months of growing season before frost. Should I prune it abit or leave it? I appreciate your help.
Thanks
Ellen
I’d wait and see what happens next year, you won’t get any fruit this year anyways and should remove blossoms next year to allow the roots to establish themselves.
Thank you for enlightening me with the proper pruning of Blueberries. I got the gist of the basic pruning fruit trees, but it is always good to learn more tricks of the trade from professionals like yourself.
thank you melissaknorris for giving me wonderful information
My question isn’t on pruning. You explained very well on that. Thank you!
My question is when is it best to transplant blueberry plants. I have 2 that when planted had full sun. However the neighbors trees have grown a great deal and these plants haven’t given berries for a few years now. Should I do this in winter as well?
Hi Kyra, if you live in zone 7 or warmer you can do it in fall, but if you’re having extreme cold then it’s best to wait until late winter/early spring before the bushes bloom (while dormant).
Do I use the same process for pruning large potted blueberry plants? These plants are in very large pots and growing great but I see constant growth, and some suckers, all summer long. The branches are all very big, at least 1-2 inches in diameter, at least 6 feet tall, 5 feet or more in width. We do not have enough yard space to plant them in the ground so I have to keep them in pots on patio.
Thank you for any advice you can recommend.
Yes, pruning is the same for in the pot or in the ground.
Hi Melissa,
I’m a new caretaker of nearly two acres of blueberries that have not been taken care of very well for a few years. I’ve been told that it’s the oldest crop in Tennessee. Everything has grown close together and many bushes have grown over ten feet tall. Do you have any advice on trimming them back to at least six feet without killing the plant?
Your videos are fantastic and you explain what you’re doing very well.
Thank you,
Jeff
Melissa,
I loved your article on pruning blueberries.
I noticed you mentioned the “mummy berry” disease as your reason for deep mulching. I recently read this link article that describes the disease and it’s states very well with great ID pictures. Of note, the fungi growth at the base of plants is NOT the cause of the disease but rather the 2nd phase of the disease in the plant.
Link: https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/blueberry/infos
Pat
It’s a two part phase infection, that is correct, but the mulch is to cover any berries that were infected that dropped to the soil so that they don’t continue to spread the disease, which is why it says in the article you shared to bury the berries at least 1 inch thick, that’s the purpose of the mulch.
I have 10 year old Chandler blueberries. Very large fruit. About size of nickel to size of a quarter.
The problem I have is the weight of the fruit is bending the branches over. Some almost to the ground.
Any ideas of what to do? Thank you.
Are the branches in danger of breaking?
None have broken yet. The branches are about 1″ diameter. They are not straight vertical. Where I first planted the plants there are now about 6-8 one inch branches coming from the ground. The tallest ones are about 6 foot tall. But it is the ones that are more at a 45-75 degree angle from the ground that are leaning badly. They have huge harvests every year.
I wish I could send you a picture.
Hello. I have not been much of a believer these days for various reasons but I do feel as if I was led to your page. Initially I searched , how to prune your blue berry bush, and came upon your page but reading the excerpt beneath your picture makes me feel a glimmer of my old self in that I used to believe in signs from god. Anyway I am originally from the Tuscarora reservation in Niagara Falls but now I live on a 1000 acre estate at the top of slide mountain in a town called big Indian (funny coincidence) in N.Y called Winnisook. If you Google it you’ll see much about our land and lake and cabins. There’s even a Wikipedia page on us up here. Just Google Winnisook. Anyhow, I have co!e to realize that I am wasting the amazing advantages I have here with the thousands of berries of every variety that grow here and many naturally occurring edible plants and so on. I would like to start harvesting them as well as begin growing more. I also thought I could start with a small farm chickens goats and so on. Become less dependent on stores for our food. I just need a bit of guidance to start. I look forward to reading more of your posts. I need them 🙂 so Keep an coming.
Sincerely,
Your new fan.
LaShonda
Great tips! My blueberry plant is still very young. Should we still prune, or just when it gets bigger?
Also I wonder if we live close. I think it is awesome that this article caught my attention since I live in the PNW as well.
Hi Jessica, we’re in western WA, up in the foothills of Skagit County. 🙂 I’d prune off any damaged or dead branches but you won’t need to do any true heavy pruning the first few years. It’s best to remove the fruit buds the first two years to let the roots get established.
Great video. Going to look at our bushes today with an eye toward pruning. I think we have 66 of them now. Well, just checked them and I still really need snowshoes to get around out there so I guess that’s getting put off for now. Had a typical Adirondack winter with windchills to 45 below F. Was just hoping that there would be less snow now that it’s April. Ugh. We keep our bee hives out by the bushes to help with pollination.
We just purchased 18 1/2 acres of land adding to our current 4 1/2 acres. The new land has lots of established fruit on it. The land has been unattended for about 20 years. The blueberry bushes are producing right now, about an icecream bucket full everyother day. The bushes are covered in vine, honeysuckle and posion ivy. I snip the unwanted as I pick berries, but not pulling it out (I don’t want to sacrifice the berries). The bushes are 12-15 feet tall !! Can you advise me on how to prune? Should it be done all at once or over a few years? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. My plans are to grow CNG (certified naturally grown) produce.
Thank you
Tammy
Tammy,
Sounds like you have some great bushes. With them being that overgrown you may decide to do a heavy pruning in the winter/spring which will reduce that year’s crop, but will put the bush into a good place for the following years. I think you’ll find the last few paragraphs of this article on pruning really old and neglected blueberries very helpful http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/FactSheets/blueberry–pruning-techniques.php#
Loved your article about pruning blueberries. It’s the first one that made total sense to me.. wish me luck….I’m goin’ in!
Thanks!!
Thank for posting this! I have learned a lot. ?❤️
I’m cursed with being a compulsive proofreader. In your third to last paragraph before “why we mulch,” you say “After we’ve WENT through . . .”
Please: It’s “after we’ve GONE through . . . ”
Forgive my scrupulosity. It’s probably a disease, but so far it has been incurable.
Otherwise, thanks for your tips. I live in the older part of unincorporated King County not far from the Snoqualmie Casino above me and the Snoqualmie City Hall below me. Last year I got an amazing harvest of blueberries from my dozen 20 year-old bushes, probably because I had pruned them the year before. With your help, I’ll be able to do an even better job this year. Thanks.
I also live in the PNW…Idaho near Washington border. We have several inches of snow covering our berry plants. Do you prune when there’s still snow on the plants? You mentioned pruning raspberries at the same time as blueberries…I have always pruned my raspberries in the fall when the leaves dry up and start falling off the plants and it’s still comfortable to work outside. Is there an advantage to pruning raspberries in January?
Debbie, I don’t prune in the snow. I wait until February so I can also take care of any canes that are damaged by winter weather and remove the tips of those canes. I’m also much to busy in the fall to prune the berries with harvest and preserving of other crops. But waiting until spring allows me to assess the winter damage and take care of it then, instead of pruning twice. Hope that helps.
Thanks Melissa,
We have our berries in 1/2 whiskey barrels. Hoping to move to property East of the mountains in a couple of years and want to take them with us.
Our plants are about 6 or 7 years old so we get a good harvest.
Whenever I prune I think of how God works in our lives.
I remove the broken diseased branches. I also remove the branches that are growing off course. Basically I remove what is not consistent with a strong and healthy plant. I hope you and your family are doing well 🙂 Wishing you continued blessings.
Larry
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the good information.
Can I plant blueberry plant in a wiskey barrel
Yes, just make sure it’s a compact variety and it should be fine for a young bush.
Was wondering if you live near orange or Beaumont Texas and if you hire out to trim trees
Sorry, no, I’m in Washington state. 🙂
I’m an English teacher. Here are two grammatical errors that need repaired. After you’ve went through… should be after you have gone through…
…help keep in moisture during the dry season.
A great article, very helpful.
Being new to growing blueberries, I have searched to find out what I should do to my blueberry bushes. Perhaps you could give me some advice. I planted the blueberry bushes last fall. As we had some really warm weather in February and March the blueberries bloomed and had many berries for being such young bushes. Sadly, we had a freeze and now all the berries are either dead or in bad shape. I am wondering if I should prune them off or what?
Kay, if the bushes aren’t even quite a year old, they don’t really require much pruning. I’d leave the bush alone this year and see what happens come further into spring.
Nice pruning pointers! Just wanted to say that if someone has older bushes, they need to take out a couple old main trunks AND leave the new shoots coming up, as those are the future of the bush! I believe it’s seven years and about an inch in diameter, is when the trunk is getting too big and won’t produce like newer growth. I’m “renovating” some 30 year old bushes. The first year there were hardly any berries. Last year took out the largest of the trunk branches and has a bumper crop that summer! This year again took out a couple of the largest trunks and can’t wait for the berries….also fighting that God-awful mummy fungus. This time I will spread the mulch in a larger circle around the bushes… make sure it comes all the way out around the drip line of the bush!
Bobbie,
Thanks so much for the advice on the larger bushes. I hate mummy berry fungus, it’s so hard to eradicate, but the mulching definitely helps!
Melissa, I so appreciate your simple to read and do instructions. I live in the PNW, close to Canada. January is almost over and it’s still chilly out however I have several blueberry bushes to prune for the firat time in my life. My husband passed away August 1, 2016 and I’m so overwhelmed as he was an avid gardener and grower of anything. What a green thumb he had. Of course I took it for granted. What I wouldn’t do to have him back but since that’s not possible, I’m going to do the best I can to car of his blueberries, apples, plums, peaches and raspberries! ??
Again thank you for your article! Wish me luck
Melanie
I’m so sorry for your loss. Sounds like we might not live to far away, I’m in Skagit County in Washington state. I hope your fruits give you wonderful rewards. I prune our blueberries and raspberries at the same time. They’re usually pretty forgiving. Best of luck!
I notice on one of my blueberry bushes, an area of multitude mini branches forming all in one area. Should I let this grow or is it draining the production of growth to the rest of the bush. It is hard to explain but I hope you understand what I am talking about.
It depends on how old the plant is, if there’s a bare spot there, and if they’re fruit producing or just leaves. You don’t want to block air flow, so if it’s towards the center of the plant, you’ll want to evaluate if there’s already too many branches below, above and beside the new growth.
Hi, we live in New Zealand and I had a chuckle when I read the title for this article – a very helpful article I might add – I was not laughing about the information itself, which was actually really helpful, but laughing about how our blueberry pruning happens around here. We have orphan lambs every year and they actually live in our house with us for a few weeks as they grow stronger and get some fat and wool on their poor bones, they then progress to a small shed in a garage and from here they have access to our overgrown lawn, some of my gardens and our blueberry plants. This is where the pruning happens, they love the blueberry leaves, which annoys me a lot and means I have to try and protect them from their little nibbling mouths, but every year we get a great crop of blueberries, considering the plants are so young. Your article has helped explain why maybe the yield is Ok. So I guess I should thank the little lambs, not freak out every time I see them out their nibbling away to their hearts content?! Thank you.
Hi,
Nice article, love the bible verse reference.
We live in Northeast Pa. When is the best time to prune our blueberries? We didn’t have a good crop this year, Not enough acid in our soil, didn’t prune. Just learning about how to take care of them.
Thank you and Pinterest(where we are learning a lot)
Desiree
Desiree,
We are in Southwest Pa. We have property with one huge bush that must be decades old that has obviously not received any pruning for a long time. 1st year the bush produced ok. This past year, wow, gallons and gallons of berries. Remember that there are many factors on how any plant will produce. Weather, late frosts, dry spells, etc.
What I noted with our bush is that where the berries were produced last year, there were not many berries this year and vice versa.
Our bush has grass up to it and some type of weed that grows under it. I believe this weed could actually be a companion to the bush. Last year i cut them all down and the bush didn’t do nearly as well as when I left the weeds alone. Not necessarily a cause and effect as I said there are many factors for production. These bushes also had a load of birds in them for many years due to feeders nearby. But the years the feeding stopped came the huge production increase. Again the birds may have little to do with the crop but I can tell you having birds around is great except when the crop ripens of course! They eat lots of bugs that would otherwise be on the bush and berries. I net this monster bush, but at the end of the harvest when there is still a good bit of berries, I open it up and let the birds have their fill and again they will eat bugs and berries alike.
Don’t get to tied up in PH and such and do not try to do too much. Its the life in the soil that makes for good growth. The roots will adjust the PH at the roots if necessary. Adding to many amendments can do more hard than good as it throws off the balance. If you have good organics, mulching is fine, and put down some compost you will keep the soil life growing well and the plants will do very good.
Blueberries are and under-story bush, so they are used to being close to taller trees. So to inoculate, if you have woods nearby, go gather some of the forest compost under the large trees at the fringe and mulch with that. It will give the you all the organisms buleberries are used too.
I always encourage folks to stay away from using chemical fertilizers. Look up permi-culture techniques and use those. The more “inputs” people give to plants, the more they need because they throw off the natural balance. Adding things like sulfur to the soil is completely unnatural. Yes it may show some improvement short term, but then you will see other things happen like insect and fungus damage and the need for now adding other fertilizers down the road. Modern agriculture is the worst thing to ever happen to mankind. If you focus on the SOIL LIFE which will thrive with simple good compost and mulch application you will avoid all this unnecessary and detrimental modern practice which produces inferior mineral deficient foods.
NPK fertilizer alone will grown a plant that looks good, but then you will get insect and disease from plants that are missing essential nutrients, from the dead soil that killed a good bit of the life that is needed to give the plant these things for immunity, and then you must regularity fertilize and spray insecticides and fungicides to keep the plants alive. How smart is that?
Focus on SOIL LIFE by application of good compost and mulch only once a year, then add some mid to late winter pruning, and keep them moist and see what happens before you enter a lifetime cycle of chemical fertilizers and sprays and amendments.
Making some good compost is a bit of work and I suppose most people these days find it easier to mix some chemicals and spray instead, but if you want truly healthy plants that are not supported by the crutches you give them every year that produce the most nutrient rich complete fruits there is no other way. God created the system and we keep fighting it to save some labor time or for profits. And what did that give us? A world full of “degenerative diseases” that did not exist a century ago. It’s the direct result of “modern agriculture”.
Trade in the chemicals for a sickle and a pitch fork and while you make that compost to give you complete nutrient rich foods you will also sweat out the toxic crap from the mass produced food laden with pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers for a synergistic effect on your own health. Mimic nature and plant with diversity NOT MONO-CULTURES! Mono cultures simple are not natural and invite pests and diseases.
God said “subdue the earth” which means
“to bring under control” what He already created that is good for us. Subdue means “prune that plants wild growth” not chemically treat the plants with stuff we made with some chemistry. Subdue means “fence in those animals” not genetically alter them and feed them stuff they are not supposed to eat.
Also take a look into the 7 years rest of your land. God said to let your land rest every 7 years. That means dont till it, don’t work it, dont prune it, don’t touch it other than you may eat of what might happen to grow there and share what is produced with poor folks. Dont take any of it to market either and in the next 6 years your land will give you ABUNDANCE. well recent research shows that about every 7 years when land is NOT TOUCHED, some kind of reset happens in the soil that dramatically increases its fertility! Go figure.
No need to skip everything for a year, but just start different plots on different years and you can cycle through the plots that are rested every 7th year.
If we get back to mimicking nature and simple “subdueing” of WHAT ALREADY EXISTS we will get back to healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy bodies and well-being in lieu of DISEASE!
Wishing everyone a happy new year.
God Bless,
mp
I live in N.Central Florida in a rural and wooded area. I have 3 types of wild blueberries but am having trouble with identifing them.Can I send you pictures to see if you can tell me anything about them? We have wild blackberry which are tasty but getting out of control. It’s the blueberry that I’m curious about. 2 of them are more or less like blueberry bushes that grow here except one of those grows in the shade. The 3rd one is unusual but has the most and best tasting berry. That’s the one I can’t find anywhere else or identify. Even the local growers don’t know what kind it is.
Dianna,
Beings I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the wild blueberries in Florida so if the local growers don’t know, I don’t think I”d be of anymore help. You could try your local county extension office.
My blueberries are about 28 years old and never been pruned.They make loads of berries.I wont to make bigger berries.My berries are about 1/2 inch size.So i am going to prune them and see how that works. Is there a way to make them sweeter?Thank you for telling me how to prune. Betty
Thanks so much for the informative description on pruning. I have one sad looking blueberry plant and one good looking fella. I’ll give each a little of your tender loving care. ?S.A.
Dear milissa, I bought a blueberry tree two years ago and I have not got one blueberry in the past two years. At the present time it’s just laden with green leaves. I have never pruned it yet. I will keep your information and will try and make a go of pruning in January next year. I live in Ireland and we get bad weather in winter. Thank you for your help. Irene
Irene,
It’s probably just too young to produce anything yet. See if it blossoms at all this spring.
Irene and Melissa,
It sounds like you just have one plant Irene? For blueberries to pollinate you need 2 plants, and they different 2 different varieties, that bloom around the same time.
Thanks Andrea,
Actually, that depends on the variety, always save the tags if you can or document your fruit tree varieties. Some blueberries are self-pollinating (having both a female and male part in each blossom) to an extent, but with all self-pollinating fruit bushes and trees, you’ll have a better crop if there’s another cross pollinating variety nearby. And two blueberry bushes are always better than one. 🙂
How would wood ash from a outdoor woodstove work for acidifying my blueberry plants? I put some on my plants tonight, but am worried now that it may burn the new growth. This is their second year here.
Any ideas?
Susan,
Typically, wood ash is actually alkaline, so it wouldn’t work for acidity. Make sure you work anything in well with the soil or mulch, adding in peat moss is great for acidity.
Great timing on this for me! I just moved into my grandmother’s old house in Oregon and was thrilled to see buds on her blueberry bushes. They’re 30+ years old, and haven’t had any attention in at least 10 years. Getting them disentangled from the blackberries is going to be enough of a project for this spring I think, but I’ll give them a good haircut next winter!
Those blackberries…. they are a bane to many of us. lol
I’ve always piled peat moss as a mulch that eventually works its way into the soil. Seems to really acidify the soil. The new berries I have survived this past snowy winter so I’ll be keeping your post to prune when they’re a bit older. Thanks for the great pointers.
Peat moss is an excellent way to help acidify your soil!
Sheena,
Exactly right, pinch off the blossoms the first two years to help establish a good root system, while not mandatory, highly recommended. You only get maybe 10 berries the first year and I don’t think that’s worth it when it takes away from the root system. And love meeting another Sister in Christ!
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for the informative post. I bought a couple of bluberries a month or so ago. (I live in Texas by the way.) They are about three ft in height but I have no idea how old they are. I am new to gardening but am all ready to go, and I’m always looking for tips and tricks around the garden. I still have my blueberries in their pots and am currently considering growing them in 30 gallon pots. I read somewhere that I need to pinch off most of the flowers the first year so they build a better root system? Is this mandatory? And I love that you are a Jesus follower and simply love the way the Lord reminded you of that verse.
Thanks Melissa, very helpful info, much appreciated as my wife and I are growing blueberries here in New Zealand to sale at the local markets, bless you sis.
I have 2 peach trees that didn’t even have one bloom last year? They are going on 4 years old. I was told the neighbors pine trees are keeping them from producing. What are your trouts on this? Hubbie wants to cut them down an start over!
Jada,
I don’t have experience with peach trees, but my neighbors have peach trees and pines close by without problems. Are the pine trees keeping your peach trees in the shade?
I seriously needed this. I have inherited some neglected blueberries that are in need of some dire love. One more thing to add to the to do list!!!
Victoria,
Glad it helped, the beautiful thing is you only have to do it once a year. 😉
My plants are about 6 feet tall and about 25 years old..,I have 3 different varieties. And they produce about I or galleons of berries from June to July.,.
Those are some wonderful old bushes. My parent’s have older bushes and they’re still doing well, but they did require some extensive pruning on some of them.
[…] Learn how to prune blueberries for a larger harvest here. […]
Is it too late too prune blueberries? It is now late February. Should I go ahead and prune or wait til next January? Living in central virginia? Your feedback would be appreciated. New to this.
Denise,
I think you’d be fine, I’m not familiar with central Virginia’s frost dates. If the plant is fully leafed out and blossomed, you might want to wait.
I live in north Florida and I trimmed mine in January before they had the berry buds, do you think that was to early? It was my first time having fruit trees, I planted them last March and they did very well for the first year. The buds are on them now, do you think I should trim them again now before I fertilize this month?
Just found your post on Pinterest, and I love it.
Also saw that you are a lover of Jesus and mason jars, I feel like I know you already. My daughter and I are planning her wedding and it is a rustic barn event decorations are mason jars and sunflowers. Will be looking at your pins for ideas.
Thank you
Cindi,
If the bushes are that young, I probably would just wait until next year and not prune again.
How much fun does that wedding sound? Oh, goodness. You can’t go wrong with Mason jars in my opinion. I”m sure it will turn out beautifully.
Hi Melissa, we have six 4-5 yr olds that produced great in 2013, not so much in 2014 and I think it was because they were root bound. This year, I am putting them in the ground so these tips are much appreciated. But what about the two dwarfs I am keeping in pots. Should I prune the roots and feed this spring? We just got them last year and have no idea how old they are.
Jo,
Hmmm, I don’t think you’d want to prune the roots. Blueberries have a shallow root system compared to most fruit plants to begin with. If they’re becoming root bound in their current pots, I’d move them to a bigger pot rather than than pruning the roots. I would feed the soil once they begin to leaf out in the spring.
Great Article! Just in time too, it reminded me I need to get outside and take care of this. Thanks for all the detailed information. Now i’m really looking forward to a bountiful harvest and maybe some of them will make it into the kitchen this year instead of being eaten in the backyard 🙂
Harold,
We end up eating a lot as we pick… Glad you enjoyed the article.
I’m located in the far northeast 4 state region of Texas, zone 8a. Our soils are perfect for rabbit eye blueberries and like you we have up to 50″ of rain a year, with a month long drought usually mid-summer. I moved our blueberry orchard this year closer to the farm house and planted daffodils between the bushes to discourage armadillo and moles from uprooting them before the roots get a good hold of the soil.
I love the verse you have included and am going to paint it on the orchard shed side wall. Beautiful, informative post. Thank you.
Charla,
Now I want to paint the verse somewhere near the garden!! I love the idea of daffodils between the blueberries. They’re one of my favorite spring flowers.
Is it not harmful or inviting to pests to have the mulch and compost so high on the base of the blueberry plants?
No, it’s needed for disease control actually.
Thank you for your great info!!