Blueberry & Cranberry
So what's so good about blueberries? Blueberries are the healthiest fruit you could eat. So say the medical experts from America. Full of vitamin C, packed with anti-oxidants, great for the bladder and cystitis; they're even reputed to enhance your love life! Recently, blueberries have also been found to contain elements that reduce cholesterol. Blueberry bushes will need planting at a minimum of 1.5 metres apart. Blueberry growing guide click here
All the heathland berries have one fundamental feature in common. They must have moist and distinctly acid soil. Provided this need is met they are easy to grow.
Blueberries are best grown in containers using an ericaceous compost.
3 Litre = Container grown Blueberries that can be planted all year round. The size refers to the number of litres of compost that the container holds.
2 Year Bush = A two year old Blueberry plant that has been pruned back in the first winter to form a bush shape. Generally plants will be 50-60cm and more bushy than the 1 year old.
Blueberries will need planting at a minimum of 1.5 metres apart if planted into the soil or raised beds.
Blueberry growing guide: If you have purchased your blueberry plant during its winter dormant season, then there is no need to do anything except plant it, until the plant emerges from the winter. You will notice that the buds swell as spring draws nearer. The large, fat buds near the tips of the shoots are your flowers and fruit this season and the smaller ones are shoots and leaves. As temperatures rise, these buds burst open and growth starts.
Spring: When the leaves have emerged fully, usually towards the end of April, your plant will need its first feed. A balanced ericaceous fertiliser (rhododendron/azalea fertiliser) is recommended.
Summer: Repeat feeding the plant at the end of June because blueberries have a second stage of growth in late summer. The whole of your plants' root system should be kept moist throughout the growing season, preferably using rainwater as this tends to be acidic. As the fruit starts to colour, try to cover the plants with bird netting to avoid theft of your precious blueberries. In mid to late summer, long canes will grow up through the bush. This is the framework for the future. Pinching out the tips of this growth will encourage a bushy plant, as done for fuchsias and chrysanthemums.
Winter: Pruning is carried out after leaf fall, in mid winter while the plants are dormant. For the first two years after planting, your bushes will need very little pruning, except general tidying up and shortening of very long canes to encourage branching.
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