Blueberry
Do you want to plant a Blueberry? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the Blueberry, and on pruning and caring for your Blueberry.
General characteristics of a Blueberry
The blueberry blooms in clusters. The flower is creamy white to pink. It blooms in the first half of May. This early flowering can cause frost damage. There are cultivars that are resistant to this. Although the blueberry is self-pollinating, cross-pollination leads to more and larger fruits. The blueberry is pollinated by bumblebees and honeybees.
The blueberry originates from the northeastern United States. That is why it is also called the American blueberry. Humans have cultivated the blueberry.
Characteristics
How to plant a Blueberry
Dig a generously sized planting hole (1.5 times the width and depth of the root ball) and add peat to the soil. Water well during the first few months after planting. Continue to water sufficiently even during dry periods.
How to harvest a Blueberry
Propagation can be achieved by taking cuttings in winter or summer, or by layering. When digging up shrubs, clear the area around them.
Caring for and pruning your Blueberry
The blueberry bush can be pruned during the dormant period between late November and mid-February, provided there is no frost. Old, dead, crossing and inward-growing branches can be cut back during this period.
Where does a Blueberry grow
Originally from North America. Grows on heathland (wet heath), watersides (heathland fens), marshes (raised bogs) and forest edges.
General
| Origin |
Alien
|
| Tree Type | Shrub |
Length and Age
| Length in about 10 years | Up to 1 Meter |
| Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years | 3 Up to 7 year |
| Maximum Age | Up to year |
| Required Space | Up to 1m2 |
| Growth Rate |
Reproduction
| Tree is Self-Pollinating | Yes |
| Reproduction Method |
To cut (cutting is between 5 and 50 cm)
|
| Reproduction rate |
|
Reproduction rate
| 1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds). |
| 2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required |
| 3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion). |
| 4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces |
| 5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed). |
Pruning Period
| This Tree is Evergreen | Yes |
| Summer | No pruning in summer |
| Winter | November tot February |
| Leaf Shapes | Elliptical |
| Easy to prune | Yes |
Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Lenticels | Yes |
| Colour |
Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Colour | |
| Bud Position | Information not available |
| Bud Shape | Information not available |
Other
| Root | Information not available |
| Bloom |
Has fruits
|
| Wind sensitivity | Not sensitive to (sea) wind |
Diseases
| Sensitive to the Following Diseases |
Mildew
|
Harvest/recognition in winter
reddish-green colour of the twigs together with red/pink-coloured leaves
Light requirement of the Blueberry
The Blueberry thrives best under these light conditions.
Suitable soil types for the Blueberry
In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the Blueberry to grow.
| Soil type | Suitability |
|---|---|
| light clay |
|
| heavy clay |
|
| sand |
|
| peatland |
|
| Loam |
|
| Moerig op zand |
|
| Lichte zavel |
|
| Zware zavel |
|
Humidity
A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
Suitable acidity level for the Blueberry
Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the Blueberry in soil that falls within this range:
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
Nutritional needs of the Blueberry
Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
| 1. | Very nutrient-poor soil |
| 2. | Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil |
| 3. | Nutrient-poor soil |
| 4. | Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 5. | Moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 6. | Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil |
| 7. | Nutrient-rich soil |
| 8. | Extremely nutrient-rich soil |
| 9. | Very extremely nutrient-rich soil |
Humidity
Does Blueberry like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
| 1. | Extremely dry soils |
| 2. | Extremely dry to dry soils |
| 3. | Dry soils |
| 4. | Dry to dry/moist soils |
| 5. | Dry/moist soils |
| 6. | Dry/moist to moist soils |
| 7. | Moist soils |
| 8. | Moist to wet soils |
| 9. | Wet soils |
To be applied in landscapes
0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
| Landscape | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Agroforestry |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Forest |
|
| Feeding hedge |
|
| Back yard |
|
| Small back yard |
|
| Solitary |
|
| Wood wall |
|
Cultural-historical value
0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high
Insects
| How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? | 4 |
| Which insect groups live on this tree/plant? |
Lice
|
| Are there insects dependent on this species? | No |
| Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Birds
| Average number of birds per tree/plant? | 2 |
| Which bird groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
Mammals
| Average number of mammals per tree/plant? | |
| Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
| Are there mammals dependent on this species? | No |
| Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Bloom Period
| Summer | April Up to May |
Tree Species
| Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with |
|
Suitable for mammals?
toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
| Mammal | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Horse |
|
| Human |
|
| Goat |
|
| Herbivorous rodents |
|
| Chicken |
|
| Cow |
|
| Sheep |
|
| Pig |
|
| Dog |
|
| Foxes |
|
| Badgers |
|
| Cat |
|
| Mouse |
|
| Roe deer |
|
| Deer |
|
| Squirrel |
|
| Ferret |
|
| Beavers |
|
| Wild boar |
|
Explanation
Explanation
Edibility
- Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
- Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
- Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
- Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
- Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
- Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.
Trunk Height
Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree
from - to, in whole meters, average
Information not available
Trunk Diameter
(dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.
from - to, in whole centimeters, average
Information not available
Aboveground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Belowground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Substance Binder
| Which substances can be bound or absorbed? |
CO2
Particulate matter
|
Carbon Attraction (kf)
| (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree | Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48) |
Warming Resistance
| This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). | No |
CO2
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no storage |
| 2. | low storage |
| 3. | moderate storage |
| 4. | high storage |
| 5. | very high storage |
Fine Dust
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no capture capacity |
| 2. | low capture capacity |
| 3. | moderate capture capacity |
| 4. | high capture capacity |
| 5. | very high capture capacity |
This is what an adult tree Blueberry looks like
Blueberry - a mature shrub
Leaf of the blueberry in autumn
Blueberry in winter
This is what the fruits of a Blueberry look like
Fruit of the blueberry
This is what a Blueberry in bloom looks like
Blueberry in bloom
This is what the leaf of a Blueberry looks like
Leaf of the blueberry