Blueberries are a tasty and healthy berry that gardeners are increasingly planting in their garden plots. This is a rather capricious crop that requires special growing conditions, as well as constant attention and care. One of the most important components of success is proper preparation of blueberries for winter. This is the only way it can easily withstand a drop in temperature and preserve fruit-bearing shoots for a bountiful harvest next year.
Growing blueberries in a garden or summer cottage has features associated with the characteristic features of the crop. Caring for blueberries in the fall is important for further growth and a stable harvest.
Many gardeners believe that blueberries do not require special care. But you should work a little in the fall to get a bountiful harvest of delicious berries in the summer.
Blueberries have a unique flavor that will deteriorate if the plant is not cared for properly. If there is a lack of care, entire sections of bushes may freeze and the plant will lose young shoots. For blueberries, preparing for winter in the autumn months is a must.
What determines the frost resistance of blueberries?
Blueberries are a plant with high frost resistance.
Many of its varieties tolerate drops in air temperature down to -38°C, but even they may require additional insulation for the winter. This depends on the climatic conditions of growing the berry crop.
Another important factor in the success of wintering blueberries is the amount of snow in winter.
Blueberries are not as afraid of frost as they are of winters with little snow. Under thick snow cover, blueberry bushes can withstand maximum frosts.
But in snowless winters, their cold resistance decreases, and the risk of the plant freezing increases. This especially applies to late-ripening blueberry varieties.
Features of wintering blueberries
Improper preparation of blueberries for winter or a complete lack of shelter leads to various problems for the gardener:
- freezing of the tops of fruiting shoots, on which the largest number of fruit buds are concentrated;
- freezing of the blueberry root system, which is located close to the soil surface;
- drying and freezing of shoots, skeletal branches and trunk of a berry bush during winters with little snow;
- icing of roots as a result of melting snow during a thaw - a thick layer of mulch will help save the root system of blueberries.
One of the main difficulties that gardeners face in winter is the freezing of young blueberry shoots. Most often, this problem occurs when nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied in the fall.
Nitrogen accelerates the growth of green mass and the growth of young shoots, which simply do not have time to become woody before the onset of frost and freeze out.
That is why in the fall you need to feed blueberries only with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers or complex compounds marked “Autumn”.
There are several factors that negatively affect the frost resistance of garden blueberries. These are insufficient or excessive soil acidity, deficiency of micronutrients, as well as excessive watering.
The main stages of preparing blueberries for winter
Garden blueberry bushes need to be properly prepared for shelter for the winter.
Pre-winter preparation consists of several main stages - watering, fertilizing, pruning, mulching the soil and preventive treatment against diseases and pests. If necessary, additional acidification of the soil can be carried out.
Watering blueberries in autumn
Blueberries are moisture-loving berry crops that require regular moisture.
With the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced, and in the event of prolonged rains, it is completely stopped.
Basic rules for pre-winter watering of blueberries:
- For autumn watering of blueberries, it is best to use a watering can with a divider attachment. This will prevent soil erosion and exposure of plant roots.
- In normal autumn weather, blueberry bushes need to be watered every 3-4 days, with little precipitation - once a week. In case of prolonged rains, watering is stopped.
- Each adult bush will require at least 10-15 liters of water; for young seedlings 5 liters is enough.
- Final moisture-charging watering is recommended to be carried out 2-3 weeks before the first autumn frosts. It will protect the roots of the plant from freezing.
- The amount of water during moisture-charging irrigation should be such as to moisten the soil to a depth of at least 40 cm.
Feeding blueberries in autumn
Gardeners growing blueberries should take into account that this berry crop cannot be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers in the fall.
Nitrogen stimulates the processes of “awakening” the plant - the active growth of young shoots and green mass. The branches of the bushes will not have time to become covered with protective bark before the onset of winter frosts and will freeze out.
In the fall, fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus are applied - for example, double superphosphate and potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate).
How to feed blueberries before winter:
- to fertilize one bush you will need 40 g of double superphosphate and the same amount of potassium sulfate;
- sprinkle fertilizer in the tree trunk circle around the blueberries;
- lightly work the fertilizer into the soil and sprinkle with a thin layer of soil.
Fertilizers must be incorporated into the soil very carefully. Blueberries have a shallow root system, so excessively active loosening can damage the roots.
It is best to slightly deepen the granules into the ground and sprinkle a thin layer of soil on top.
Autumn pruning of blueberries
Before covering blueberries for winter, they must be pruned. This is an important agricultural technique that affects growth and fruiting.
Without pruning, a garden crop runs wild, its productivity decreases noticeably, the berries decrease in size, and their taste deteriorates.
How to prune blueberries in the fall:
- on bushes 1-2 years old, cut off all second-order shoots;
- cut young bushes - their height should be no more than 40 cm;
- when pruning adult blueberry bushes, remove all old, fruit-bearing shoots;
- cut off branches with traces of disease or insect damage;
- remove shoots growing inside the bush and thickening it;
- cut off all branches that are located at a height of up to 30 cm above the ground.
All pruned shoots with traces of insects or diseases should be burned away from the garden plot. They should not be used as mulch or added to a compost pile.
Also, when pruning in autumn, all young shoots growing horizontally around the blueberry trunk must be removed. During the growth process, it will take away the most important nutritional elements from fruit-bearing branches, but the shoots themselves will not bring a good harvest.
After pruning is completed, all cut areas larger than 1.5-2 cm must be lubricated with disinfectants - garden varnish or special preparations. This will prevent infection and speed up their healing.
Acidification of blueberry soil
Correct soil acidity is one of the most important conditions for comfortable wintering of blueberries. The optimal acid level for this garden crop is from 4 to 5 pH.
Before covering the bushes for the winter, be sure to measure this indicator using a special pH meter, litmus indicators or ordinary table vinegar.
In case of deviation from the norm, the soil must be acidified using old proven methods:
- Citric acid – to acidify the soil in the garden, you will need a solution of a bucket of water and 3 teaspoons of citric acid. This volume of liquid is enough to water an adult blueberry bush.
- Oxalic acid – helps to quickly acidify the soil on the site. Under each blueberry bush you need to pour a bucket of water with the addition of 1 teaspoon of acid.
- Colloidal sulfur – used in dry form, at a dosage of 15-20 g per 1 square meter. m. Sulfur should be scattered around the blueberry bushes, mixed with the soil and watered generously.
- Table vinegar - to prepare an acidifying solution you will need 100 ml of acetic acid and 10 liters of clean water. Apple cider vinegar is used in a similar way.
- Electrolyte for car batteries is an affordable and fast-acting agent for soil acidification. For 10 liters of water you need 30-50 ml of new electrolyte, which has not been used. The exact dosage depends on the initial acidity of the soil.
- To acidify the soil in your garden plot, you can use special industrial preparations sold in gardening stores.
Mulching blueberries
One of the main stages of pre-winter preparation of blueberries is their mulching. It helps to retain moisture in the soil and protect the roots of the bush from drying out and freezing.
The most suitable materials for mulching are natural ones that imitate forest litter:
- fallen pine or spruce needles;
- crushed bark of coniferous trees;
- rotted sawdust;
- high-moor (red) peat.
If such materials are not available, you can use straw or mown grass, which must be chopped in advance.
The thickness of the mulch layer should be at least 10 cm, for regions with harsh winters - 15 cm.
Mulching blueberries is the final stage of their pre-winter preparation, which is carried out after watering, fertilizing, pruning bushes and acidifying the soil.
Preventive treatment of blueberries against diseases
Like any other berry crop, blueberries are susceptible to fungal and viral diseases.
Many of them are extremely dangerous and can lead not only to crop loss, but also to the complete death of blueberries.
- For the purpose of prevention, autumn treatment of bushes with effective and safe systemic fungicides is carried out. For example, “Topaz” or “Skor”.
- You can also use Bordeaux mixture, copper, iron sulfate or other copper-based preparations. Treatment with such copper-containing products is considered to be an effective prevention of fungal and viral diseases.
Preventative spraying of blueberries should be carried out only after the leaves have fallen and all preparatory work has been completed - watering, fertilizing, pruning and mulching.
How and with what to cover blueberries for the winter
To cover blueberries, you can use any non-woven materials - spunbond, agrofibre, burlap.
It is not advisable to use plastic film for winter shelters. The humidity underneath rises, causing the blueberry bushes to begin to rot. This contributes to the rapid development of fungal diseases.
Coniferous spruce branches are considered a good material for winter insulation of blueberries.
It allows air to pass through to the roots of the plant and at the same time effectively retains heat, protecting the bushes from freezing and cold winds.
How to cover blueberries for the winter:
- Before the leaves begin to fall, carefully align the blueberry shoots parallel to each other and bend them to the surface of the soil. This must be done several weeks before the first frost, otherwise the berry stems will become fragile and simply break.
- Additionally, you can tie the blueberry branches with twine. Due to this, they will not straighten.
- Secure the shoots to the surface of the ground using twine or metal rods bent in the shape of an arc. You can also use fastener pins made of wire.
- After the first frost, cover the bushes with burlap or non-woven material, stretching them over pre-installed metal arches.
- Sprinkle the cover with pine spruce branches on top. It is best to arrange it in the form of a hut and tie it tightly with twine.
- The first fallen snow must be thrown on top of the coniferous spruce branches or other shelter. This is the best protection for the roots of the bush from freezing. Throughout the winter, blueberries should be under this natural white blanket, so as it melts, you need to add fallen snow.
- With the arrival of spring and consistently warm weather, dismantle the winter shelter. Carefully inspect the bush and cut off the tips of all frozen shoots.
Preparing blueberries for winter is a set of important agrotechnical techniques that will pay off with the onset of spring.
They effectively protect the root system and other parts of the plant from freezing, maintain the health of fruit-bearing branches and provide a generous harvest of berries for the next season.
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