Care for blueberries in the fall and preparation for winter: fertilization, pruning and shelter (mulching)
The blueberry season is over and you are harvesting your last harvest. What to do next? Obviously, it is required to somehow prepare the berry bush for winter.
Next, we will look at the main activities that are recommended during the autumn blueberry care.
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What to do with blueberries in autumn: basic winter preparations
So, here's what you should do with your blueberries in the fall to get them ready for winter properly:
- Feed immediately after the end of fruiting and harvesting.
- Conduct sanitary pruning.
- Can be transplanted (if necessary, it is best to do this
Advice! It is better to replant blueberries in autumn when the leaves will already begin to crumble or at least turn red.
- Monitor humidity, i.e. continue to water (remember that blueberries belong to heather crops, which are very demanding on watering) and carry out moisture-charging watering (if the autumn is rainy enough, then it is not necessary, if it is dry, then it is very desirable - the earthen lump must be soaked to a depth of 15-30 cm) ...
- Cover for the winter (mulch).
When and how to feed blueberries in autumn
The purpose of the autumn feeding is to help the shrub to lay new flower buds for the next year, as well as to prepare the plant for winter (to strengthen its immunity and improve winter hardiness).
By the way! The site has a detailed article about how to properly feed garden blueberries in spring, summer and autumn.
When to fertilize
The last (autumn) feeding of blueberries is done after fruiting and picking berries, i.e. in the fall.
What to feed
Remember that the end of fruiting and the onset of autumn (i.e. August-September) is the period when all perennial plants (including blueberries) need to be applied phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
By the way! The site has a separate material about how and what to feed blueberries throughout the season (spring, summer and autumn).
So, phosphorus is necessary in order for the plant to strengthen the root system, and potassium for better ripening of the shoots, so that the branches do not freeze in winter, as well as for better laying of fruit buds for the next year. In short, the autumn feeding of blueberries is required for a good wintering and a rich future harvest.
It is especially desirable to feed if at the end of summer the growth of young shoots becomes noticeable.
What fertilizers are suitable (apply according to the instructions on the package):
Naturally, it is much more effective to use quickly and easily dissolving fertilizers, while the same superphosphate dissolves very poorly and does not act immediately.
- potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) + superphosphate (slow);
- diammofoska (slow);
- potassium monophosphate (fast);
- plantafol or plantafid (fast).
Note! Blueberry is a "acid-loving" plant, which means that in alkaline soil it will very poorly absorb any food.
So by no means you can't feed blueberries wood ash (use as potash fertilizer).
How to apply top dressing:
- Better under the root (root feeding), but it is also possible on the leaf (foliar feeding).
Advice! Top dressing in any case should be liquid: pour dry fertilizer and wait for the weather from the sea, i.e. rain is not the best idea.
Do I need to acidify the soil in autumn
As a rule, the soil under blueberries is acidified in spring and summer, but not in autumn.
By the way! The site has a separate material about how and with what you can acidify the soil under blueberries.
Pruning blueberries in autumn
Let's say right away that main trim blueberry better spend in the spring... The fact is that it is never known what winter will be and how your berry bush will survive it.
Another thing - autumn sanitary pruning of blueberries (with the beginning or after the fall of leaves), when necessary get rid of broken, dry and painful twigs... Also subject to removal unripe young shoots.
Worth knowing! In general, rejuvenating and regulating pruning is required for blueberries.
If you do not prune in the future, then the bush will thicken over time, and the blueberries will simply be crushed and become sour.
The best time to prune blueberries is early spring, before the buds swell.
Shelter blueberries for the winter
Blueberries are quite frost-resistant and can easily withstand frosts down to -34 degrees (but there are some thermophilic varieties that can withstand a maximum of -24 degrees), especially if the winter is snowy (Remember that snow is the best insulation!).
But, if your winters are usually frosty, but snowless, then the blueberries should definitely be insulated.
It is especially important to do this with young seedlings planted this year.
In general, the direct preparation of blueberries for winter consists in its shelter, or rather, in warming by mulching the trunk circle.
Important! It is not necessary to wrap with agrofibre (spunbond, lutrasil), it is better to just mulch well and tie up the shoots so that they do not break off due to snow and winds.
As a maximum, young blueberry bushes (up to 2 years old) can be covered with spruce branches, putting it in a hut and tying it up. Thus, the snow will linger better on the bush, and it will be warmer in winter.
How can you mulch blueberries for the winter?
- dry sawdust:
- spruce or pine litter from the forest (it is desirable that it be rotten);
- straw.
At what height to mulch:
- 5-10 centimeters (young, 1-2 years old, 8-10 s higher, older, 4-5 years old, - 5 cm).
Many people ask quite a logical question: “What to do with mulch in spring, namely with sawdust?»
As a rule, it is better to lightly rake the sawdust on the sides and add some coniferous litter or sour peat in them, which do not harden and pass moisture well, in other words, loosen.
Thus, now you know what to do with blueberries in the fall, so that next season it will please you with a generous harvest again (or for the first time). Good luck!
Video: how to care for blueberries in autumn and properly prepare for winter