1. Potted blueberry seedlings purchase time and management

Potted blueberry seedlings can be planted all year round. The best time is to purchase them from autumn to the following spring before they sprout. Seedlings in this period are convenient for planting. Transportation, management, and colonization are relatively simple. After planting in autumn, a small amount of flowering and fruiting can occur in the second year, and normal flowering and fruiting can occur in the third year. The fruiting period is after the fifth year. With proper management, the fruiting period of blueberries grown in pots at home can be maintained for 35 years.

2. Selection of tree species for potted blueberry seedlings

Rabbiteye blueberries, Sharpland, and O'Neill are not self-pollinated, and pollination trees must be deployed to achieve full fruiting. It is not easy to choose this variety for home potted plants. The dwarf bushes are only suitable for open-air planting in the north. Others All varieties can be used as home potted plants.

3. Soil Requirements

Blueberries like acidic, soft, loose and breathable soil that is rich in organic matter. The soil pH value is generally required to be 4.5-5.5, and the soil organic matter content is generally 8-12. Home potted plants can be purchased at flower markets. Depending on your own conditions, add humus soil such as moss or peat, sawdust, rotten pine bark and other organic matter. When watering, add some edible white vinegar (recommended dosage: 3-5 degree vinegar, 500 grams per month) ml, add half a tablespoon of vinegar). When fertilizing, you should also pay attention to the use of acidic fertilizers. Important reminder: blueberries are calcium-challenged plants, so do not add bone meal to the soil.

Four. Containers

It is recommended to use well-ventilated clay pots, followed by Yisha pots, and then plastic pots. Pottery or porcelain pots are not recommended. Because blueberries have fibrous roots and a shallow root system, they do not need to use large pots. Avoid using deep pots. It is recommended to use 15 cm pots for small seedlings and 25 cm pots for finished plants. Avoid using large pots for small seedlings.

5. Climatic conditions

A very important factor in ensuring the results of potted blueberries is to ensure that blueberries can withstand low-temperature dormancy below 7.2 degrees Celsius in winter. The minimum temperature they tolerate varies depending on the variety. If they are used for flower viewing, low-temperature restrictions are not required.

6. Watering management

Blueberries have shallow root systems and are sensitive to lack of water. The pot soil should always be kept moist without water accumulation. This also varies in different blueberry growing seasons. During the vegetative growth stage, the most suitable water conditions can always be maintained to promote plant strength. However, during the fruit development stage and before fruit maturity, the water supply must be appropriately reduced to prevent excessive vegetative growth from competing with the fruit for nutrients. After the fruit is harvested, it will recover to its maximum Suitable water supply promotes vegetative growth. Reduce the water supply from mid-autumn to late autumn to facilitate timely entry into the dormant period. In order to maintain the acidity of the soil, the recommended dosage: 3-5 degree vinegar, apply 500 ml every month, add half a tablespoon of vinegar.

Seven. Fertilization

Blueberries are oligotrophic plants. Compared with other fruit trees, the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium in the tree are very low. Due to this characteristic, excessive fertilization of blueberries should be avoided to avoid fertilizer damage. When blueberries are planted, organic matter has been incorporated into the soil, so fertilizing blueberries mainly refers to top dressing.

The suitable chemical fertilizers for potted blueberries are phosphorus pentoxide and ammonium sulfate. Excessive fertilization of blueberries can easily cause tree damage or even death of the entire plant. Therefore, the amount of fertilizer should be applied carefully, depending on the soil fertility and the nutritional status of the tree. It is better to apply less than too much! In addition, nitrate fertilizers such as ammonia nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc. cannot be applied to blueberries.

8. Plastic pruning of potted blueberries

The pruning period can be divided into winter pruning and summer pruning. Strictly speaking, it is dormant pruning and growing season pruning.

Saplings that have just been planted need to cut off flower buds and excessively thin branches. Strong branches generally need to be shortened to varying degrees. During the first growing season after transplantation, try to cut as little or as little as possible to expand the crown and branches as quickly as possible.

When pruning saplings in the first three years in winter, the main purpose is to remove thin lower branches, drooping branches, horizontal branches, cross branches, overly dense branches, overlapping branches in the crown, etc. The flower buds at the top of the branches can be removed by lightly stubbing them. After germination in spring, some new shoots should be selectively wiped out as early as possible to enhance the growth potential of the remaining new shoots.

After entering the fruiting period, the size of the crown has basically reached the requirements, and the further expansion of the crown should be controlled, leaving limited space for more vigorously growing branches or groups of branches. The principle is to eliminate the weak and keep the strong. In addition to weak branches, diseased branches, dead branches, crossing branches, and close overlapping branches also need to be thinned out

9. Common nutritional deficiencies

Iron deficiency chlorosis: It is a common nutritional disorder in blueberries. The main symptom is chlorosis between the leaf veins. In severe cases, the leaf veins also lose green. The symptoms are more severe on the upper leaves of new shoots. The main causes of iron deficiency and chlorosis include excessive soil pH, calcareous soil, and insufficient organic matter content. The most effective method is to apply acidic fertilizer ammonium sulfate, and the effect is better if acidic peat is incorporated into soil improvement. Foliar spraying of integrated iron 0.1 to 0.3 has a better effect.

Magnesium deficiency: chlorosis on the leaf margins and between the veins during the ripening stage of berries, mainly on the old and new leaves that grow rapidly. Later, the chlorosis parts turn yellow and finally red. Magnesium deficiency can be corrected by applying magnesium oxide to the soil.

Boron deficiency: Symptoms are that the buds bloom abnormally, the top buds wither and turn dark brown a few weeks after germination, and finally the tops die. The main cause of boron deficiency is insufficient soil moisture. Fully irrigate and spray 0.3 to 0.5 borax solution on the leaves to correct the problem.