Blueberry planting varies according to the variety, type and age of the blueberry plants, and area of the country where they’re being planted. In the home garden, plant spacing and root system placement are critically important to establishing the blueberry plants.
This article will cover the planting of blueberries in four areas of the country with different climates: Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and coastal and southern California.
Blueberry Planting In Michigan
Most blueberries are grown commercially in Western Michigan, although smaller concentrations of blueberries are also found in the southern part of the state. Most successful types are the northern highbush variety, including in the home garden.
- Plants should be 2 to 3 years old, either bare root or container-grown plants.
- Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart in a row on less fertile mineral soil or 5 to 6 feet apart on organic soil.
- Set plants 1 to 2 inches deeper than they were in the nursery.
- Plants may become more quickly established with a shovelful of acid peat mixed into sandy soil.
- Blueberries have a shallow and fibrous root system. Keep well irrigated during the growing season.
- Mulch with sawdust, bark, wood chips, straw or leaves, spread 6 to 8 inches thick. This helps conserve soil moisture.
Blueberry Planting In North Carolina
Highbush and rabbiteye varieties are used in North Carolina for landscaping, screening, cluster plantings or single specimen plants.
- Use nursery plants that are 2 to 3 years old, 12 to 36 inches high. Keep the root system moist at all times between digging and replanting.
- In North Carolina, plant in late winter (February to May). Fall (November through December) works well in the southeastern coastal plain with bare-root stock, and other areas with potted plants.
- Space highbush varieties every 4 to 5 feet in rows with 8 to 10 feet between rows. Plant rabbiteye varieties every 6 feet in the row, leaving 10 to 12 feet between rows.
- For depth, plant to the same depth as in the nursery if applying organic mulch to the surface. If not, blueberry planting should be 1 to 2 inches deeper. This allows for soil settling. Tamp down the soil with your feet and water thoroughly.
- Mulch with organic material such as sawdust, pine straw, wood chips or bark to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.
- Do not fertilize immediately after planting. Wait until the first leaves of the blueberry plants have reached full size. Then apply 1 tablespoon of an azalea formulation within a circle 1 foot from the plants.
Blueberry Planting In Florida
Blueberry plants in Florida do best in full sun and a well-drained location. You’ll also want to locate them in a place where water for irrigation is available. This is so you can keep the blueberry plant's root system moist throughout the growing season.
- In Florida, it’s best to plant blueberries in mulch beds. Use pine needle mulch, 2 cubic feet per plant. Use 1 to 2 inches of mulch over the root system to hold in moisture and nutrients. Replace the mulch every other year.
- For potted blueberries, remove the plant from the pot and lightly break up (score) the outer surface of the root ball. This helps promote growth. Place the plant in the mulch bed and cover the root system with 1 to 2 inches of mulch. Water well.
- Space the plants 24 to 30 inches apart if you want a hedge. For individual plants as specimens, place them 6 to 10 feet apart (depending on variety, height and width requirements).
- Fertilize new plants with a small ring of granular acid fertilizer, such as azalea formulation. Water well after fertilizing.
Blueberry Planting In Coastal And Southern California
Blueberries can be planted throughout the year in coastal and southern California, except in hotter and drier inland areas during the months of May through August.
- Best plants to use are those that are 12 to 18 months old, with 2 to 4 small cones and are 12 to 18 inches in height.
- Grow blueberry plants on raised beds. This helps to improve drainage and protect plants from soil-borne diseases.
- Use either nursery potted plants or bare root plants for your home garden. Spread roots carefully and plant at the same depth as the nursery.
- Beds are typically 4 feet wide to allow for root system development. The root system eventually has to support a blueberry plant approximately 4 feet in diameter.
- Plant on 30-inch spacing between plants in the row by 10 feet spacing from center to center between rows. Leave space of about 6 feet between rows.
- The hole should be wider than deep. Work sphagnum peat moss into the soil with your hands. Be sure to soak the peat in water prior to blueberry planting.
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