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The Blueberry blueberry was bred in the USA in 1955. The basis for the breeding was laid by the works of Frederic Kovylev, George Darrow, Arlen Draper. The variety is not listed in the State Register.
Description of the blueberry variety Blue Ray
The blueberry variety Bluray (pictured) is mid-season, tall. Bushes reach a height of 1,8 m, sprawling. The leaves are dark green, rounded. Flowers are light pink.
Features of fruiting
The berries are large, saturated blue in color, weight is about 2,2 g. The fruits begin to ripen from mid-July, the fruiting period is up to 2 weeks.
There is no need to plant pollinating varieties nearby, because Blueray is a self-pollinating variety. Blueberries are used to make jam, frozen, dried. It can be used to extract juice, make jams.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like all horticultural crops, Blueray blueberries have pros and cons. Advantages:
- frost resistance, the bush is able to survive frosts down to -34 ° C;
- rich harvest, over 5 kg of berries are harvested from each bush;
- decorative effect, manifested due to abundant spring flowering.
The disadvantages include:
- excessive fruiting. Despite a rich harvest, the abundance of berries is considered a relative disadvantage, since it depletes the bush;
- sprawling – it is impossible to plant several bushes tightly;
- requirement for soil acidity.
If blueberries are grown in the courtyard for personal purposes, then planting more than 1-2 bushes on the site is not practical. Abundant fruiting leads to difficulties with the processing of berries.
Features of reproduction
The most common way to start Blueray blueberries in the country is to buy a seedling. It is possible to breed the plant yourself. Blueberries of any variety are propagated by three methods:
- layering;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
The first method implies the need to lay the lower individual branches on the ground, attach, cover with sawdust. After 2 years, the first roots will appear. The branch is separated from the bush, planted for growing.
The Blueray blueberry cutting method involves harvesting cuttings in the fall. Then each is placed in a container with an acidic substrate, moistened, placed in a greenhouse with heating. Until spring, they regularly check and water future seedlings. When the plants are about two years old, they can be planted in open ground. Until then, only kept in a greenhouse.
Seed propagation is permissible from material obtained independently. Seeds are extracted from healthy, ripe berries, washed, and dried. In winter, the material must be stratified – it is enough to keep it in the basement or in the refrigerator. In spring, blueberries are sown in open ground, deepening by 1 cm. From above, they are mulched with sawdust and peat (3 cm layer). The soil should be warm, from + 23 ° С. It is necessary to regularly loosen, water, weed the soil, until full shoots appear. Fruiting begins after 8 years.
Planting and care
Proper planting of a seedling is a guarantee of future health and good fruiting. Blueberry Blueray is no exception. Having landed on time, in suitable soil, the gardener will provide the bush with better survival.
Recommended dates
Garden blueberries of the Bluray variety are planted in the ground either in early autumn or late spring. The timing of planting seedlings from the container is more flexible, however, July is not the right month.
It is advisable to cover autumn plantings for the winter with spruce branches.
Site selection and soil preparation
The right place is important for the plant. It should be a very sunny, wind-sheltered site. It is permissible to enclose on the north side of the planting of a shrub of the Bluray variety with a hedge.
Soil characteristics are also important. The earth must pass air and water well. Suitable mixtures with peat, sand, but completely peat soil is not recommended. The ground should be moist, but waterlogging can damage the seedlings and lead to their death. An unfavorable place for planting leads to a decrease in the yield of the bush, leads to the crushing of berries.
Landing algorithm
There are 2 common methods of planting a Blueray berry bush – in wells and in ridges. Landing in the first way is as follows:
- dig holes 40 cm deep, up to 1,5 m wide;
- fall asleep with a substrate from a mixture of coniferous humus, pine sawdust (it is permissible to replace with needles), peat;
- the container with the seedling is soaked for 30 minutes;
- the plant is taken out, planted in a hole, deepening the root neck by 7 cm, watered.
It is forbidden to add ash, compost, manure, humus, any alkaline fertilizers. Landing in the ridges is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- the soil is taken out to a depth of 10 cm, the width of the pit is 1 m;
- fall asleep substrate, as for planting in wells;
- a Blueray plant is planted at the very top, creating ridges.
Cultivation and care
In order for the plant to be healthy, bear fruit well, proper care is necessary. The most important thing for Blueberry blueberries is top dressing, watering, and shaping pruning.
Watering Schedule
In order for Blueray blueberries to bear fruit well, it is necessary to water the bushes every 3 days. Each bush should take at least 10 liters. water.
It is permissible to organize drip irrigation, but ordinary watering will still need to be used to acidify the soil.
Top dressing schedule
Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers plants of the Blu-ray variety is carried out according to a fixed scheme (as needed).
Age | Number of tablespoons |
2 years | 1 |
3 years | 2 |
4 years | 4 |
5 years | 8 |
6 and more years | 16 |
The lack of minerals is determined by the appearance of the Blueray plant:
- notdostnitrogen flow – growth slows down, leaves, shoots turn yellow, berries become smaller;
- phosphorus deficiency – leaf plates become purple, pressed against the stem;
- lack of potassium – the ends of the sheets die off, the plants become stained, the young shoots turn black, die off;
- lack of calcium – the leaves are deformed, the edges turn yellow;
- magnesium deficiency – reddening of the leaves at the edges, the middle retains a green color;
- boron deficiency – the upper leaves become bluish, the veins turn yellow, the shoots stop growing, die off;
- lack of iron – the leaves turn yellow, the veins remain green;
- lack of sulfur – the leaf becomes yellowish-white, occasionally turns completely white.
The blueberry variety Bluray needs soil with an acidity of 3,5–5. Deficiency, excess acid manifest themselves in the same way – the bush stops developing, therefore it is important to regularly check the acidity index.
Blueberries are not fed with compost or manure. From natural acidic fertilizers, sphagnum moss or pine needles are used. An effective option is to acidify water for irrigation. To do this, prepare:
- a solution of oxalic (citric) acid in the proportion of 1 tsp. for 3 liters of water;
- acetic acid solution, proportion – 200 ml per 10 liters of water;
- a weak solution of sulfuric acid, the proportion is 50 ml per 10 liters of water.
This will maintain a regular level of soil acidity, which is necessary for the health of blueberry blueberries.
Trimming
To form the skeleton of a bush, a haircut begins at the age of two blueberries. Branches with fruit buds are removed.
After reaching the age of five, remove old, diseased branches, branches near the base, lying on the ground.
All operations are carried out in early spring, before bud break. Autumn pruning is acceptable, which is carried out after all the leaves have fallen.
Preparation for winter
Despite the high winter hardiness, it is desirable to cover the blueberries of the Bluray variety for the winter. The branches are bent to the ground, making sure that they do not break. Then cover with burlap or spruce branches. In winter, it is advisable to pour snow on the plant. The use of polyethylene film for insulation is prohibited.
Pests and diseases
The blueberry variety Bluray is resistant to pests and diseases, but occasionally, with care errors, it can get sick. Common diseases:
- late blight;
- gray rot;
- stem cancer;
- monilial burn;
- phomopsis wilt.
For the prevention and treatment of Blueberry blueberries, they are sprayed with fungicides, such as Trichodermin, PhytoDoctor.
Pests on Blueberry blueberries are rare, preventive treatment is not advisable. It is allowed to remove damaged shoots and leaves from the bush.
Occasionally, blueberries of the Bluray variety are able to become infected with a spider mite, be attacked by caterpillars. To combat insect pests, insecticides are used: Apollo; Vermitek, Aktofit.
Conclusion
Blueberry Blueberry is unpretentious, but planting and caring for seedlings will cause a lot of trouble, which will pay off in the long run.
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