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Many types of useful berries migrated to our site straight from the forest. Scientists ennobled shrubs, brought out new fruitful varieties, adapted them to latitudes where they had not grown or ripened before. The list, open with raspberries and strawberries, has already been replenished with lingonberries and cranberries, and in recent years, the cultivation of blueberries is gaining popularity – berries that are very healthy and generous for the annual harvest. Among the varietal variety, the Duke garden blueberry is most often grown.
Description of the plant and advantages
The bushes of the garden plant are much taller, and the berries are larger than their forest relatives. The Duke variety, for example, grows up to one and a half to two meters, the shoots stretch upwards, not branching too much, like a currant or gooseberry. The bush is therefore well warmed up by the sun, the berries ripen evenly, periodic thinning is not required at all.
Blueberries begin to bloom in May. You can’t even say during this period that we have before us not an ornamental bush, but a berry bush. The flowers are shaped like a bell, have a pale pink color, on the branches of a shrub with a small amount of leaves, they look very impressive. In some regions, sudden frosts on the soil and sharp drops in air temperature are possible during this period. In May, this is especially unpleasant, because most of the berry bushes bloom. Heat-loving plants often shed their color, so you can’t wait for a harvest from them in such a year. But the Duke blueberry is incredibly hardy to such natural disasters, which allows you to enjoy its wonderful taste every year.
The leaves of the shrub have a beautiful decorative shape and color, they are especially amazing in autumn in crimson decoration. Therefore, with planting berries, you will acquire on the site not only a useful, but also outwardly very attractive plant.
Characteristics of berries
Duke is a mid-season variety, it assumes the ripening of berries at the end of July. The berries are round in shape, they are quite large, reaching a diameter of up to 2 cm. The fruits are very juicy, in appearance they resemble blueberries, but with a lighter skin. Collecting them is a pleasure! They break away well from the bush, do not crush. And if the peel retains its integrity, then the shelf life is longer. It is quite possible to store them for some time in the refrigerator, this makes blueberries even tastier. If desired, the fruits can be frozen for the winter. Handles transportation well.
The harvest from one bush is large – 4-6 kg of berries, with good care it can reach 8 kg. Gardeners’ reviews show that such crops are constant every year.
Blueberries not only have delicious fruits, they are also very healthy, because they contain a rich complex of vitamins C, B1, B2, A, K. Its use helps in the treatment of many diseases. In folk medicine, both fruits and leaves are used.
Agrotechnics
Growing blueberries, like any shrub, in a summer cottage has its own characteristics, ignoring which, you can get a low yield or achieve the death of a bush by improper care.
The common description of the variety as a berry for shaded places is fundamentally wrong. Thinking that since in nature a bush grows in a swampy area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe forest, then in the garden you should create similar conditions for it, you will ruin the plant. This is the most common growing mistake. There are others – the choice of soil, watering, fertilizers.
So that you do not have to be disappointed in the results of growing Duke blueberries, here is a brief description of the technology that will help anyone achieve a good harvest.
Blueberries should be planted in an open, well-lit area, preferably protected from the wind. However, despite the increased love for the sun, the Duke variety tolerates winter frosts down to -34 degrees.
The plant is demanding on the soil, it should be light and high acidity. Good for growing sandstones, peat bogs. Favorable acidity – pH 3,5-5. If the soil does not reach these indicators, it is recommended to acidify using any acids at the rate of 20-30 g per bucket of water. You can not water the entire plot of land, but only a hole for planting a bush.
Gardeners recommend mulching the soil around the bush. You can use pine sawdust for this, lay them out in a layer of 8-10 cm. A plant planted once does not require transplantation for 20 years.
Blueberries love water, it needs to be watered regularly, but overflow and stagnation of water should not be allowed – this can cause the roots to die. Drying out of the soil will also have a bad effect on it. According to the norms of watering, the plant is similar to vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc.)
Feeding the bush should be carried out every year. Blueberries need nitrogen fertilizers in a large dose, they should be supplemented with phosphorus and potash top dressing. It is impossible to use any types of manure and compost for these purposes. For saturation with nitrogen, ammonium sulfate (35-40 g per bush) or ammonium nitrate (25-30 g per bush) is suitable. The nitrogen application rate is recommended to be divided into 3 stages: ½ – when the buds open, 30% – before flowering in May, 20% – during the fruit ripening period in early June.
Top dressing with phosphorus and potassium is used twice: the main portion (2/3) – in early spring, the rest in June. For fertilizers, you can choose superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
To protect against diseases and pests, the bushes are treated with fungicides. Events are carried out several times – in early spring, after the leaves bloom (about 3 times with an interval of a week), after harvesting, after the leaves fall.
As we have already noted, the variety tolerates frost well, but if the winter turned out to be with little snow, the bush should be covered. In addition, take care of protection from hares – they love to peel blueberry bark. Pruning of bushes begins only from the age of 6, leaving 4 old and young branches each.
Video “Garden blueberries”
The video tells about the features of garden blueberries and how to care for them.
