Pruning blueberries in autumn, spring for beginners, schemes

Pruning blueberries is a mandatory procedure for competent care of this horticultural crop. The event mainly boils down to thinning thickening branches and removing weak and diseased shoots. This is one of the most effective ways to influence the growth and yield of blueberries.

Should I prune blueberries in spring or autumn?

Blueberry is a sun-loving branchy shrub that reaches a height of no more than 1 m under natural conditions. Nowadays, more than 25 varieties of garden blueberries have been selected, among which there are low and tall (up to 2,2 m) crops that are unpretentious and practically not affected by diseases and pests. The fruiting of the plant increases with age. But high-quality fruits with high taste characteristics give only bushes on which strong, healthy last year’s shoots are developed.

You can get the necessary characteristics of the plant only with special care. An important and obligatory stage is the spring or autumn pruning of blueberries, especially tall ones. During the shearing, old, diseased, bush thickening branches are removed. Without this procedure, the yield of the plant falls, it grows wild, overgrown with weak shoots, the crown becomes clogged with dry shoots, which serve as a source of disease.

Types of trimming

Pruning is a powerful method of influencing the growth processes and productivity of any plant. Therefore, depending on the purpose and desired result, the type of plant pruning and the timing of the procedure are chosen.

Types of blueberry pruning:

1. Formative. This type of blueberry pruning is usually carried out in the spring to give or maintain the correct crown shape. Thanks to this procedure, the bush is provided with the necessary illumination and decoration, and reduces the risk of disease. In the first years of life, the shrub creates a strong skeleton that can withstand the weight of the crop. Then adjust the size and shape of the crown. If the crown of a young bush is larger than an earthen clod, then the roots will not have time to form normally before transplanting into the ground. The plant after planting will not take root well. Therefore, excess shoots are removed, and by reducing the crown, the development of the root system is activated.

   

   Advice! It is recommended to start modeling blueberry bushes from an early age, while the seedling is still in the container. The mistake is to start pruning in the 3rd year, especially in the 6th – 7th years.
2. Sanitary. Sanitary pruning solves the problem of preventing and treating plant diseases, maintaining its health. Broken, dry, infected shoots are removed from blueberries.
   Important! Cut branches that are affected by diseases or pests must be burned to prevent the spread of infection.
3. Anti-aging. The purpose of anti-aging pruning is to stimulate the growth and fruiting of older specimens over 10 years old. An indicator that the plant needs this procedure is a decrease in shoot growth, poor flowering, the formation of a large number of ovaries that crumble, as well as poor fruit quality.

With the industrial cultivation of this crop, up to 10 fruit-bearing shoots and 3-4 annuals are left on the shrub for replacement. In household plots, the crowns of bushes are denser, with a large number of berries, but small in size.

How to prune blueberries

Blueberry pruning principles are based on the species characteristics of the plant:

• on an adult shrub there are shoots of different ages;
• fruits are formed on the lateral branches of shoots older than two years of age;
• the yield of 4-5-year-old branches is lower than that of young ones;
• every year the bush is self-renewing, throwing out replacement shoots;
• in young branches, the bark is bright and smooth, without branches of the second order, and branches of 2-3 years of age are stiff and branched;
• on the oldest branches, the lateral fruit-bearing processes are short, small berries are formed on them;
• fruiting shoots on productive branches are long and productive;
• berries are usually not tied up to a height of 30 – 40 cm above the ground.

Recommended dates

Blueberry pruning can be done:

• in spring – before the start of the active phase of the growing season, until the movement of juices begins (in areas with a warm climate – mid-March, in cold zones – April-early May);
• in autumn – after leaf fall, but not later than a month before frost; in warm regions, blueberries can be pruned in winter.

Preparation of tools and materials

For cutting branches of different thickness and strength, use:

• secateurs – for thin shoots, up to 1,5 cm in diameter;
• delimber – for branches from 1,5 to 2 cm in diameter, located in the depth of the crown;
• garden hacksaw – for powerful old stiff shoots.

You also need to prepare disinfectants – for pest control and bags or bags – for cleaning branches.

How to prune blueberries

In addition to the general principles based on the types of pruning, the varietal characteristics of blueberries should be taken into account:

• in fast-growing varieties (Bluedzhey, Patriot), long shoots are cut that bend down to the ground;
• in sprawling bushes (Sunrise, Dixie), the base is carefully cleaned of small branches and shoots;
• tall plants (River, Eliot) are pruned significantly, activating their growth;
• in non-spreading varieties (Colins, Jersey), too branched processes are shortened;
• high-yielding varieties (Bluegold, Bluecrop) with very dense bushes need thinning of the crown.

Anti-aging pruning garden blueberries

At the age of 5 – 6 years, the yield of a blueberry bush decreases. Branches of this age begin to resemble a Christmas tree: their tops are overgrown with a large number of small and short side shoots, on which berries develop poorly. They are cut according to certain rules:

1. If strong vertical processes depart from the middle part of the old branch, then it is transferred to one of them, shortened by cutting over the process.
2. If there are no strong growths, cut off the branch completely at the very base and leave a young replacement shoot for a change.
3. If the goal of the gardener is to get large berries, all shoots that are older than 5 years are cut from the bush. If you want to increase the number of fruits, branches are left up to 6-7 years.
4. 5-6 annual, most powerful shoots are kept on the bush.
5. Anti-aging pruning is required for blueberries aged 15 years or more.

You can see in detail how to properly prune garden blueberries for rejuvenation from the video:

With proper care and timely anti-aging pruning, it is possible to activate the growth processes and high fruiting of blueberries for 30 years or more.

Thinning pruning of blueberry bushes

A healthy, well-groomed bush consists of 10-15 main branches, while neglected blueberries can have more than 20. Such specimens, as well as well-formed and fruit-bearing plants of 3-4 years of age, are cultivated:

• remove horizontal shoots to the place of growth of the first powerful vertical branch;
• cut off the processes of the second order, which grow down or inside the crown;
• remove branches damaged by frost, pests, diseases;
• get rid of bushy low shoots and branches of the second order on fruiting trunks below knee level.

The diagram illustrates this phasing of garden blueberry pruning.

Sanitary blueberry pruning

If diseased, damaged, frost-bitten branches appear on a garden blueberry bush, then they are removed without waiting for spring or autumn. Sanitary pruning is carried out throughout the season.

When cutting off the damaged part of the shoot, at least 2 cm more of a healthy area should be captured, because the disease or fungus could penetrate into the wood tissue. After pruning, the plant must be treated with a fungicide (against fungi) or an insecticide (against insects). The cut shoots are burned.

Pruning schemes for garden blueberries depending on the season

Spring is a good time to prune blueberries to rejuvenate the shrub and shape its crown. After winter you need:

1. Examine the bush.
2. Remove all dead shoots. You may not even need a pruner for this. Dry tips of branches break off easily.
3. Thin out the plant to ensure air circulation and create the necessary illumination for ripening berries. To do this, it is necessary to cut off those branches in the middle of the bush on which there are no new shoots or their growth was up to 5 cm. They are cut off under the base, stimulating the growth of zero shoots.
4. Pay attention to the branches without fruit buds. There is no point in keeping them. They will not give a good harvest, because about a handful of berries appears from each fruit bud.
5. Trim long bare shoots. Fruit buds are formed only at their tips, and such a branch will pull the juices of the plant onto itself, competing with fruit-bearing shoots.

The main features of blueberry pruning in spring are shown in the video:

The purpose of pruning blueberries in the fall is to prepare the plant for overwintering. Those parts of the shoots that were damaged during the summer, affected by diseases or insects, injured by rain or hail, must be cut off. Otherwise, in winter they will be the first to freeze, which can lead to the death of the entire branch. Thus, for beginner gardeners, pruning blueberries in the fall is easier to carry out according to the rules of the sanitary procedure.

Blueberries actively bear fruit on the branches of the second year. Therefore, after their function is completed, the branches are removed to stimulate the growth of young shoots. This problem is also best solved in the fall.

The nuances of the autumn pruning of garden blueberries are discussed in the video:

Care for blueberries after pruning

Pruning garden blueberries will give the desired result in the form of a high and high quality crop, if the culture is provided with the care necessary for its restoration:

1. Large sections with a diameter of more than 2 cm are treated with garden pitch or a special preparation, for example, RanNet.
2. To prevent diseases in spring and autumn, the bush and the ground around it are sprayed with urea.
3. Growth stimulants are introduced, which not only contribute to the growth of new shoots, but also increase resistance to diseases.
4. Control the condition of the mulch, making sure that it does not compact or rot. If necessary, it is changed in whole or in part.
5. All unsuitable materials, cut off infected branches, rotten mulch are burned to prevent the spread of infections.

Conclusion

Pruning blueberries lays the foundation for high productivity and bush health. It is carried out in autumn or spring during the dormant period of the plant. An important requirement: it is necessary to cut the culture regularly, annually, avoiding its thickening.