The Madman Loves His Blueberries

The madman absolutely loves his blueberries. They are by far his favorite fruit. Good thing he lives in Connecticut. With its acidic soil and temperate climate, it’s a great place to grow blueberries.

As a kid, the madman remembers going to Platt Hill State Park in Winsted to pick wild blueberries. They were small and he didn’t like the picking, but he loved the blueberries – especially in his mother’s pies. Back in the 1950s and 60s, blueberry season seemed short. The blueberries weren’t shipped from all over the place. Local farms and wild patches supplied most of the berries.

Our First Blueberry Bushes

So, when we first planted our blueberries, we didn’t know how to take care of them. They grew so well in the wild we figured they would just take care of themselves. We planted two staggered rows to form a break between the walkway and the vegetable garden in the front. And, that’s all we did. Sure, we mulched the area and kept the weeds at bay, but that was about it. We never got many berries.

Then we took the Master Gardener course and learned that even plants that thrive in the wild need care when moved to the garden. On our drive home from the lecture on fruits, the madman said, “Maybe we should start taking better care of our berries.” We started to fertilize them on a regular schedule and watered them in dry spells. Guess what? The blueberries changed. We got more berries, lots of them. And, they were bigger. We even had enough to freeze. The birds took their normal share, but you know how the madman loves his birds, so we shared. Until last year when they tried to take all the berries.

Planning For July

So here it is February and we are already planning July’s harvest. It’s time to prune, and we have until early March to do it. Honestly, pruning has always been our weak point. You see, the madman is afraid to prune because he doesn’t like to cut off any growing part of a plant. But, pruning is necessary on our blueberries for a number of reasons. It all boils down to making the bushes stronger and more productive.

Here in Connecticut, late winter/early spring is the best time to prune blueberries. During the fall, the plant is still busy photosynthesizing and sending carbohydrates to the roots and crown for winter storage. In theory, any time after the plant goes dormant, you can prune. But it’s best to wait until now so you can assess winter damage. It needs to be removed and may change your overall pruning plan.

The Science Of Pruning

In addition to removing winter damage, you need to open the plant up to allow sunlight to reach the center of the plant. You also need to shape the bush – lower branches won’t get much action from the sun or the picker. The higher, straight branches will be the most productive. Now comes the tricky part. Blueberry growers know that two to six year old canes produce the best berries. Any older growth is losing its vigor and although it will produce berries, the berries will be fewer and smaller. This should give you the idea that pruning blueberries is a never ending process: not exactly what the madman wants to hear. But, in reality, the pruning process should not take long.

This year the madman has decided to tackle his blueberries – his lopper and his trusty Felco 8 are cleaned, sharpened and ready to go. He is resigned to the idea that he will sacrifice a lot of buds. But he expects to get bigger and better berries.

We need to stand back and look at each plant by itself. We know it will take a few years to get these bushes back into shape – good thing they sell blueberries at the farm stand around the corner.

Remove Winter Damage

We will remove any winter damage. Then we’ll study the canes. The older ones will be gray in color with the bark beginning to flake. The mid-life canes will be reddish to light brown in color. And, the new canes will be greenish to red. Ideally, you want 6 to 12 canes on a plant. Keep in mind the most productive ones are 2-6 years old.

With a bush assessed, the madman will begin cutting – an emotionally and physically draining task according to one expert. The old canes go first, lopped off to the ground. Since blueberries are not grafted, the new growth will come from the crown of the plants. Then new shoots will be examined – he’ll only keep the best looking 3 or 4 – a good looking cane grows straight and tall. Time to use the Felcos to finish. Intermediate growth is left. The madman will cut off any crossing branches and any branches that will keep the sun from getting into the center. He’ll look for side shoots that are thin and twiggy – they’ll go. Most experts say, work fast and don’t overthink the process. Here’s a good pruning video from North Carolina State University.

Don’t Stop With Pruning

Blueberry care doesn’t end with the pruning. First, they are an acid loving plant and will do best with a soil pH between 4.5-5.5. If you don’t know your soil pH, get it tested. The madman uses the Lab at UConn – tell them you’re growing blueberries and they will tell you what you need to add to get your soil just right. Because blueberry roots are so shallow, a 4” layer of organic mulch helps retain moisture and keep soil temperatures steady – the madman uses bark mulch around his blueberries. Blueberries are also prone to damage by over-fertilization so the madman relies on a commercial blend made for acid-loving plants. Dawn Pettinelli of the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab has prepared a nice guide for fertilizing blueberries: she explains the subject better than we can.

Scout For Pests

No plant is free of pests, but blueberry pests are minimal and careful scouting can usually identify issues early when they are most easily controlled. Take the Cranberry Fruit Worm for instance. The larvae of this insect burrow into green fruit and begin to eat the inside of the berry. This causes the infested berry to turn prematurely blue. So, when the madman is out on his garden stroll and he sees a single blue berry in a sea of green, he’s alerted to a possible problem. At the same time, he can easily spot diseases and fungal issues on his well-pruned plants. If you notice something fishy, here’s an article on pest management to consult.

New Pest

Last year a new pest attacked the madman’s blueberries. Actually, the pest isn’t new, he just became a serious threat to us last year. Previously we had enough berries to share with the madman’s friend the Grey Catbird. Last year saw a change in behavioral patterns which the madman attributes to two things. First, we adhered to the new town ban on birdfeeders, cutting off our birds from a steady supply of food at our feeders. Second, a severe drought left the birds thirsty and the madman feels the birds were desperate for water; blueberries are roughly 85% water.

Even before the blueberries ripened, we found Catbirds raiding the bushes. The Robins soon followed. But, when the Chickadees hit the bushes, we knew we had to do something to get any fruits. A cover was the only option. After consulting with Master Gardener friend Tom Kalal, we found a source for commercial fruit netting.

We built hoops out of bamboo poles and flexible PVC pipe. Then we draped the netting over the framework. Since we ordered 500’ of 17’ wide netting, we were able to cover all of our bushes and salvage some of the blueberries. Pruning time will be the perfect time to look at our hastily erected system and make improvements. It will also be the perfect time to send a soil sample to UConn to see what we need to tweak into the soil.

While waiting for the results, we’ll be dreaming of blueberries and sipping hot cocoa.