Any information on growing blueberries?

Question

I live in N.Y. and have a few blueberry trees on my property. The reason I say trees instead of bushes is because they are very tall. They have not been pruned or maintined in over 20 years.

I would like to try to save them and make them more productive.

When is the best time to prune the trees and how do I prune them?

Also

Some of them have these things attatched to the trees that look like roots growing from the branches, someone told me that I can prune these off and replant them is this true and how to go about this?

Thank you for any information I know this was a lot of questions.

Answer 1

Wow I have never heard of blueberry bushes growing that large...you must have awesome soil chemistry going on up there in New York.

Blueberries love acid soil (pH 4.3-5.3) that is rich in organic material-- I assume your soil is pretty good if they are growing into "trees," but you may want to test the pH to make sure it's in the right range if they are unproductive. The addition of peat moss to the soil and the use of pine bark mulch can help maintain the right pH.

Blueberries produce fruit on buds from last year's growth, so do not heavily prune the bush all at one time...you may get few berries in the coming summer if you do. The best time to do it is in early spring (Feb.-March). Remove dead wood and weak growth. Prune back some of the long, unproductive canes to a sturdier 12-18 inch length. Also take out one or two weak lower branches each year to stimulate better growth. (Old branches eventually get long and "willowy" and end up producing only a few berries on the ends).  

By the way, you may want to prune back surrounding plants and trees if they are overgrown...they may be blocking sunlight from your bushes.