Each plant will have it's own preferred climate and growing conditions so there is no way to generalize about this beyond a certain point.  All plants prefer rich soil, a constant source of water and as much sunlight and as long a growing season as possible.  To that we add particular growing requirements such as blueberry plants and cranberry plants, which are acid loving, woody dicots and hence prefer an acidic chemistry.  These are swamp and bog plants but can be made to grow well anywhere by creating the proper soil conditions and properly caring for them. 

BLUEBERRY

We grow blueberries for every hardiness zone:  Northern for zones 4-7, Southern for zones 6-9, and Rabbiteye for zones 8-9.  Choose the correct variety for your location, make sure to include more than one variety for proper pollinization, and follow these simple practices for years of fresh blueberries.

Choose a location:  Blueberries prefer full sunlight for best fruit production, but will grow in 50% shade.

To Plant:  Once a location is chosen, dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as your root ball.  Gently loosen the roots and place in the hole.  Combine the existing soil with sphagnum peat moss and fill the hole so that settled soil will leave the plant at the same level at which it was in the pot.  Soil must be extremely well-drained.  Plant in raised areas if there is any chance of water standing around the roots.

Watering:  Water plants immediately after planting and through dry periods.  It is a good idea to lay a soaker hose or dripline along the plants before mulching.

Fertilizing:  Blueberries require an acid soil     (4.8 to 5.2 pH).  You may use any fertilizer intended for acid-loving plants, but a time-release complete product is best.  Place 5 to 15 ounces over the root zone at the beginning of the growing season.  Never add manure; it is alkaline.

Pruning:  Our plants require no initial pruning and will fruit during the first season from existing shoots produced during the previous growing season.  Berries are borne on buds of last year’s wood so light pruning is done to remove older and weaker wood.  Blueberries should be pruned during the winter while the bushes are dormant. In winter, flower buds are easily visible on one-year-old wood.

Mulch:  Mulch the plants heavily, to about 6 inches, to maintain a good moisture level and to reduce weed competition.

BLACKBERRIES & RASPBERRIES