Growing Blueberries 



These iiistriu-tions apply to Rayiicr's hardy, 

 top quality plants. 



WHERE BLUEBERRIES CAN BE GROWN: 



The varieties of blueberries we offer will j;row 

 well from North Carolina to Maine and west- 

 ward from Miehijian to Missouri. They also 

 y:row well ill parts of Oregon and Washinjiton. 

 For best fruit production blueberries require 

 full sunlijiht. 



SOIL ACIDITY: One of the most important 

 factors in successful blueberry' culture is to 

 use acid soil — a pH range of 4.0 to 5.5 is con- 

 sidered best. Many soils naturally have this 

 much acidity but in many areas where blue- 

 berries could otherwise grow well the soil is 

 not sufficiently acid. For small scale plant- 

 ings this difficulty can be readily overcome. 

 One of the best methods is to dig a hole about 

 18 inches deep and about the same in width. 

 Mix half of this soil with well rotted leaf 

 mold or peat and then mix in 3 oz. Aluminum 

 Sulfate plus 3-^ lb. plant food. Sulfur or vine- 

 gar could also be used to acidify the soil. Re- 

 place this mixture in the hole and set the plant 

 properly and you have overcome the main prob- 

 I lem in growing blueberries. 



I DRAINAGE: Cultivated blueberries require 

 a uniform supply of moisture but they will 

 not tolerate poorly drained or soggy soil. 

 Avoid heavy clay soil for large plantings. 



HOW TO PLANT: If the roots have become 

 dry in shipment they should be placed in water 

 for about an hour. Best results are obtained if 

 about half of the top growth is pruned from 

 the plant. This allows the plant to become es- 

 tablished faster and better. It will rapidly 

 make an abundance of new, sturdy growth. 

 After the holes have been dug and the soil pre- 

 pared as previously described the plant should 

 be set so that the upper roots are covered by 

 about an inch of soil. It is very important 

 not to set blueberries too deep in the ground 

 for, they may make poor growth or die. It is 

 ! helpful to water the newly set plant with a so- 

 luble fertilizer — using about one quart of so- 

 lution per plant. Next the soil should be firm- 

 ly packed around the roots and a mound of 

 soil made around the edge of the hole so that 

 the plant can be properly watered. Frequent 

 watering during the first season will be very 

 helpful in getting plants well established. 



In commercial plantings blueberries are 

 usually set 4 feet apart in the row with 8 to 

 10 feet between rows. However, in home 

 gardens they may be arranged in any manner 

 and can be pruned to nearly any desired shape. 

 Hlueberries are especially suitable for hedge 

 plantings and other ornamental uses. 



, MULCHING : It is very helpful if a heavy 



I mulch can be maintained around the plants. 



I Any natural organic matter is satisfactory. 



I Sawdust: new or old, oak or pine, also gives 



1 excellent results. Sawdust is proving to be 



very desirable for mulching blueberries and 

 we strongly recommend its use. However, 

 when sawdust is used as a mulch it is 

 necessary to add extra nitrogen to the soil. 

 For each ton of sawdust approximately 2-1 

 l)ounds of actual nitrogen is needed. This 

 amount of nitrogen can be obtained from 115 

 pounds of ammonium sulfate or 72 pounds of 

 ammonium nitrate. This corresponds to 1'.' 

 ounces of ammonium sulfate per bushel of 

 sawdust or 8 ounces of ammonium nitrate per 

 bushel. Any other type of fertilizing material 

 could be used if the proper amount of nitrogen 

 is provided. 



FERTILIZING: We definitely recommend 

 that blueberries should receive regular fertiliz- 

 er applications. Use an acid-type, complete 

 fertilizer early in the sprii\g at the rate of 

 about }/^ pound per each small plant or 3^2 

 pound for large plants. Another application 

 in early summer is usually helpful. Do not 

 apply fertilizer in late summer or fall since it 

 may make plants tender and thus subject to 

 winter in.1ury. 



Commercial planters often use 5-10-5 or sim- 

 ilar fertilizer at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre. 



Recent tests have shown that ammonium 

 sulfate is an excellent fertilizer for blueberri- 

 es. It should be used at the rate of about 2 

 ounces for each young plant or 14 lb. for each 

 old plant. About 250 lbs. per acre is recom- 

 mended for large plantings. Half should be 

 applied in March or April and the rest during 

 May or June. 



PRUNING: When first planted about half 

 of the upper branches should be removed. 

 Then during each dormant season further 

 pruning is required. Since blueberries usually 

 make too much top growth some of this must 

 be thinned out or the fruit will be small. Nor- 

 mally it is best to prune out slender twigs, 

 leaving the heavier, stronger growth. Low 

 branches should be removed as well as any 

 weak or dead wood. 



YELLOW FOLIAGE: Blueberries are es- 

 pecially free of disease and insect troubles and 

 thus do not generally require any spraying or 

 dusting. The most common trouble is a yel- 

 low color of the leaves (Chlorosis). This yel- 

 lowing can be corrected in two ways : one is 

 by making the soil more acid by addition of 

 aluminum sulfate. Another is to add iron di- 

 rectly to the plant and to the soil. Yellow 

 leaves will often become a healthy, green col- 

 or within a few days after iron is added. We 

 recommend Iron Chelate for this purpose. 

 About 1 level tablespoonful in a gallon of 

 water can be applied to the leaves and soil 

 and will be of much help in improving foliage. 



CROSS POLLINATION: Since cultivated 

 blueberries are partly self-sterile it is best to 

 plant at least two varieties for cross-pollina- 

 tion. Any combination of varieties is usually 

 satisfactory. 



BUY RAYNER'S PLANTS AND YOU BUY THE BEST 



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