Growing Blueberries 
These instructions apply to Rayner’s hardy, 
top quality plants. 
WHERE BLUEBERRIES CAN BE GROWN: 
The varieties of blueberries we offer will grow 
well from North Carolina to Maine and west- 
rard from Michigan to Missouri. They also 
grow well in parts of Oregon and Washington. 
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 38 oz. of Miller’s 
Aluminum Sulfate and 14 lb. of Miller’s Azalea 
and Rhododendron food. Replace this mixture 
in the hole and set the plant properly and you 
have overcome the main problem in growing 
blueberries. See page 23 for further informa- 
tion on aluminum sulfate and azalea fertilizer. 
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 Mil- 
ler’s Soluble fertilizer—using about one quart 
of a solution made at the rate of 2°%4 table- 
spoonsfuls per gallon. (See page 23 for further 
information on Miller’s VHPF fertilizer). Next 
the soil should be firmly packed around the 
roots and a mound of soil made around the 
edge of the hole so that the plant can be pro- 
perly 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. 
Blueberries are especially suitable for hedge 
plantings. 
MULCHING: It is very helpful if a heavy 
mulch can be maintained around the plants. 
Any natural organic matter is satisfactory. 
Sawdust; new or old, oak or pine, also gives 
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™~ muleh it is 
necessary to add extra nitrogen to the soil. 
For each ton of sawdust approximately 24 
pounds 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 13 
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. An excellent material for this 
purpose is Miller’s Azalea and Rhododendron 
food. ‘This is an acid-type, complete fertilizer 
that is ideal for blueberries. It should be ap- 
plied early in the spring at the rate of about 
14 pound per each small plant or 14 pound for 
large plants. Another application in early sum- 
mer is usually helpful. Further information 
COMCEINIIS this fertilizer may be found on 
page 25. 
Commercial planters often use 5-10-5 fertili- 
zer at the rate of 500 Ibs. 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 Ibs. per acre is recom- 
mended for large plantings. 
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 spray ing 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 Miller’s Iron Chelate for this pur- 
pose. About 1 level tablespoonful in a gallon 
of water can be applied to the leaves and soil 
and will be of much help in correcting foliage. 
See page 23 for further information on this 
product. 
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 39 
