Growing Blueberries 



These instructions apply to Rayner's hardy, 

 top quality plants. Be sure to prune about 

 Y 2 of top from large size bushes before plant- 

 ing. 



WHERE BLUEBERRIES CAN BE GROWN: 



The varieties of blueberries we offer will grow 

 well from North Carolina to Maine and west- 

 ward from Michigan to Missouri. They also 

 »ro\v well in parts of Oregon and Washington. 

 For best fruit production blueberries require 

 full sunlight. The best time to plant is early 

 spring. 



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. ammonium 

 sulfate fertilizer plus % lb. of cottonseed meal. 

 Replace this mixture in the hole and set the 

 plant properly and you have overcome the 

 main problem in growing blueberries. 



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. 

 Blueberries are especially suitable for hedge 

 plantings and other ornamental uses. 



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 very desirable 

 for mulching blueberries and we strongly re- 

 commend 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 24 pounds of actual nitrogen 

 is needed. This 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. Use an acid-type, complete 

 fertilizer early in the spring at the rate of 

 about 34 pound per each small plant or Yj 

 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 injury. Cottonseed meal, 34 lb. for 

 young plants and Y 2 lb- for old plants, is a com- 

 plete organic fertilizer that is ideal for blue- 

 berries and most other plants. Ammonium 

 sulfate, 2 oz. per small plant and 34 lb. per 

 large plant, is an excellent commercial ferti- 

 lizer. About 250 lbs. per acre is recommended 

 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. Write for Rayner's Bul- 

 letin's 3 and 18 on blueberry pruning. 



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 

 vinegar or sulphur and the other is to add iron 

 directly to the plant and to the soil. Yellow r 

 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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