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- 

 ward 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 3 oz. of Miller's 

 Aluminum Sulfate and % 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% table- 

 spoonsful per gallon. ( See page 23 for further 

 information on Miller's VHPF fertilizer). Next 

 the soil should })e 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 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 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 24 

 pounds of actual nitrogen is needed. This 

 amount of nitrogen can be obtained from 115 

 poiuids 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 rec(»mmend 

 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 

 34 pound per each small plant or Yi pound for 

 large plants. Another application in early sum- 

 mer is usually helpful. Further information 

 concerning this fertilizer may be found on 

 page 23. 



Commercial planters often use 5-10-5 fertili- 

 zer 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 34 lb. for each 

 old plant. About 250 lbs. 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 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 Miller's Iron Chelate for this pur- 

 pose. About 1 level talilespoonful in a gallon 

 of water can be applied to the leaves and soil 

 and will be of much help in improving 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 



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