or ammonium sulphate, (14 Ib. per bush) will also increase the acidity. Good 
drainage is also necessary. Blueberries prefer water UNDER THEIR FEET, 14 to 18 
inches below the soil surface, Nor ArouND TuHemr Toes. They thrive best in 
sunny locations but will also grow in partially shaded places. 
Plants are set out in early April (or after October 15); 4 ft. apart with 8 or 10 
ft. between the rows. For tractor cultivation be sure to allow 10 feet or more 
between rows. They should be put in the ground a little deeper than they were 
in the nursery. Peat moss may be worked in around the roots to increase the 
humus of the soil but Do Nor Pur FertitizeER oR MANURE IN THE HOLE. 
When the plants arrive, soak the roots in water and then set out as soon as 
possible. If planting must be delayed, cover the roots with wet bags or peat 
moss, or place the plants in a shallow trench covering the roots with soil. 
CULTIVATION 
For blueberry plantings in Pennsylvania, we have found 4 MULCH ABSOLUTELY 
ESSENTIAL to increase soil acidity and conserve the moisture which keeps the fine 
shallow roots from drying out. Sawdust is a very satisfactory mulch. Leaves, 
straw, pine needles, and peat moss are also good. Spread the mulch 4 inches 
thick on top of the ground and in a radius of a foot or more around each plant. 
In commercial planting, it is advisable to mulch the entire blueberry row and 
cultivate between rows. THE MULCHING MATERIAL Must Be RENEWED EACH YEAR. 
Although the mulch helps to keep weeds down around the plants, some hoeing 
is required. All cultivation around the plants must be shallow to protect the 
roots which lie close to the surface of the ground. Clean cultivation is the usual 
practice between the rows until harvest when a cover crop may be sown or 
weeds allowed to grow to increase organic matter in the soil. 
No fertilizer is applied the year plants are transplanted. The second year 2 oz. 
of a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-5 is applied. The amount is increased one 
ounce each Spring until a total of 7 0z. is being used per plant. Fertilizer is 
broadcast in a circle around the plant on top of the ground, taking care that no 
fertilizer touches the plant. Manure should not be used and Never Use Lime 
near blueberries; it is poison to these acid loving plants. 
In small plantings insects and diseases are not sufficiently serious to require 
spraying. 
For more complete information on Blueberry Culture write to the U.S.D.A.. 
Washington, D. C. for Farmers’ Bulletin No. 1951. “Blueberry Growing.” 
PRUNING 
Most Cultivated Blueberry plants overproduce and must be pruned. To secure 
large berries on vigorous new wood, the extra fruit buds and weak stems must 
be pruned off. Little or no pruning, however, is needed on plants younger than 
4 years old. Pruning each year is done in the spring while the buds are dormant. 
Instructions are as follows: 
1. Cut off low spreading branches next to the ground, leaving only the 
erect branches and shoots. 
2. If center of plant is bushy, cut out the weak and old branches to make 
room for new growth. Occasionally if plants are not vigorous, some of 
the old main shoots are pruned at the ground to produce new vigorous 
growth. 
