The right spacing for your blueberry plant heavily depends on the type of blueberry you are planting. Also, the spacing you give your blueberry will determine whether you are going for an open planting design or a solid hedge. When you are spacing your blueberry, you have to consider not only the distance between plants but also the distance between rows.
To assist you in establishing and maintaining the best circumstances for fully grown blueberry plants, there are recommendations for blueberry plant spacing. So, how far apart is enough for a blueberry? Read on.
How to Space Blueberry
You can set your plants 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart if you want your blueberries to grow together and create a live wall that doubles as a hedge. They will eventually grow together, leaving no visible space between the shrubs.
You may also space your plants 5 to 6 feet apart to establish rabbiteye blueberry bushes as individual plants. Plants for highbush blueberries should be placed 4 feet apart.
Maintaining enough spacing between blueberry bushes when planting rows is crucial to prevent the plants from growing close to one another. If there is a route between the rows, it will be easier to collect the blueberries. Even when you are spacing other plants, grow them only a short distance from each other so there is enough space for you to walk among the rows and harvest.
It is advisable to separate the rows of rabbiteye blueberries you are growing into rows 11 to 12 feet apart. Also, leave a 10-foot gap between each row if you’re growing highbush blueberries in a monoculture.
If you need more space in your garden, you can plant and space your blueberries on a raised bed. Most blueberry bushes perform well in soil beds that are 2 to 5 feet broad and 8 to 12 inches high. To allow for root propagation and above-ground maintenance, mounds are best placed about eight feet apart. If you have any specific space needs, it will depend on where and how many blueberry bushes are planted.
There is no structural containment in temporary beds formed of mounds of compacted dirt with inner pockets of loose, tilled soil. Although constructing these temporary beds is simpler and less expensive, they fall apart as the season progresses. To construct raised beds, you can use treated lumber, plastic, concrete blocks, bricks, or stones. The advantages of the materials mentioned earlier are that they prevent erosion and keep the mounds in place.
Blueberry Plant Spacing in Containers
If you are planting a blueberry, you should know that it will continue to bear fruits for a while. If you want to reap from your blueberries for a while, you should take care of them. Your plants can happily produce fruit for years, but you’ll want to give them a good start. That entails choosing the largest pot for blueberry plants and placing one in each container.
When planting a blueberry, pick a container with many drainage holes at least 18 inches deep. Bricks should be placed on top of pots for even better drainage. Blueberry bushes can be kept inside for a long time in deep, broad, waterproof containers like wooden half-barrels.
How To Grow Blueberry From Seeds
Blueberry seeds must be removed from the fruit’s inner pulp since they are concealed there. To begin your container garden, you can gather seeds from ripe fruit or purchase them, and I usually like to get seeds from my fruits.
However, if you are purchasing seeds, you must be certain that the seeds you purchase or obtain are from pollinating kinds. In warm areas, you should start the process in the fall, whereas in cold climates, you should start in spring.
Here is how you can grow your blueberries from the seed stage:
- Place the seeds in the freezer for about 90 days, then remove them from the freezer.
- Use a flat tray with sphagnum moss. Please note that the sphagnum moss has to be moistened.
- On top of the moss, scatter the seeds, then cover them with other moss.
A newspaper should be placed on the tray, and the tray should be placed in a location that has a temperature between 60 and 70 degrees.
In approximately a month, you should start to see seedlings if you keep the moss constantly moist.
When the seedlings are a few inches tall, take off the newspaper but maintain the dish in bright, indirect light.
Before placing seedlings in larger containers, plant seedlings in a damp mixture of peat moss, sand, and soil.
Caring For Your Blueberries
One of the best things about blueberries is that they are low maintenance, especially once planted. However, despite the low maintenance involved in taking care of your blueberry, you must do a few things for your blueberries.
- Watering
Because of their notoriously shallow roots, blueberry bushes need a lot of water. Watering your blueberries is crucial during the establishment stage. The establishment stage is when plants are more vulnerable and susceptible to drought stress. Blueberry plants may become stunted or have a smaller fruit set if they don’t receive enough regular water during the growing season.
I usually use drip irrigation for my blueberries because they can be set on a timer for hands-free management and feeds water directly to the base of the plants. Blueberry bushes require between 1 and 2 inches of rain or additional weekly irrigation. Deep mulching with sawdust, wood chips, or compost is a great idea to retain moisture at the base of the plant.
- Soil PH
The blueberry is an acid-loving plant. So, the soil ideal for the blueberry must have a pH of 4.0 to 4.8. The best approach to assess your pH is with a soil test. Popular methods for reducing soil pH in an organic context include coffee grinds. A high soil pH can cause yellowing between the veins of blueberry leaves, resulting in stunting and lower yields.
To ensure optimal aeration and drainage in their root zone, blueberries need soil with a sandy loam texture. When working with heavy soil, it is essential to double-dig your holes in advance and enhance the drainage by adding sand and organic matter.