Content
- 1 When do blueberries begin to bear fruit after planting?
- 2 Why do garden blueberries not bloom or bear fruit?
- 2.1 Poor quality planting material
- 2.2 Violation of the rules of planting and care
- 2.3 Incorrect landing site selected
- 2.4 Lack of drainage
- 2.5 Violation of the watering schedule
- 2.6 Violation of the feeding schedule
- 2.7 Lack or incorrectly selected mulching material
- 2.8 Violation of pruning rules
- 2.9 Lack of pollinators
- 2.10 Spring frosts
- 3 Pests and diseases are another reason why garden blueberries grow poorly
- 4 Prevention measures
- 5 Conclusion
Blueberries do not bloom or bear fruit - a problem faced by gardeners who do not know the intricacies of caring for the plant. The reasons for this are various, starting with poor-quality planting material or an incorrectly selected location, and ending with improper care.
When do blueberries begin to bear fruit after planting?
Blueberries differ in the timing of the start of fruiting from most crops grown in central Russia. You should not expect fruit to appear in the second or even third year after planting. Without knowing this nuance, gardeners conclude that blueberries are not growing, although in reality the time has not yet come.
The first flowering of the bush begins 3-4 years after planting. During this period, the plant forms replacement lateral shoots. The first inflorescences form at their tips next season.The ripening of the berries lasts from mid-summer to the end of September for 5 years, after which the old branches are cut off.
The exact time of blueberry fruiting is difficult to determine unambiguously: it depends on the plant variety, the quality of planting material and other parameters. This is approximately 3-7 years after planting.
Why do garden blueberries not bloom or bear fruit?
There are several reasons:
- poor quality planting material;
- incorrectly selected landing site;
- lack of drainage;
- irrational watering or fertilization;
- lack of or incorrectly selected mulching material;
- improper pruning of shoots;
- diseases and pests;
- lack of pollinators;
- spring frosts.
Poor quality planting material
There are often situations when it makes no sense to cultivate blueberry seedlings. A bush grown from them will not bloom and will not produce a harvest. Signs of poor quality planting material:
- spots on leaf blades;
- the presence of uncharacteristic burgundy areas on the bark;
- open root system.
The first and second symptoms are characteristic of a seedling infected with Phomopsis or Godronia. A plant sold with bare roots will not take root in a new location. Blueberries must be kept in a container with acidic soil, otherwise they will not bloom and bear fruit for a long time.
The quality of seedlings that are ordered from online stores is difficult to visually determine. If, after inspection, defects are identified, it is better to cut off the affected areas and try to grow blueberries.
Violation of the rules of planting and care
Even a healthy and strong seedling can easily damage its roots. They appear as thin, tangled branches (hence their American name "angel hair"). The following procedures will help reduce the risk of damage:
- soak the pot of blueberry roots in water for 4 hours;
- remove the plant from the planting container;
- Gently knead the earthen lump, starting from the central part.
There are also a number of rules regarding the placement of blueberries in the ground.
- The bush is placed in the planting hole so that the roots are straightened and evenly distributed on all sides.
- After this, the blueberries are sprinkled with the top layer of the substrate, watered, and mulched to reduce moisture evaporation and maintain looseness of the soil.
- The plant does not like cramped conditions, so when planting bushes you need to maintain a distance of at least 1 m between them.
If you neglect the planting rules, the defective root system will not allow established blueberries to develop normally.
Incorrect landing site selected
Blueberries do not bear fruit or bloom if the planting site is chosen incorrectly.
A bush planted in a lowland does not grow well due to excess moisture and frequent frosts. With a large amount of water, the roots die, and frosts damage young shoots, flowers, ovaries, and in the fall - berries.
Experienced gardeners do not recommend planting blueberries in shaded areas. It grows in the shade, but does not bear fruit. In order for the berries to appear, it needs good lighting.
Blueberries do not grow in places where plants that were treated with organic matter or that increased the acidity of the soil (potatoes and other vegetables) were placed before them. They should not be chosen as neighbors of the bush. Blueberries also grow poorly if the pH is greater than 5.5: the leaves become yellow, the berries become small, and the shoots become weak. The reason is that in slightly acidic soil mycorrhiza does not work on blueberry roots, which means nitrogen is not absorbed.
You need soil with an acidity pH of 4.5 - 5.5. The site is suitable if melons grew on it: zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkin. Blueberries are planted in places where parsley, corn, rosemary or thyme grew.
Blueberries do not grow well in windy areas.
Lack of drainage
If there is no drainage, excess water will form. Stagnant water deprives blueberry roots of air, they “suffocate”, die, and then the bush dies.
Therefore, if there is heavy soil or groundwater close to the surface, a drainage system is needed. To do this, part of the soil is removed to a depth of 70 cm, which is spread along the contour of the planting hole. The resulting hole is filled with peat mixed with sand, pine needles and sawdust. The result should be a hill on which the blueberries are placed, sprinkling the roots with soil on top.
Violation of the watering schedule
Blueberries do not bloom or bear fruit if there is a lack or excess of moisture. Gardeners often encounter drying out of the soil coma in the central part of the plant. This can happen with the correct watering schedule if the roots were not straightened out when planting.
Excessive moisture is also detrimental. Optimal regimen: twice a week, 10 liters per bush. The volume of water is divided into 2 equal parts: one is poured in the morning and the second in the evening.
Violation of the feeding schedule
Blueberries have specific requirements for applied fertilizers. Without regular fertilizing, it will not begin to bear fruit, but it does not tolerate organic matter:
- bird droppings;
- compost;
- manure.
The best option for blueberries is mineral complexes like Mortar or Fertika.
Lack or incorrectly selected mulching material
If there is no layer of mulch, then moisture is not retained in the upper layer of the substrate, and the roots are not protected from sudden temperature changes. This has a bad effect on the growth of blueberries.
Also, the bush does not grow or bear fruit if clean sawdust is used as mulch. They have 3 significant disadvantages:
- when watering, they absorb a lot of moisture, which means they need more water;
- sawdust quickly shrinks and, after drying, forms a crust along which water flows without reaching the roots;
- blown away by the wind.
The most effective material for mulching is a mixture of pine needles and sawdust.
Violation of pruning rules
The peculiarity of blueberries is that only those shoots that grew last year actively form berries. Inflorescences are formed at their tips. Therefore, if you shorten such branches, you may not expect berries next year. Pruning is done only in extreme cases, when you need to save the entire plant from a disease or pest.
From blueberries, only branches older than 5 years and dry twigs are removed. If they are absent, it is better not to form a bush.
Lack of pollinators
Blueberries are a self-pollinating plant, but in order for the crop to begin to bloom and bear fruit, it must be provided with pollinators. The flowering period of these plants should coincide. Therefore, experts do not recommend planting blueberries in one bush.The best option is to place several seedlings at a 1.5-meter distance from each other.
Spring frosts
Late spring frosts at night can destroy a potential harvest. At this time of year, the temperature is unstable and the daytime heat can be replaced by a serious cold snap. If frost catches a bush that has already bloomed, there will be no harvest this year. It is impossible to correct the situation; fruit ovaries will appear only next year.
Pests and diseases are another reason why garden blueberries grow poorly
The reason for the poor development of blueberries may lie in the bush becoming infected with fungal diseases and bacterial infections.
The most dangerous diseases for berries:
- anthracnose;
- gray rot;
- spotting (double, necrotic, red ring);
- monocnosis;
- mosaic;
- stem cancer;
- dwarfism;
- threadiness of shoots.
An effective means of combating them are fungicides (Kuprozan, Topsin-M, Benomil). Treatment is carried out after harvesting 3 times at weekly intervals. In advanced forms, it is better to get rid of the plant to prevent the infection from spreading throughout the garden area.
Pests can be the reason why blueberries do not bloom or bear fruit. The most dangerous:
- gall midge;
- scale insect;
- kidney mite;
- leaf roller.
Insecticides (Iskra, Karate, Mospilan, Actellik and products from lesser-known manufacturers) will protect the plant from them. The ideal time for treatment is early spring, when the larvae leave their wintering grounds and the bush itself has not yet bloomed.
Prevention measures
Knowing all the intricacies of caring for blueberries, you can achieve fruiting in just a couple of years. To do this, you need to periodically check the condition of the bushes. Preventive measures should include:
- regular feeding with minerals;
- updating mulch;
- cutting off dead branches;
- spring protective treatment of the plant with natural aseptics (onion water, soap solution, etc.);
- monitoring soil acidity and moisture;
- covering the bush for the winter to protect against frostbite.
Periodically carrying out the above work will help maintain optimal conditions for blueberry growth and development. The result will be a bountiful harvest.
Conclusion
Blueberries do not bloom or bear fruit for many reasons: the plant is demanding in terms of growing conditions. To harvest a good harvest, you will have to maintain an optimal level of acidity, provide sufficient lighting, moderate watering and loose, nutritious soil.
