Blue Blossoms

Blueberries, also known scientifically as Cyanococcus, are in the genus Vaccinium. They are indigenous to North America and estimated to be around 13,000 years old. The Native American population at the time used blueberries to survive the harsh winters by drying them out and storing them. They also utilized the blueberries leaves for various medicinal purposes.

According to the Farmers Almanac, the best season for blueberries in San Luis Obispo is planting in mid-February through mid-May and harvesting in mid-June through the end of August.

When planting, it is important to ensure that each bush is planted between two to two and a half feet apart if you want the bush to form a hedge and around six feet apart if you want the bushes to be individualized. It is also important to make sure that the soil has an acidic pH, between four to five, as that is the level that the bushes prefer. If the soil does not allow for good drainage and for the plant to keep its roots moist it will not likely produce or survive well. Blueberries are not grown in a greenhouse but grow best in full exposure to the sun.

Once planted, fertilization with acid fertilizers can help the plant’s growth, as long as not to much is utilized. The plant also does well with two through four inches of mulch to keep moisture in and add other benefits to keeping the plant healthy. The bush required about one to two inches of water per week in order to be productive.

The blueberry bush should not need to be pruned before it is four years old, once it reaches this age it should be pruned before each growing season. If part is over six years old it should be pruned to allow for new growth.

Today’s blueberry has many variations, including the high bush, low bush, hybrid half-high and rabbit eye, the most commonly utilized versions are of the high bush variety. These plants can grow to be as tall as 12 feet tall; however, most plants grow to around six feet in height. The pollinated flowers

on the bush are what turns into the berries. For the first year or two of the plants life it should be prevented from producing fruit, to help the plants growth, by stripping it of its flowers.

As time comes along for harvesting many blueberry bushes are still manually harvested to best preserve the precious and delicate commodity. Some plants are machine harvested, these tend to be the berries that are rinsed off, frozen and then sold throughout the year to consumers.

Before the fruit goes to market, it is sent to the processing plant to be sorted and packaged for consumption. While here, the bruised and rotted blueberries are sorted out and they may also be sorted based on quality, size and color. Once the processing is complete, the blueberries are placed in plastic clam shells of various sizes to be sent out for distribution.

In next week’s blog more of the California data and statistics on blueberries will be discussed, check in Thursday for more!

Sources:

https://www.blueberrycouncil.org/growing-blueberries/

https://www.almanac.com/plant/blueberries