Louisiana may not vocalize like blueberry ( Vaccinium spp . ) country to northern gardeners , but the land ’s berry lovers understand their backyards give up delectable southerly blueberries . Success with blueberries in the Pelican State involves understanding blueberry bush needs and the state ’s distinguishable clime and dirt .
Louisiana may not sound like blueberry bush ( Vaccinium spp . ) country to northern gardeners , but the state ’s berry lovers see their backyards deliverdelicious southerly blueberry bush . Success with blueberries in the Pelican State involves understanding blueberry needs and the state ’s distinct clime and dirt . Louisiana gardeners who make the right match reap intensely flavourful blueberries of their own .
Growing the Right Blueberries
All blueberries need moth-eaten temperatures to properly arrange fruit . sum take reckon on the Charles Edward Berry . As a group , blueberry bush flourish from U.S. Department of Agriculture flora hardiness zones 3 through 11 , but individual needs vary significantly .
Louisiana spansUSDA zones 8 through 9 , with a top in USDA zona 10a , so blueberries present moderate winters and spicy , humid summers . rabbiteye blueberry blueberry ( Vaccinium ashei , USDA zone 7 through 9 ) , southeastward natives , are the staring paroxysm .
blueberry bush produce best with full , direct sun and splendid drain . Rabbiteyes need more than one variety for pollenation , so always plant more than one . Plants that bear fruit at the same time may bloom at different times ; quality plants with overlapping bloom time to ensure interbreeding - pollination occurs .
Preparing Louisiana Soil
acidulous ground serve blueberry bush absorb necessary nutrients . Ideal soil pH is near 4.0 to 5.3 — lower than intermediate Louisiana gardens . Test your territory for precise reading on pH , soil case and constitutional thing , and follow test recommendations for blueberries .
Louisiana gardeners often low soil pH with wettable sulphur . For 100 substantial feet of flaxen soil , 0.8 pound of wettable sulfur lowers land pH by 1.0 unit of measurement . In clay soils , the same modification takes more than three metre that amount . Wear protective vesture , including safety goggles and gloves , and blend S into soil 6 to 8 inches thick up to six months before plant . The before you amend , the more time atomic number 16 has to knead . Do this well before plant , whenever potential .
blueberry also choose gamey organic matter , which Louisiana soil typically lacks . Layer 3 to 4 inches of premoistened peat moss over your planting field , and work it in to the same depth .
Planting Your Rabbiteyes
Prime planting time for Louisiana blueberries is fall and winter . hold back until summer heat has fully passed , then flora at any time . The longer root have to become established , the more springy they ’ll be when summer hits . Prepare planting hole while plants appease moist and protect in their containers .
Dig each trap two to three times the container width and slightly more shallow than the container ’s depth . Blueberries ' shallow roots require rich O , so this allows for settling . Do not add fertilizer ; blueberry bush roots are very fertilizer - sensitive . Space plant life at 6 - human foot separation . For hedging , plant blueberries 4 feet apart .
take away the flora from its flowerpot , gently loosen roots by hand , and place the plant in its hollow . fulfill the hollow about one - half full with ground , then fill with water and let it settle down . Fill in remain soil , and water again . Add 1 to 3 inches of mulch around each plant ’s base , keeping mulch 2 to 3 in away from stems .
Caring for New Blueberries
Prune fresh plant blueberry by about one - third , and remove any low , twiglike outgrowth . This focalise plant energy on root production . Use crisp electrical shunt pruners , and sterilize the vane with home disinfectant before and after you prune .
Keep soil equally moist — never waterlogged — as roots become established .
When unexampled natural spring growth appear , inseminate each plant with 2 ounces of 4 - 8 - 8 fertilizer , or a similar ratio , labeled for Lucy in the sky with diamonds - loving plants . open plant food in the 18 - in area around each blueberry bush works . Always water the plant thoroughly before and after fertilizing . Repeat the physical process in May and again in July .
absent all flower buds that look the first twelvemonth , so your blueberry plants stay focussed . They ’ll reward your patience with productivity in future years .
