Blueberry propagation: step-by-step instructions for do-it-yourself propagation, features of division, cuttings and layering

Blueberries are still a new guest in our garden plots and cottages. Found mainly among avid berry lovers. But time passes - and the well-deserved popularity of blueberries has led to the fact that many lovers want to plant this wonderful berry.

Brief overview of the article

• Reproduction methods
• The easiest way is to divide the bush
• Cuttings
• Types of cuttings
• Cuttings using lignified cuttings
• Storing woody cuttings
• Pruning cuttings
• Rooting lignified cuttings
• What soil is needed for germinating lignified cuttings?
• Cuttings with green cuttings
• Preparation of green cuttings
• What soil is needed for germinating green cuttings
• Rooting green cuttings
• Water for irrigation
• Shrubs from root shoots
• Layerings
• Photos of blueberries

Reproduction methods

Garden blueberries can be propagated in various ways. There are two ways to propagate blueberries:

Vegetative (by dividing the bush, cuttings, layering, etc.). The vegetative method allows you to quickly (after 2-3 years) try the first berries of your own harvest. With this method, the varietal characteristics of the original bush are precisely preserved.

Generative (seed). The method is not for everyone. Firstly, it requires time, careful care, and precise adherence to temperature conditions during stratification and germination of seeds. Secondly, there is a possibility that the blueberry bush from which the seeds were taken is a hybrid, and the seeds will not retain the characteristics of the original bush at all. Therefore, propagation of blueberries by seeds is used mainly by breeders when creating new varieties and hybrids.

The disadvantage of garden blueberries is that they do not take root well, and the gardener will have to make considerable efforts for vegetative propagation.

Micropropagation of blueberries

Test tube seedlings are already appearing in our stores. In addition, the army of gardeners who know what meristems are and how plants develop from them is growing. Micropropagation is the growing of a seedling from a piece of tissue (meristem) of the mother plant. The apical meristems are mainly used. Their cells actively divide and lead to the continuous growth of leaves, stems, and flowers.

Plants were obtained microclonally - from a piece of tissue

For the average landowner, if it is possible to grow blueberries from cuttings or shoots, this method looks very illogical, complex and expensive. You will need laboratory equipment and a nutrient solution, specifically for this crop. It is also necessary to ensure optimal temperature conditions and sufficient lighting. After growing in vitro, the plants are acclimated to normal, non-sterile conditions.

However, this technology makes it possible to obtain thousands of seedlings from one branch, which are absolutely healthy and repeat all the properties of the mother plant. The artificial propagation method is actively spreading around the world; it is of interest to breeders and companies selling planting material.

Video: advantages of microclonal propagation and its main stages

Blueberries are considered a promising berry for business. In many countries it is grown on an industrial scale. For example, in Belarus the planting area is 500 hectares, and more than 100 farms are engaged in cultivation. Belarusian gardeners can buy both imported tall varieties and unique local ones, for example, with white fruits.

Video: blueberry cultivation in Belarus

Breeding blueberries is a promising activity. By purchasing 2–3 seedlings of different varieties, you can eventually grow an entire plantation of berries that are in high demand on the market. The most popular propagation methods are cuttings and layering, and large enterprises are adopting the microclonal method.

• Author: Marina Volkova
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The easiest way is to divide the bush

The traditional garden method for quickly propagating blueberries is dividing the bush. Allows you to quickly obtain productive plants. Suitable for low growing varieties.

Digging and dividing the bush is carried out in early spring - this way the resulting bushes take root better. Under no circumstances should plants be divided at the time of flowering and ripening of the crop.

To divide, the large mother bush is carefully dug up along with a lump of earth. Blueberry roots are superficial, so digging up the entire bush is easy. The bush is divided by hand, preferably without the help of a knife. Usually divided into 3-4 parts. Each part of the bush should have a developed root, preferably no shorter than 50 mm.

The roots and section site are treated with antiseptics and stimulants. It is advisable to add peat to the planting hole. The hole is spilled with water, the roots are carefully straightened and distributed, covered with earth, and watered.

The bush is watered regularly for three weeks. It is advisable to mulch the root circle.

Further care

Blueberries are an undemanding plant and are easy to care for. Below are the main points for caring for crops.

Watering

Blueberries are harmed by dry soil, so you will have to water the plant often. It is better to use a watering can for watering. It will not wash away the mulch, which must be near the plant trunk. The optimal soil moisture level is 60–70%. To maintain such humidity, you should water the bush generously 2 times a week in the evening . In July-August, the number of waterings can be increased up to 3 times. This will improve the harvest and help the formation of flower buds for next year.

Despite the fact that blueberries are a moisture-loving plant, they do not tolerate stagnant water, so during planting, be sure to provide drainage in the hole

During periods of drought and heat, shrubs can be sprayed with water in the evening. This way you will help the plant avoid stress that it may receive during high temperatures.

Top dressing

Blueberries do not respond well to organic fertilizers, such as green manure, manure and compost. The only thing that suits it is acidic high-moor peat or half-ripe pine litter. To feed the crop, it is better to use mineral fertilizers . It is necessary to start feeding the bushes 3 years after planting.

Find out in more detail how and how to properly feed blueberries.

Mineral fertilizers for blueberries:

1. Nitrogen . Stimulates shoot growth and fruit formation. It is enough to apply 60 g per year to the bush.
2. Phosphorus . Affects yield and disease resistance. 50 g per year is enough for one bush.
3. Potassium . Helps the plant resist diseases. With fertilizer, bushes can more easily withstand winter and drought. It is enough for one bush to receive 40 g of the substance per year.

Blueberry fertilization plan:

1. At the beginning of spring , when the plant is just beginning to awaken, it is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers under the bush.
2. During the budding period, blueberries can be sprayed with a growth stimulator.
3. During the period of berry formation, the bushes can be fed with complex fertilizers.
4. In August, it will be useful for the plant to receive potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Mulching

Mulching is a mandatory step in caring for blueberry bushes. You can carry out the procedure using:

• sawdust;
• straw;
• pine bark;
• leaves;
• pine needles

Despite the fact that with a layer of mulch in the spring the buds open later, this is only better for the plant.
Thus, early frosts will not harm the future harvest. The optimal layer of mulch should be up to 15 cm . The procedure will not only help maintain moisture in the soil, but will also prevent the growth of weeds. Mulching also protects the root system of the plant from low temperatures in winter.

Important! As a result of mulching with fresh sawdust, the plant increases the consumption of nitrogen from the soil, so in the spring, when mulching, additionally feed the blueberries with nitrogen fertilizers.

Trimming

It is necessary to begin pruning and shaping the bush from the third year after planting . Weak, damaged and diseased shoots are systematically removed. It is better to prune in the spring before the buds open. If the procedure is carried out in the fall, the cut site may suffer from severe frosts in winter.

During annual pruning, consider the following:

1. Young bushes need to be pruned more heavily. This procedure stimulates plant growth.
2. Only upright growths should be preserved, and low spreading ones should be cut off. There should be at least 5 annual shoots left on the bush.
3. On fruiting bushes that are more than 5 years old, shoots older than 4 years should predominate.
4. If the crown is very thick, you can cut out the inner old and weak branches.
5. Remove small and thin branches. Leave only strong shoots and skeletal branches.
6. After pruning, do not leave cut branches near the bush. It is better to burn them on the same day. This way you will prevent the development of infections on them.

Pruning largely depends on the blueberry variety:

• for bushes with wide crowns, cut off the entire top of the plant;
• in bushes with a more elongated shape, it is necessary to trim the strongest shoots to stimulate their growth;
• in bushes with a thick and dense crown, the most branched shoots are shortened;
• The most productive varieties of blueberries with a large number of branches require good thinning of the bush every year.

Did you know? The amount of antioxidants in blueberries exceeds that of any vegetable or fruit.

Breeding blueberries does not always give the desired result. The plant's survival rate is low. But if you follow all the advice given in the article, the crop will be healthy and strong, and numerous berries will be able to delight you for a long time in the garden and on the table.

Cuttings

The most common and familiar way to obtain seedlings is to propagate blueberries from cuttings. With this method, the bush is not injured; small pruning only stimulates the growth of new shoots.

Taking cuttings is the simplest procedure. Well-proven technologies for germinating cuttings allow both experienced and novice amateur gardeners to use this method.

Benefits of cuttings

You can propagate garden blueberries yourself in different ways. For this purpose, seeds, layering, root shoots, and cuttings are used. Most often, gardeners resort to cuttings. This method is simple; the process of obtaining new plants does not take much time. Cuttings can be carried out in spring and summer.

The best results are obtained when propagating from green cuttings.

3 main advantages of blueberry propagation by cuttings:

• the ability to preserve varietal characteristics;
• the formation of a more developed root system in seedlings compared to other propagation options;
• The resulting specimens are distinguished by their endurance.

However, this method is not without its drawbacks. Cuttings with lignified cuttings in the spring are more suitable for experienced gardeners, since the process of harvesting, preserving material and rooting seedlings is quite complicated. And when blueberries propagate in the summer, the seedlings take root in August. The plant may not gain enough strength to survive the upcoming winter well, so it requires careful care.

Cuttings using lignified cuttings

For cutting lignified cuttings, select annual, well-ripened branches with large growth (great length). The branches should be covered with dense bark.

The optimal time for blueberry cuttings is early spring, before sap flows and buds begin to swell. The mother bush should be in deep rest.

Storing woody cuttings

Until rooting, cuttings are stored at a temperature of +5°C in a refrigerator or cellar. Cuttings prepared in autumn are stored all winter, spring cuttings - for one month. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest cuttings in the spring. The cuttings are tied into a bundle or laid in layers and sprinkled with a mixture of sawdust and snow.

Harvested branches should not become soaked, moldy, or even dry out. An increase in temperature during storage is also unacceptable.

Pruning cuttings

The cuttings are rooted in a specially prepared substrate. For rooting, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least +26°C.

Before planting, cuttings are cut to the following length:

• 10 cm for low-growing blueberry varieties;
• 15 cm for tall varieties.

Cuttings are cut: from above, right at a distance of 20 mm from the bud; from below, obliquely at an angle of 45° at a distance of 200 mm under the lower kidney.

Planting cuttings in a greenhouse

Cut the prepared shoots into pieces 10-15 cm long each. If you are propagating low-growing blueberries, cuttings 7-10 cm long will be sufficient. Just make sure that each cutting has at least 3 well-developed buds. In this case, it is extremely important that the lower cut of the blueberry is oblique, and the upper cut is flat and horizontal. Make the lower cut immediately below the bud, and the upper cut 1.5-2 cm above the last bud.

Plant blueberry cuttings in a bed according to a 5×5, 5×7, 5×10 or 10×10 cm pattern. The choice of pattern depends on how soon you plan to plant the seedlings in open ground. The later this happens, the greater the distance between plants should be. Bury the cuttings into the substrate by about 2/3 of their length, but make sure that there is at least one bud on the surface.

Blueberries take root very reluctantly. To “help” it, before planting, treat the lower part of the cuttings with a special rooting agent for heathers or Kornevin.

Now all that remains is to water the bed, install arcs over it and cover them first with polyethylene and then with spunbond.

On farms, blueberry cuttings are germinated directly in the fields

Rooting lignified cuttings

Cuttings are usually rooted in a heated greenhouse - temperature is very important for the germination of cuttings. Root either in a separate box or in a garden bed. When rooting in the garden bed, the layer of soil is removed and the prepared substrate is poured.

The distance between plants is 100 mm if the plants will germinate for a long time, and 50 mm if the germination period will be short. The distance between rows is 100 mm.

Water the soil, bury the cuttings, and water generously again. In the future, they water by sprinkling - watering from a hose can wash away the plantings.

The box or bed is covered with polyethylene - to germinate blueberry seedlings, high but excessive humidity is required. To reduce excessive humidity, plantings must be regularly ventilated.

It takes two months for woody cuttings to take root. And only then can you remove the polyethylene (first open it slightly, and only remove it after a few days). Then the future bushes are planted with a clod of earth in a permanent place.

With this method of propagating blueberries and with good care, within three years the first harvest will begin on the bushes.

Drastic pruning

With this method, the plant is cut off completely, leaving only a small ground stump, which is covered with a 30 cm layer of a mixture of peat, pine sawdust and wood ash.

Then pour it and create a greenhouse. The first shoots are not an indicator of maturity. Only after two years can they be separated from the main bush and transplanted to another place.

Preparation of green cuttings

In summer, blueberry plants have a dormant period - between the first and second waves of growth. Most often, this period begins in the heat at the end of July, but sometimes it can shift slightly to the beginning of the month, depending on the region and the temperature regime of a given summer. For successful blueberry cuttings, cuttings must be harvested during this period of relative dormancy.

Choose healthy branches with plenty of leaves. Green twigs are picked early in the morning so that the stalk breaks off along with the intact heel. Therefore, green cuttings are not cut out. The optimal length is 100 mm. Under no circumstances should the cuttings dry out or lie in the sun. The lower leaves are torn off.

Blueberry propagation methods and choosing the optimal timing

There are quite a few ways to grow garden blueberries. Each of them has certain pros and cons.



Cuttings

Blueberries propagate well from cuttings. They are usually harvested in the summer. In the fall, planting material should be prepared for storage, and in the spring it should be transplanted into the ground.

Green cuttings

This method of breeding blueberries is used most often. It is recommended to start harvesting green cuttings at the end of June. To do this, it is worth choosing high-quality shoots that do not have defects. Gardeners advise cutting branches that have at least 5 buds.

After cutting the material, it is worth preparing the soil. To do this, it is recommended to mix sand with peat in a ratio of 1:3. You need to plant the cuttings in the prepared mass. It is important to follow the 5x5 centimeter pattern. It is recommended to carry out cuttings in a container. It is covered with film.

After a couple of months, the cuttings take root. In winter, it is recommended to cover blueberries with peat and sawdust. In spring, the cuttings are planted in a greenhouse and watered.

This method has significant advantages:

• it is possible to preserve the varietal characteristics that the mother plant has;
• seedlings develop stronger roots when compared with other varieties;
• bushes are characterized by excellent endurance.

However, this method also has certain disadvantages. The key disadvantage is that blueberries take root in August, and therefore they may not be ready for the upcoming frosts. Therefore, the culture needs to create optimal conditions for the winter period.

Root

This method is not suitable for tall plants because they do not produce underground root shoots. Therefore, this method is used for swampy, twig-shaped and low-growing blueberries. Its shoots provide good material that takes root easily.

To carry out the procedure, it is recommended to perform the following steps:

1. Prepare a bed in a shaded area. You need to add pine needles, peat, and sawdust to the soil. In addition, it is recommended to use a complex fertilizer.
2. In selected mature crops, expose the overgrown roots. At the same time, it is recommended to cut off long fragments from them.
3. Cut the resulting material into cuttings 10-17 centimeters long. It is important that each of them has a large bud.
4. Form furrows in the garden bed. Their depth should be 10-12 centimeters. The recesses are made at intervals of 15 centimeters. They should be well watered.
5. Place the cuttings into the recesses. It is recommended to point the kidney upward.
6. Sprinkle the cuttings with soil and water again.
7. Place a shelter made of arcs over the bed and cover it with spunbond. After a month it needs to be removed. By this time, sprouts should appear. If this does not happen, you may suspect problems are emerging. The cuttings could dry out or, conversely, rot. They are also often attacked by soil pests. To determine the reasons, it is worth digging up several roots and assessing their condition.
8. From the moment of planting until the beginning of autumn, the soil must be systematically watered. It is important to ensure that it does not dry out.
9. By the end of the season it will be possible to obtain ready-made seedlings. It is recommended to transplant them to a permanent place or leave them in the garden. This should be done before spring. First, mulch with peat and cover the area with spunbond.

See also

Description and rules for growing blueberry variety Reka

Read

Lignified

Lignified cuttings are often used for blueberry propagation. They should be harvested in March or April. To do this, it is recommended to cut the shoots, leaving 5 buds on each. The length of the branch must be at least 15 centimeters.

To prepare the soil, you should use peat. Cuttings should be placed in it. In this case, it is recommended to leave 2 buds at the top. Blueberries can be propagated in a container.

It is recommended to place it in a greenhouse. It is important to take into account the temperature regime. The greenhouse should be warm, but not too hot. Cuttings do not take long to root - within a full 1.5 months. After 3 months they need to be fed. For this purpose, it is recommended to use ammonium. Take 10 grams of fertilizer per 1 square meter. It is worth moving plants to the nursery in the spring.

Semi-lignified cuttings

Blueberry cultivation can also be done using semi-lignified cuttings. It is recommended to harvest them in the summer - from the second half of June to the end of July. This is done in 1-2 weeks. For this purpose, branches of the current year's growth or branching shoots are used.

Shoots that have finished growing should be cut off. To do this, it is recommended to make a sharp downward movement. Thanks to this, it is possible to preserve a fragment of last year’s wood from the cutting. Strips of bark at the ends of branches should be cut off. To do this, use a sharp tool.

It is worth removing leaves from the lower fragment of the cutting - half or a quarter of the length. Then the cut is dipped into a special powder intended for rooting. The resulting material should be moved to the greenhouse, onto the beds prepared in advance. This is done so that the leaves do not cover each other.

The rooting of semi-lignified cutting shoots requires exactly at least a month and a half. During this period, it is recommended to systematically water the beds. It is important to ensure that the leaves do not wilt. The greenhouse needs ventilation, and the cuttings require treatment against harmful insects and diseases.

However, the use of nitrogen fertilizers is not recommended. It is important that the cuttings have time to become woody. This will help them survive the winter easier.

At the end of August, it is worth removing the covering material from the greenhouse, which already contains rooted cuttings. In October, plants should be sprinkled with a layer of sawdust or peat. It should be 5-7 centimeters. In early November, it is recommended to cover the beds with spunbond. In this form, young plants can survive the winter. In the spring, when the soil has completely thawed, young plants should be moved to a school of seedlings or placed directly in containers for growing.

Preparing suitable beds for rooting seedlings

Cuttings can be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse. To do this, it is worth preparing the beds in advance. They are made using the following methods:

1. You can make a wooden frame. It should have a rectangular shape. Its height should be 20-25 centimeters. Prepared soil substrate is poured inside.
2. You can pull out the top layer of soil 20-26 centimeters thick. The prepared soil should be poured into the resulting depression.

Features of caring for young shoots

Such plants require full care. First of all, you should take care of the correct temperature. It should be 18-21 degrees. If the soil is too cold or too warm, the weak roots of the plant will die.

It is important to monitor the development of diseases and pest attacks. If undesirable symptoms occur, cultures are immediately treated with Cuprozan or Fundazol.

You can also use Azophos. Insecticides help eliminate harmful insects. The drug Ambush is suitable for this. Cuttings should definitely be watered systematically and the optimal level of humidity in the greenhouse should be monitored.

See also

When is the best time to collect barberries and how to dry the fruits, storage rules

Read

Seed method

Propagation by seeds is considered a rather labor-intensive method. It is not usually used at home. Most often, the technique is used to obtain new varieties.

Seed stratification takes 90 days. It is advisable to obtain sprouts in March. Therefore, it is worth starting the preparation of planting material in early December. Plants need to be planted superficially.

Then it is recommended to water them and cover them with glass. After 1-3 weeks, sprouts will emerge. They should be grown like ordinary seedlings.

Dividing a whole bush

A bush that has several full-fledged shoots and powerful roots is recommended to be divided into several fragments. To do this, you should dig it out of the ground and carefully separate the shoots that contain a sufficient number of roots. Their length should be 5-7 centimeters.

The resulting seedlings are worth inspecting. If damaged roots are identified, they should be cut off. Then the seedlings are immediately transferred to a new site. It is recommended to deepen the plants by 10-12 centimeters to get new roots. After planting, the crop should be watered abundantly and its branches should be cut short.

We propagate the plant with layerings

To grow blueberries using this method, in the spring or at the beginning of the summer season, you should choose strong branches. Annual growths should be shortened by a fifth and placed in a hole. Attach all segments to the ground. To do this, you can use wire hooks. Sprinkle the hole with sawdust.

When the vertical shoots grow 8-10 centimeters, they should be hilled up to half their height. To do this, it is recommended to mix peat and sawdust in equal parts. The manipulation is performed 3 times, as the size of the shoots increases .

The soil should be moist all summer. It should be watered and loosened in a timely manner. After about 2.5 years, the shoots will form full-fledged roots. At this point they are transferred to a permanent site.

Root shoots or partial bushes

Some crop varieties have root shoots. It appears at a distance of about 30 centimeters from the main plant. It is best to separate seedlings in the spring. It is important that before the arrival of autumn they have full roots.

It is very important to cut the main root, which connects the main plant and the shoot, as carefully as possible. It is strictly forbidden to pull out shoots. You should dig around it, find the area of ​​connection and cut it off. Then you should move the plant to a permanent site.

What soil is needed for germinating green cuttings

They use a mixture of peat and acidic pine litter (well rotted).

Rooting green cuttings

It is convenient to use fairly large cassettes or boxes and pots. The distance between cuttings is approximately 70 mm. The entire part of the cutting without leaves is buried in the substrate.

Water the cuttings generously, then water them drips and regularly spray the leaves. It is necessary to ensure that germination occurs at a constant temperature of +26-28 °C.

If it is possible to create high humidity in the greenhouse, then the planting does not need to be covered with plastic film. The seedlings will take root in 5-6 weeks.

In autumn, young seedlings are covered in a cool, bright room and stored until spring. You can insulate the bushes very well and leave them outside (this depends on the region and the minimum temperature in winter; this storage method is not possible in all regions of Russia).

When planting seedlings in spring, it is necessary to cover them with film for a week or two and maintain optimal humidity.

When should blueberry cuttings be rooted?

It depends on where you are going to plant the planting material. If we are talking about a heated greenhouse, in which the air temperature is constantly maintained at 20°C, the cuttings should be rooted in March-April. If you have an unheated greenhouse, the best time to work will be April or early May.

Before planting the cuttings, prepare the beds in the greenhouse. Knock down frames 15-20 cm high from boards and fill them with clean high-moor peat. You will also need wire arcs, plastic film and spunbond (or any other non-woven material) to cover the beds.

The frame of the bed for rooting blueberry cuttings can be wooden, plastic or metal

As a peat substitute, you can use a mixture of sand, peat, bark and rotted pine sawdust in any quantity, or a mixture of high-moor peat with coarse sand or perlite in a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1.

Water for irrigation

Blueberries do not tolerate chlorinated water - they must be allowed to stand so that the chlorine is released. Do not water with cold water - stress is detrimental to seedlings.

Shrubs from root shoots

How blueberries reproduce from root shoots is clear from the name. Sprouts appear on the roots away from the mother bush. It is necessary to select large young shoots, carefully dig them up, and cut them off from the original bush with a sharp knife. Then plant it in the same way as a divided bush. It is necessary to carefully monitor soil moisture in the first 3-4 weeks after transplanting.

Layerings

This method is used to propagate tall or medium-sized blueberry varieties. The advantage of the method: you get strong bushes with a complete root system. How to propagate blueberries by layering is easy to explain to inexperienced berry lovers. The method itself is very simple and reliable.

A lateral but strong branch is tilted and buried in a mixture of peat, pine litter or sawdust. The branch is pinned to the ground. The pinning area is often watered, and sometimes peat or substrate is added. There is no need to cover the branch with film.

It is better to start growing a new bush in the spring, then after two years it can be cut off from the mother bush, dug up with a clod of earth and planted in a permanent place. Be sure to add peat to the hole and water the bush regularly.

Propagation of garden blueberries by layering

Blueberry propagation by layering is characterized by a long waiting time and low yield of planting material. But this method of propagation does not require special conditions for keeping the seedling; the plant grows strong and hardy.

For propagation by layering, without separating the side shoot of the mother plant, bend it to the soil and cover it with an acidic substrate for growing blueberries or sawdust from coniferous trees. During cultivation, shoots directed upwards grow from the place where the buds are located. They are cared for in the same way as an adult bush, maintaining soil moisture and acidity.

Important! When propagating blueberries by layering, you should not focus on the development of the vegetative mass, because the roots at this time may still be poorly formed.

Rooting during propagation by layering occurs after 2-3 years. After the formation of their own roots, new plants are carefully dug up, cut off from the mother shoot with a sharp garden tool and immediately transplanted for further cultivation in a separate place. If the location is not determined, blueberries can be grown in a container with a suitable substrate.

Photos of blueberries