The climate of the Moscow region is perfectly suitable for growing blueberries, but even in such a temperate climate you need to know how to properly plant the crop in open ground and care for it.
If you want to plant blueberries in your summer cottage, we recommend that you read the material in this article. It not only describes the best varieties of blueberries for the Moscow region, but also the basic rules for planting and caring for shrubs.
In what areas should the plant be planted?
Blueberry fruit
In nature, the crop grows well on swampy peat bogs or soils containing coniferous forests. The plant can mainly be found in Siberian, Ural and Far Eastern territories. In the Moscow region, as well as throughout the central part of the Russian Federation, blueberries are rarely found.
Breeders have grown crop varieties that can be seen exclusively in garden plots in the Moscow region. The plants were specially adapted to the climate and soil of the Russian center. In a short time they became incredibly popular. Today they are grown by numerous gardeners throughout the metropolitan region.
Blueberry seedlings are much larger than their forest counterparts. If the latter can grow to only 40-50 centimeters, then garden plants grow up to 2 meters in height.
To plant blueberries in the Moscow region, you should choose the right site. The plant grows well and bears fruit in lands characterized by a strong degree of acidity. If bushes are planted on alkaline soils, they do not take root well, and sometimes even die after planting, although they are characterized by strength and health.
The degree of soil acidity can be determined in two ways:
- Using the folk method. The crop takes root well next to sorrel or horsetail, which also grow in highly acidic areas.
- By conducting special testing. But this method is complicated. Many people do not have sufficient knowledge to carry it out.
Garden blueberry bush
Plants grow well in areas sufficiently illuminated by the sun. If the shrub is planted in the shade, this will lead to a significant reduction in the size of the berries. In addition, they will taste sour.
It is necessary to pay attention to the neighbors of the culture. Garden blueberry bushes grow better next to cherry, apple and pear varieties. But currants and gooseberries are undesirable neighbors. They negatively affect blueberries, which often leads to their death.
Elizabeth
A tall, spreading bush grows to almost 2 m and produces large light blue berries. The harvest tolerates transportation well and is ideal for freezing, but it cannot be stored fresh for long. Elizabeth is another self-pollinating variety that is resistant to cancer, rot and late blight. But he is capricious in relation to the soil, prefers peat and does not tolerate sandy soils.
Photo: asprus.ru
When to plant
In the conditions of the Moscow region, blueberries are planted in open ground from the end of March, when the snow has just melted, until the end of April. It is at this time that the buds completely swell. A plant planted on the site will take root well and get stronger, and will also adapt to the conditions of the site until it gets very cold. But it is recommended to carefully cover the crop, since in conditions of little snow the death of the root system and the entire young seedling is possible. If the bush is planted in the fall, it may not survive severe frosts, although it will be covered.
Duke
The tall bush is not too spreading, so it remains quite compact over the years. It blooms late, is not afraid of spring frosts and produces fragrant, sweet and sour berries. But Duke can die in soil that is too cold and wet.
Photo: mulcha-spb.ru
The best strawberry varieties for the Moscow region
How to prepare a site for planting
Garden blueberries grow well in well-lit areas characterized by a high degree of acidity. The soil can be made acidic. Let's talk about the most effective ways of this process:
- Pour 10 liters of cold tap water and heat it a little. Then add a tablespoon of citric acid. The solution must be thoroughly mixed, after which it should be poured over the area where blueberries are planned to be planted in open ground. The procedure must be carried out within 5-6 days.
- Mix a tablespoon of 9 percent vinegar essence with ten liters of slightly heated water. It is necessary to thoroughly mix and water the area where you are subsequently going to plant blueberries. The procedure should be carried out over 3-4 days.
The site is dug up for the first time in late autumn. It is necessary to dig up the soil again immediately before planting, and a mixture of mineral fertilizers should be added.
Secrets of planting crops
Preparing the soil for planting
Those plants that can be purchased in stores have the best survival rate. They grow in small pots. When planting blueberries in the Moscow region, it is necessary to use a special substrate. It is they who subsequently fill the furrows. The substrate is based on peat and sand, taken in equal quantities. They are mixed thoroughly. At the next stage, pre-crushed pine needles, sawdust, and a few grams of sulfur are added. All substances are thoroughly mixed again. Then humus or black soil is added. Mix thoroughly again. All. The substrate is ready.
In the area designated for planting, several holes are made, into which the bushes are then planted. If groundwater lies close to the surface of the earth, then it is recommended to carry out cultivation on ridges, because crops in heavily swampy areas may be lost due to rotting of the root system.
The difficulty is in removing the seedling from the container, because it is necessary to preserve the root system. To do this, you need to pour water into a bucket and place a container with blueberries there. After a few minutes, the plant is easily removed from the container, keeping the roots intact.
Planting blueberries
Holes are made on the territory of the selected area. If you are going to plant low-growing varieties, then you need to leave about half a meter between them. It is optimal to place medium-sized ones at a meter distance from each other. It is better to plant tall specimens at a distance of one and a half meters.
Blueberries are planted in the Moscow region inside a hole dug half a meter deep. A sufficient amount of prepared substrate is poured onto the bottom. After this, a small depression is made in the central part. This is where the bush should be planted. When planting, it is necessary to carefully straighten the root system. After this, the roots are sprinkled with soil, which is compacted. Then the garden blueberries are watered. To maintain soil moisture, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the plant with special material. You can also use peat or sawdust for these purposes.
Features of watering
Watering blueberries
The culture is classified as a moisture-loving plant. But if moisture stagnates in the root system, it may die. It is recommended to water the seedlings after two to three days. If the weather is hot, the intensity of watering should be increased. During this time, watering should be done every day. If it rains regularly, then the bushes are watered once for 10-14 days. To prevent rotting of the root system, the degree of soil moisture should be regularly determined. If the ground is wet at a depth of 10-15 centimeters, then you should water the shrub less often.
Caring for blueberries in open ground involves monitoring the humidity of the area during the period when buds are forming and the berries are ripening. With enough moisture, the berries will be tasty and aromatic. To maintain soil moisture, it is recommended to mulch the area. To do this, use peat, sawdust or special material. You can also protect the ground from weeds in this way.
You also need to pay attention to the temperature of the water you are going to water the bushes with. It should be barely warm. This will help reduce the risk of developing various diseases. It is better to water with water from a special barrel in which it was kept during the day. Watering is usually done late in the evening. To avoid burning the delicate leaf blades, water should be poured directly onto the ground .
Top 3. Bleuetta
Rating (2021): 4.70
The best ratio of bush size and yield Bluetta has relatively compact bush sizes, which attracts owners of small plots of land, but at the same time it can please with excellent yield.
- Characteristics
Berry weight: 2.5 g
- Ripening period: 2nd decade of July
- Average yield: 4.5-7 kg
- Frost resistance: up to -30
The Blueett variety was bred by American breeders; it is excellent for industrial cultivation, but is also often found in amateur gardens. The plant has a comfortable height, not exceeding 1.2 meters; during growth, root shoots are formed in a minimal amount, which greatly facilitates care. Berries with an average weight of 2.5 grams begin to ripen by mid-July; they are collected in 2-3 batches. The transportability and keeping quality of the fruits are excellent; they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. The taste of the berries has a pleasant sourness and characteristic tart notes, for which many call this variety one of the best.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Early maturation
- Delicious berries
- Small height of bushes
- Transportability and keeping quality of fruits
- Not sold in all nurseries
See also:
- 10 best varieties of honeysuckle for the Moscow region
How to prune a plant
Trimming old branches
When growing blueberries in the Moscow region, regular pruning is necessary. Thanks to this, the bush will bear fruit abundantly, and the berries will become tasty and sweet. The formation of the crown of tall species occurs when two years have passed after planting. Pruning of medium-sized and low-growing varieties occurs later. Breeders advise carrying out a similar procedure after four years. It is recommended to prune the bushes for the first time after fruiting time. With proper care of blueberries in the Moscow region, the bush will delight you with a bountiful harvest every year.
The purpose of pruning is to remove old two-year-old branches on which berries have ripened this season. The procedure helps to improve the health of seedlings, since fruit ripening does not occur on two-year-old shoots. Such branches will only feed on the juices of the plant, reducing its health.
It is also necessary to get rid of excess growth on which the fruit buds are located. The procedure helps to thin out the bush and form a strong foundation for the future plant, which will bear fruit well. Blueberries should be pruned every year from now on. The most favorable time is early spring, when the buds have not yet bloomed. If you prune bushes during the fall months, the bush will be weakened and may not survive the low temperatures of winter.
At the first signs of disease or pest damage to the plant, it should be pruned immediately. If pruning does not lead to the expected result and the disease still develops, it is necessary to dig up such a plant and burn it. The place where it grew is thoroughly spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. Blueberry varieties cannot be planted in this place for 3-4 years.
Fruitful varieties of blueberries for the Moscow region
Tall plants bring the greatest harvest. Each bush produces up to 9 - 10 kg of berries. The highest quality and largest fruits are harvested in the first wave of ripening. Then their size decreases slightly.
The best productive blueberry varieties for the Moscow region:
- Duke. American hybrid 1.3-1.8 m high. The branches of the bush are straight and rigid. The berries are medium-sized, with a smooth, crispy skin. Frost resistance reaches -28 °C. The fruiting of the crop is stable. When growing, shoots are regularly pruned;
- Nelson. Dense medium-sized shrub, reaching 1.6 m. Fruits in the middle period. Its berries are large, up to 20 mm in size, with blue skin and dense pulp. The taste is good, sweet. Productivity is up to 9 kg per bush;
- Bluecrop. A bush of medium vigor, spreading, reaches 1.8 m in height. The culture ripens at the end of July. This is a reliable and productive hybrid that bears up to 9 kg of fruit. Its berries are large, up to 22 mm in size, collected in long clusters.
Fertilizer application
Blueberry feeding
Caring for blueberries in the Moscow region, as in other regions, involves the application of fertilizers. You cannot feed shrubs with organic matter, which is due to the immunity of this fertilizer to the crop. In addition, the use of any organic substances helps to reduce the acidity of the soil, and this will lead to the fact that the blueberries will feel worse and may even die.
To saturate the soil with useful substances, it is necessary to use mineral fertilizers. They must be applied three times during the season. The first time fertilizing is applied to the soil in the spring months. This must be done before the juice begins to flow and the buds begin to swell. Each plant must be fed with a mixture of potassium or sulfur substances.
The second application of fertilizers is carried out on May days. It is better to carry out the procedure on the twentieth of this month. Azophoska is used as a top dressing. A small amount of the substance is poured under each bush.
The third time, fertilizing is applied to the soil during the period when the fruits are just beginning to form. This happens in the middle of summer. To feed the crop, it is necessary to scatter pine sawdust around each bush, after mixing it with a sufficient amount of chopped spruce or pine needles.
Plant diseases and their treatment
To eliminate the risk of developing diseases, the bushes are treated with special preparations several times during the season. You can also use folk recipes. Spraying the crop with a solution of copper sulfate helps get rid of many diseases. It is recommended to carry out the treatment three times during the year. The procedure cannot be carried out only during the fruiting period. Let's look at the most common blueberry diseases:
Mummification of berries
This disease is caused by the fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi. Young bushes are mainly affected. The disease at the beginning resembles frostbite, as the leaves wither and turn black. Subsequently, the disease spreads to the berries. Moreover, it does not manifest itself until the berry is fully grown, then mummification begins. The fungus waits out the winter cold by falling asleep inside the affected berries.
How to fight . At the very beginning of spring, it is necessary to treat the bushes with urea. If the disease has already progressed, then it is necessary to remove the affected berries and plants and burn them. Even in the spring, you can mulch to reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Powdery mildew
The disease is also caused by a fungus that attacks the upper surface of blueberry leaves. Initially, the plaque is white, but later the affected area turns black and small black balls appear.
The peak of infection spread is during dry weather. Due to the disease, plant immunity is reduced and subsequently increases the risk of freezing in winter.
How to fight. If the disease has affected the plant, it must be urgently treated with chemicals, such as: Bayleton, copper sulfate solution (no more than 5%) or Sulfaride.
It is also necessary to burn all fallen leaves and shoots, as the fungus can be spread by the wind.
Moniliosis of fruits
This fungus affects the entire plant, from branches to fruits. The spread of the disease begins at the moment of flowering, the bark begins to turn black or yellow. The berries acquire a darker color and become tasteless.
Once the fungus has spread sufficiently, it will begin to clump into small gray spores. Subsequently, these spores may cause re-infection.
How to fight. There is only one salvation from this disease. It is necessary to cut and collect the affected parts of plants from the ground and burn them.
Anthracnose
According to statistics, this is the most common disease that affects blueberries. The target of the fungus is young berries, in rare cases it affects leaves. The most favorable conditions for spread: high humidity and prolonged drought.
The fungus may go dormant in the fall and attack blueberries the following season.
At the initial stage, the berries become soft and acquire a pink color. After this they turn black and dry out. Already ripe fruits are especially susceptible to the fungus.
How to fight. It is necessary to carefully care for blueberries, increasing their resistance to various diseases. It is also recommended to reduce the dose of inorganic fertilizers, especially nitrogen ones.
White spot
Caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The leaves are affected by small white spots, the diameter of which does not exceed 5 millimeters.
As a result, the leaves lose their green color and become completely white. The base of the leaves turns black, causing them to fall off.
Conditions for the spread of the disease: high humidity or sudden temperature changes.
How to fight. Affected leaves must be burned. As a preventative measure, it is necessary to periodically mulch.
How to propagate shrubs by seeds
Blueberry seed shoots
The most labor-intensive way to obtain shrubs is from seeds. The process stretches over a long period. Sometimes the seeds do not sprout at all. You may also encounter the problem of missing seedlings. To eliminate this, it is necessary to separate the berries of sufficient ripeness. They must be large enough. The berries must not have any blemishes or defects. The berry is dried, after which the seeds are extracted from the pulp. The procedure is carried out in September.
After receiving the planting material, it is necessary to ensure its storage until the onset of spring. When the temperature reaches plus five degrees, the seeds are sown.
A few days before planting, the bed is carefully dug up. In mid-spring, small grooves are made in the area, inside which the seeds are planted at a depth of one and a half centimeters. The planting site is watered abundantly and covered with mulch, which helps to retain a sufficient amount of moisture even in the dry season. This measure will also prevent weeds from growing abundantly. The area is watered regularly. It is recommended to use slightly heated water for irrigation. This will eliminate the risk of developing bush diseases.
After the first sprouts appear, the mulch must be removed. Slightly mature plants are fed with a small amount of mineral fertilizers. When 5-6 years have passed, blueberry seedlings can be planted in a permanent place. After another two to four years, you can get a good harvest of sweet and tasty berries from them.
Top 6. Bluejay
Rating (2021): 4.55
The most convenient harvesting The berries on Bluejay ripen almost simultaneously, which makes harvesting much easier.
- Characteristics
Berry weight: 2.2-4 g
- Ripening period: 2nd decade of July
- Average yield: 3.5-6 kg
- Frost resistance: up to -30
Bluejay is a tall blueberry variety capable of forming bushes up to 1.8 meters in height with powerful straight shoots. It is characterized by excellent weight of berries and their almost simultaneous ripening, which is very convenient, especially in the case of cultivation for sale. When buying Bluejay blueberry seedlings, you need to be prepared for their active growth and the need to form a bush in subsequent years. Otherwise, standard care is required. This variety has sufficient frost resistance for the Moscow region; it is immune to most of the diseases typical for blueberries. On specialized forums you can find many reviews about the successful cultivation of this variety in the Moscow region.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Tall and powerful bushes
- Good yield
- Immunity to most diseases
- Simultaneous ripening of berries
- The bush needs to be formed and trimmed on time
How to propagate a plant from cuttings
Planted blueberry cuttings
The easiest way to propagate the crop is by cuttings. This can be done at home. To do this, cut small branches. Their size varies from 12 to 15 centimeters. Each cutting should have several buds. Harvesting of green branches is carried out in the first days of July. The upper part of the branches grown in the current season are suitable for the procedure.
If the branches become woody, they are harvested during the winter months. Shoots that appeared in the past year are suitable for cuttings. After cutting the branch, you should leave the wood on the top. The cutting from the bottom is carefully freed from foliage.
A special preparation is poured into the container, which accelerates the root formation process, and mixed with water. Then all the cuttings are placed there and kept for 24 hours. To disinfect the cuttings, they must be placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 2-3 hours. They are subsequently recommended to be grown in greenhouse or greenhouse conditions. Planting work is carried out from February to March. Then the planting site is regularly watered for 6-7 weeks, which reduces the risk of the soil drying out.
In the last days of summer, young seedlings are transferred to their place of permanent growth. In mid-autumn, the ground around the plants is covered with a layer of mulch. For the winter, the planting site can be covered with spruce branches or special material. Which helps delicate plants survive harsh weather conditions. When the snow melts, the protection is removed. Plantings are carefully inspected. If there are those that did not survive the winter period, they should be removed. Then the shrub is thoroughly watered. 3-5 liters of water are poured under each plant. Subsequently, the planting site is mulched again. It is not recommended to feed plantings at this time.
Which varieties are suitable for planting in the Moscow region
The Moscow region is located in a temperate climate zone, so it is better to plant shrubs that produce berries in mid-summer. Breeders advise growing the following types of shrubs in the Moscow region:
1. One of the most popular varieties is the Bluecrop variety . It produces a good harvest of fruits, even if you do not take care of the bush. In addition, the variety does not disappear at low temperatures. The bushes resist diseases and insect pests well. The fruits are quite large and sweet.
2. Many gardeners grow the Patriot variety . Fruiting begins at the end of June. The plant does not freeze, and the berries can be stored well, while maintaining excellent taste. The variety is highly resistant to diseases. You can make jam from the berries. It is recommended to cover the shrub for the winter, as it may freeze in the absence of sufficient snow cover.
The Spartan variety ripens early . Each plant produces 6 to 8 large and tasty berries. The shrub withstands dry and cold weather conditions well. This does not affect the appearance of the plant in any way. In winter, the variety may freeze, so it needs to be covered with spruce branches or film material.
4. A high-yielding variety is Toro . The harvest ripens in late July - early August. At the same time, you can see flowers and berries on the bush. Withstands negative temperatures without freezing. Also, the variety is not susceptible to various diseases. To preserve fruit formation, it is recommended to prune the crop every year.
Blueberries are a fairly unpretentious plant. If you care for it regularly, the shrub can respond to your care with a large harvest of tasty and sweet fruits.
Self-fertile blueberry varieties for the Moscow region
Most blueberry varieties are self-fertile. These varieties produce white-pink flowers collected in racemes. Pollination is carried out by bees and other insects. To obtain a high yield, at least 2 bushes are planted nearby. The main condition is flowering at the same time.
The best self-fertile varieties of garden blueberries for the Moscow region:
- Elliot. A tall, late-ripening hybrid that grows up to 2.1 m. Its fruits are medium in size, no more than 11 mm. The skin on them is durable, light blue in color. In cold and rainy weather, the pulp acquires a tart flavor. When ripe, a subtle aroma appears. The harvest volume reaches 6 kg;
- Darrow. A tall, large shrub up to 2.1 m in size. Its berries are very large, reaching 20 mm. Their color is blue and they have a pronounced aroma. The taste is unusual, dessert. Up to 8 kg of blueberries are harvested from the bush. The harvest is poorly stored and transported. Frost resistance of the crop is up to -28 ° C;
- Liberty. A vigorous growing spreading shrub. Its shoots are strong and tough, up to 1.5 m. The berries are medium and large in size, blue-violet in color, with a sour taste. Their pulp is dense, rich in phenols and antioxidants. Liberty can withstand winter cold down to -37 °C.
