Growing a few blueberry bushes in your garden is a fantastic idea and it’s going to really add a bit of color to your garden. Not only that, but you will also be able to eat freshly grown blueberries during the year.
But, if you want to enjoy blueberries in your garden within a few months, planting the seeds of the blueberry isn’t going to do the trick. You should know that a blueberry seedling doesn’t grow into a bush for at least two years.
In certain cases, this time period could extend to four years. Unlike most other fruiting plants that begin to yield results within a few months, the blueberry bush takes quite a bit of time to reach maturity.
How Long Does the Blueberry Bush Take to Grow?
As stated above, the blueberry bush takes quite a bit of time to grow and mature from a small plant to a fully mature bush. This time is usually between two to four years.
Ideally, from the day that you plant it, you should know that it’ll take up to four years for the blueberry bush to start giving fruits. This is obviously quite different from tomatoes and peppers, which are capable of producing fruit within a few months of being planted.
The time that it takes for the blueberry bush to grow to maturity is going to depend on a variety of factors. For starters, if you buy blueberry seedlings that are just a few weeks old, you will obviously have to wait a considerable amount of time before they mature.
This is not the case if you buy seedlings that have already established roots and are a year or so old. But, the age of the plant that you buy is not the only factor.
The climate in which the blueberry bush grows also has an impact. If you live in the USA in any of the hardiness zones from 3 through 8, the blueberry bush is going to grow much faster and will mature quicker.
You should also know that the kind of blueberry bush that you grow will have an impact as well. There are certain types of blueberry bushes that tend to mature quicker and produce fruits much faster than other variants.
Tips for Planting the Bush
If you want to quicken the pace at which the blueberry bush grows, there are several things that you can do. First of all, you need to pay attention to the soil.
These plants need a relatively low pH balance to grow quickly. Most of the home gardeners nowadays will have to pay special attention to the soil and work on improving its acidity to ensure that the blueberry bush grows properly.
The bigger problem that you are going to face is the fact that the acids found in the soil will leech away over time. This is going to leave your blueberry bush wanting more acidity, and ultimately, the acid that leeches away will cause more damage to plants nearby.
To properly care for the blueberry bush, one of the best things that you can do is grow it in close containers. These containers are easy to maintain. If you want to put them in the soil, an excellent option available to you is to place the tub in the ground and bury it.
This is going to contain the high acidic soil that is required for the blueberry bushes and will prevent the surrounding plants from sustaining excessive damage.
More importantly, you should know that these plants also grow much faster when they are cross pollinated. This essentially means that growing various kinds of blueberry bushes is going to improve production and the pace at which the plant grows.
Before you decide to grow the blueberry bushes in your garden, it is imperative that you first choose the type of blueberry bush that you are going to grow. There are three popular variants that you can choose from:
Obviously, each of these are uniquely suited for different weather conditions and climates, so it is recommended that you put in a bit of research to figure out the best one based on where you live.
Once you know the type of blueberry bush that you can grow, there are plenty of varieties available in each type that you can select.
What Young Plants Need
Once you have planted the new blueberry bushes in your garden, you should know that they are going to need regular soil moisture. This means that you will have to spend a significant amount of time and effort to maintain the soil moisture.
The newly prepared and planted fields will require attention. Ideally, you should install two drip lines for each row. One line for each side of the plant is required, and the emitters need to be closer than six inches from the stems.
Remember, when the plant is new, the roots are still relatively close to the stems, so there’s no point in putting the emitters too far. Ideally, using drip irrigation is a wise idea.
You should use it around three or four times a week, and you should turn it on for an hour or more when the blueberry bushes are growing. It doesn’t matter if rain occurs or not; the drip irrigation schedule needs to be maintained.
There are several common tips that you can follow to quickly reach the maturity for the blueberry bush and start getting fruits from it. Here are some simple things that you can do to grow the blueberries quickly.
Buy Plants up to Two Years Old
They might be more expensive, but purchasing blueberry bushes that are around a couple of years old is a wise idea. Instead of investing your money in blueberry seeds or seedlings, you should consider buying one- or two-year-old blueberry plants.
They are going to mature very quickly, and they also won’t require as much care. You will just have to first research the existing soil conditions and then pay attention to replicate those conditions in your garden.
If you want to enjoy blueberries much sooner instead of later, this is a wise idea. There are plenty of nurseries in which you can buy blueberry plants that are up to a year or so old.
Talk to the gardener to understand the care routine and the maintenance plan that needs to be followed. It’s best to buy quality bushes from a reputable nursery, so you will have to spend a bit of time doing your research.
Remember, when you bring an adult blueberry bush into your garden and place it in the soil, it’s going to receive somewhat of a shock. It is your job to make sure that you provide maximum care and attention to the plant so that it is able to adjust to its new surroundings.
Plant the Bushes Early
Most people don’t even know the ideal time to plant their blueberry bushes, and often end up making mistakes when planting the bushes.
According to most experts, the best time to plant the blueberry plants, especially the young ones, is around early spring. If you do this, you won’t have to worry about the plant dying anytime soon.
The plant will eventually establish and will mature, and the fruits will be ripe in late May or early June within the stipulated time period. On the other hand, if you plant the blueberry bushes later on in the season, the fruits won’t be ready early enough.
As a result, even if you plant fully mature blueberry bushes, you still won’t be able to get a full harvest because the blueberries simply won’t be ready during the first full year.
Plant Them in a Sunny Spot
You already know by now that sunlight is critical for the growth of most plants. Blueberries are capable of surviving under trees that have open canopies and they can do well in some shade as well.
However, you have to understand that blueberries absolutely love living in the sun. They grow considerably faster when they are exposed to direct sunlight.
Ideally, the best thing that you can do in this regard is to plant the blueberry bushes in a patch where they are kept away from the trees and shade. This will expose them to direct sunlight, and the bushes will remain protected from excessively strong winds too.
You will notice a significant improvement in the quality of fruits produced by the blueberry bush as well. If you do not want to plant the blueberries on an exposed patch, you can plant them beside a fence.
These structures are able to protect the plant from stronger winds. If you are planting different bushes, make sure you keep them four feet apart. These are just a few things that you should know about quickly growing the blueberry bushes.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.