DIY Network

Propagating, Protecting and Picking All you need to know about the three Ps of blueberries From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-107

It's easy and fun to create more blueberry plants from original shrubs. Here are step-by-step demonstrations on how take softwood cuttings from mature plants and how to multiply your plants by divisions. And since blueberries turn blue a week or more before they're ready to harvest, you'll get tips on how to ensure that the berries you pick will be at their height of ripeness and sweetness.

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Propagation

Growing blueberries is so rewarding, you may soon want to expand your crop. And once you get your first bushes growing, there are a couple of easy and inexpensive ways to multiply the berries.

One way to propagate blueberries is by taking softwood cuttings. In the spring, take 3" to 6" cuttings from the tip of a stem. Pull off the bottom leaves, leaving only one pair of leaves at the top (figure A). Dip the bottom of the cutting into a rooting hormone (figure B) and place the cutting in a mix of half peat moss and half sand, leaving the top third sticking out of the soil mixture (figure C). Keep the cuttings in high humidity; keep the rooting medium moist but not soggy, and provide good air circulation. The cuttings should root in a few weeks and can be put in larger pots the next year, then set out in the garden the following year.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Note: Softwood cutting usually work best for rabbiteye blueberries; hardwood cuttings usually work best for highbush blueberries.) For more detailed information on propagating, check with your local cooperative extension service.

Another way to propagate blueberries is by root division. After a blueberry bush is well established, it will shoot up more young bushes underneath it; they're easy to identify because they look like the parent bush. To separate one of these young bushes, dig 3" to 4" away from it, all the way around (figure D). Then gently lift the plant out with a good clump of dirt around it, and it's ready for transplanting into a container or your yard. This is best done in early spring so the roots will have time to get established throughout the summer.

Protecting Berries From Birds

Birds love blueberries, and you may want to protect your berries if you don't want the birds to get too many of them. Covering the bushes with bird netting as soon as the berries begin to ripen is the best method of protection. If you do this, make sure there are no gaps or openings when you put the netting over the shrubs, and secure the netting to the ground with stones or other weights.

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