Growing my blueberries ... I have wanted to do this for so long and now I have finally put some in. I have to look after them and say hello often because they are social plants and dislike being lonely.
Blueberries like the azalea, are members of the Ericaceae family. They like a sandy acid soil and they grow into nice sized bushes.
Source: How to grow blueberries
Pruning and harvesting
Blueberries begin cropping at two years. Once the bush is four to eight years old it will produce 2–7kg of fruit.Pruning helps productivity and, while the aim is to create a vase-shaped bush with an open centre, blueberries also make great hedges. Remove any weak, dead or crossed branches at any time of the year. Tip-prune shoots back by one-third during early spring, and remove unproductive shoots close to the base that are two or more years old. This encourages suckering and the formation of more shoots. Individual fruit will most likely ripen at different stages from December to mid-January, although some varieties can crop as late as March. Fruit starts hard and green, softening as it ripens, attaining its distinctive blue-black colour with a coating of white bloom.Once fruits are fully darkened, taste a few before harvesting. Blueberries do not get any sweeter after picking so it would be a shame to pick them too early. Full sweetness takes a week or so beyond full colour to develop and timing varies between cultivars. Pick the fruit by hand, but be sure not to rub off any of next year’s berries that are already forming on the branches
Images @ Eminpee Fotography
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