Blueberries can be planted in spring—or also in late fall in all but the coldest regions. In Zones 5 and below, it’s best to wait until early to mid-spring to plant.
If available, 1- to 3-year-old plants are a good choice. These can be bought in containers or bare-root. In either case, buy from a reputable nursery or website.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Select a sunny, sheltered spot. While blueberries tolerate shade, better crops are obtained in the sun. At the same time, they should not be exposed to harsh, drying winds.
Don’t plant blueberries too close to trees, as the trees will block out sunlight and suck up any moisture in the soil.
If planting multiple bushes, it’s best to plant them in a group rather than scattered throughout your garden. This will bolster berry production and quality.
Blueberries are a shallow-rooted plant. Therefore, they require soil that holds moisture but also drains well and doesn’t stay wet. Don’t plant blueberries in sites with heavy, clayey soils that stay wet.
Blueberries thrive in soil that is acidic. The soil pH should ideally be between 4.0 and 5.0; soil that isn’t acidic enough will stunt growth. Soil can be acidified by mixing a small amount of granulated sulfur into the soil several months before planting. Peat moss and pine bark or pine needles are also good additions that will help acidify your soil.
Mix organic matter into the soil before you set your blueberry bushes. (See more about preparing soil for planting.)

How to Plant Blueberry Bushes

Tip: Be careful not to plant them too deep. The root ball should be just below the surface (¼ to ½ inch).
Dig holes about 20 inches deep and 18 inches wide (or about twice as wide and twice as deep as the plant’s roots).
Space bushes 4–5 feet apart in a row, with at least 8 feet between rows. Prepare a planting mixture of 2 parts loam and 1 part oak leaf mold, peat moss, aged sawdust, or compost, and place a layer of this mixture in the bottom of the hole.
Set the bush in the hole with the root ball just below the surface with its roots spread out. Pack the hole tightly with the soil.
Apply fertilizer 1 month after planting, not at the time of planting. Apply ½ ounce of a 10-10-10 fertilizer in a band around the plant 6 to 12 inches from the crown.

Growing

Watering

Blueberries need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.

Mulching

Mulch is essential for keeping shallow blueberry root systems moist. After planting, apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of wood chips, sawdust, or pine needles around the bush, but leave a gap around the trunk to allow for proper airflow.

Fertilizer

One year after planting, apply 1 ounce of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bush in the spring when they bloom, and increase the rate by 1 ounce each year thereafter to a maximum of 8 ounces for mature bushes.

How to Prune Blueberry Bushes

Do not allow the bush to produce fruit for the first year or two after planting. This will allow the plant to use its energy to become well-established in its new home instead.

Pinch back any blossoms developing on newly set plants to allow the energy to go to growth.

For the first 4 years or so after planting, blueberry bushes do not need to be pruned. From then on, pruning is needed to stimulate the growth of the new shoots that will bear fruit the following season.
Prune plants in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
Cut out dead, broken, short, weak, and spindly shoots.
On highbush varieties, begin with large cuts, removing wood that is more than 6 years old, drooping to the ground, or crowding the center of the bush. Also, remove low-growing branches whose fruit will touch the ground, as well as spindly twigs.
Prune lowbush varieties by cutting all stems to ground level. Pruned plants will not bear the season following pruning, so prune a different half of a blueberry patch every 2 years (or a different third of a patch every 3 years).

Video: How to Grow and Prune Blueberry Bushes

Pests and Problems

Blueberry Problems

If blueberry plants are not growing well or producing fruit, the issue is often related to soil conditions, watering, or pollination. Blueberries need acidic soil (pH 4.5–5.5), consistent moisture, and full sun to thrive.

If plants are producing few flowers, it may be due to insufficient sunlight, improper soil pH, or lack of nutrients. Blueberries struggle in alkaline soil and may fail to bloom if conditions are not acidic enough.

If flowers form but berries are small or poorly developed, it can be caused by inconsistent watering, poor pollination, or nutrient deficiencies. Blueberries need steady moisture, especially during fruit development, but the soil should not stay soggy.

If leaves turn yellow, this often indicates iron deficiency caused by soil that is not acidic enough. Adjusting soil pH with sulfur or using an acid-loving plant fertilizer can help correct this problem.

If plants show weak growth overall, it may be due to poor soil drainage or lack of organic matter. Blueberries grow best in loose, well-draining soil enriched with peat moss or compost.

Blueberry Pests

Blueberries can be affected by insects and animals, so regular monitoring helps prevent serious damage.

Check plants often for pests on leaves, stems, and fruit. Early detection makes control much easier.

Use a strong spray of water to knock off small pests like aphids or mites. Handpick larger insects when possible.

Insecticidal soap can be used for soft-bodied pests such as aphids, and neem oil can help reduce infestations by disrupting insect feeding and life cycles.

Avoid heavy insecticide use when possible because it can harm beneficial insects.

Birds are one of the biggest pests of blueberries and can quickly eat ripe fruit. To prevent birds from eating your crop:

Cover bushes with bird netting before berries ripen.
Use reflective tape or scare devices as temporary deterrents.
Harvest fruit frequently once ripening begins.

Types

There are four types of blueberries: highbush, lowbush, hybrid half-high, and rabbiteye.

The most commonly planted blueberry is the highbush. Most blueberry breeding has focused on this species, so there are many varieties that range widely with regard to cold hardiness and fruit season, size, and flavor.

blueberries on a blueberry bush.

Blueberries are partially self-fertile, so you will harvest more and larger berries by planting two or more varieties together. Planting more than one variety can also extend the harvest season.

Fruit

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

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Comments

Add a Comment

Grizz299 Tue, 04/28/2015 - 21:43

Ivan, 15 acres? You should be growing more than 1000 per acre (based on 4 ft and 10 ft aisles. You should be buying Tissue Cultured, Virus indexed and paying (at that volume) around 2.00 US per plant. Shipping costs, irrigation, labor, peat will add significantly to your costs. Do you want to harvest all at one time? Then I'd consider Draper. If you want to harvest over a period of time: Reka, Blue Crop, Liberty would be my three. If you are serious I can hook you up with growers and shippers. STEVEAJL@aol.com

Christop Spiker Sun, 04/05/2015 - 15:51

Be very careful to purchase from a reputable nursery/wholesaler. We have been stuck by many growers. They don't tell the truth. I would be happy to give you more advice if you need it. Shipping from the US to Bulgaria has to be expensive but you can get great quality bushes for under $5 in the US. Be careful. Look at the zones in the US for agriculture and apply that to Bulgarian temperatures. Buy bushes that are recommended and grown in that Zone. chris

Jaro Tue, 03/17/2015 - 12:18

Zdrasti, Any variety will do better than what's presently available. I tasted a few blueberries in BG (Varna) and they were, no offense, terrible. They had huge seeds in them and were bitter. It was not what I had expected and I was disappointed. (I come from a small farm and knew there was better.) I would imagine you are looking at about $35-$40 per bush and then add on any delivery and import fees. Quite an expensive undertaking, but once your bushes start growing, I am sure you will make your money back and start seeing plenty of profit by the 10th year. Късмет!

Karen W. Mon, 03/16/2015 - 13:31

I'm reading all the comments about soil acidity and am concerned. The water in my area is very alkaline. How do I overcome this obstacle?

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 03/17/2015 - 09:52

To lower pH, add common sulfur to your soil. Ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate are sometimes used instead. You can also lower the pH of alkaline soil over time by applying compost and manure regularly.

Grizz299 Wed, 07/22/2015 - 08:00

Aluminum sulphate can attack the delicate fibrous root system of the blue berry plant and kill it. The run off is also harmful to the environment. I strongly recommend against using it. Cottonseed, coffee grounds, hollytone, ammonium sulphate will all lower your ph. Adding seasoned pine bark or chips of pine wood will help but it must be aged.

Tracy Lindstrom Sat, 03/14/2015 - 15:58

Hi there! My father ordered a large bag of blueberry "starts" I guess you'd call them around November 2014. We literally just took them out of the bag they were shipped in (March 2015). Do they even stand a chance? They were kept indoors, not refrigerated. Many thanks for your help!

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 03/16/2015 - 16:02

Hi Tracy,

The sooner you get them in some soil the better. Depending on where you live you can plant them in containers or in the ground. If the "starts" were dormant and were kept in a cool, dark place they may still be OK. Plant them and see what happens.

Juliet Mcnally Thu, 03/05/2015 - 18:55

I live in Southern California, zone 10b. I planted two blueberry bushes at the same time in my back yard, but on different sides of the yard. One bush gets morning sun, afternoon shade, and has a number of clusters of berries starting to form. The other bush gets morning shade, afternoon sun, and all the leaves have dried up and fallen off. It had flowered first, before the other bush, but the flowers fell off and no berries formed. They both get the exact same amount of water, since the entire back yard is on a timed sprinkler system. What could have happened to this second bush? Is the afternoon sun too much?

Mek Sun, 05/03/2015 - 19:38

All that I have heard, you need 2 different types of blueberries to be grown near each other. They need cross pollination in order to get a good crop of blueberries. Lots of acidity to your soul as well.

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Planting and Growing Blueberries