FRUIT > BLUEBERRY > PRUNING
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Blueberries are a delicious fruit and you could maximize your yield by correctly pruning your blueberry bush bush every class .
However , there are a span of non - negotiables when it comes to pruning blueberry Bush .
first , you have to prune at specific times of the class .
Secondly , you also have to prune for unlike purposes and effects depending on the bush ’s old age .
Be aware that the follow instructions are for highbush cultivars ( the blueberry most normally raise in gardens ) so please verify what type of blueberry bush you have .
Also be certain to know the age of your blueberry bush bush because how you lop like a shot depends on the age of the industrial plant .
When To Prune
In a nutshell , pruning for the bush ’s wellness and vigour should be done in midwinter , and snip for the issue of fruit should be done in former spring just after bud become seeable .
blueberry bush bushes should not be prune in summer or autumn .
Year 1
In midwinter , prune back outgrowth that are weak or diseased , mislaid , or crossing or rubbing together .
Where such branch occur near the base of the plant , foreshorten them all off .
Indeed , keep the lower part of the stem of the youthful plant free of branches .
Soon after the bush bud sometime in early spring , it is time for the 2nd round of pruning .
Unlike deliver the goods days , this first class you will focus on all blossoming and fruiting stalk while ignoring shoot and leafage , as the design is for the flora to gain ground vigour and develop before it come out to blossom and fruit .
bud that are narrow and pointed and which typically form up to the midpoint of a cane will put out shoots and leave , whilst bud that are debauchee and swollen , and are typically seen nearer to the end and tips of a cane are flowering bud that will contain yield .
All of the latter case of buds want to go .
Rub them off with your gloved hand or trim them with secateurs .
“ It can be entice to harvest yield flat away in the first yr from fruit bushes but , with blueberries , conceive about focussing on the future construction and Libra of the plant as an investment in succeeding operose crops , ” says Colin Skelly , a Horticultural Consultant with over 13 years of experience in the industry .
Year 2
In midwinter , prune those arm that are weak or diseased , misplaced , or crossing or fret together exactly as you did in year one .
Also , keep the modest part of the fore gratis of branches .
In addition , judiciously dress any cane in the centre that is growing up or is bent inward to eliminate future over-crowding and foster upright shape .
In spring , you will not be dress any canes in year two for long time but you have a option as to which bud to trim .
Though you’re able to go away a few flower bud , it is near to proceed exactly as in year one .
Sacrifice the fruit for just one more season so that the bush can engineer its energies on benefit strength and vigour .
Year 3
you’re able to forego midwinter pruning in year three , but it is better to prune for bod and cane selection in midwinter .
Prune unhealthful and congested cane , and select warm , healthy canes that are growing outwards .
Vigorous branches that are shooting out and up may be cut by a third for length and equalizer .
Also , it is from this yr that you could prune with an optic toward achieving a vase embodiment .
This will admit sun to reach the pith of the plant and the independent stem , and will also advance air circulation , both of which are critical factors in preventing disease .
In year 3 , the quarry should be to hold 3 canes from each of the 2 previous years , and about 3 new branches .
In spring , strike a counterpoise between remove vegetative buds and fruiting buds .
I ’d suggest that in this third time of year you may retain a third to one-half of the flowering and fruiting buds and rub out or shave the rest .
Year 4
The guideline for midwinter pruning are the same as they were the preceding twelvemonth .
In early natural spring , year 4 pruning will focus on the choice of canes to rationalise so as to retain the optimum mixture of growth .
From this year on out , the objective is that one - third of the cane should be one - yr limb , one - third should be two - year cane , and one - third should be cane that are three years or more .
Start by clip unhealthy , track , congested , and color branches .
Such pruning will preponderantly remove novel growth and three - year canes .
Once this is done , pick and pick out which other unexampled and three - year canes to remove , if any more motivation to be dress .
Next , prune any cane that do not show flowering bud .
You should be left with canes whose ages are about as distributed , with 10 - 12 canes left on the maturing George Herbert Walker Bush .
Years 5 & 6
From twelvemonth 5 you could pass over midwinter pruning altogether , though feel free to prune branches that are dead , discredited , or morbid , and those cane that deliver petty or no Berry .
From year 5 , the prime objective is to maximize fruit yield , but this is possible only if sub - object are reach .
“ Prune , in the winter , only the old , tired , woody growth which has fruit for two long time or more and which will produce only a few short - quality Berry in future , ” recommend Lorraine Summers from Trehane Nursery .
Keep the nub of the bush from becoming congested and strive to attain or maintain that vase shape .
A cane that you wish to retain but which has shot out more than other cane , unbalancing the George Herbert Walker Bush , may be cut back by up to a third .
This will reduce fruiting on the cane but it may be necessary to cut it to keep pattern and counterpoise while retaining the cane for bodily structure and necessary leaf .
As above , strive for an adequate mix of growth from the preceding three years such that about one - third of the full canes are from each of the preceding three twelvemonth .
Keep the good of the unexampled maturation – selecting for fruiting buds and prune the rest .
The suppurate bush should have 12 - 15 canes in yr 5 and 15 - 17 canes in year 6 .
Year 7
By yr 7 , if you have taken maintenance of your blueberry bush bush and have been cut back it correctly , it will be hard and mature .
It can support more outgrowth and foliage , and bear more fruit , so from this class on out you’re able to trim with a lighter helping hand .
A Blueberry bush from year 7 on out can support 17 - 20 canes .
In fact , it can keep going even more than 20 canes , but the goal is not to maximise branch , rather , it is to maximise fruit while maintaining the bush ’s health , vigour , and shape .
