OT blueberies

have about 6 blueberry bushes, 5yrs old. heavy crop this yr.. never have pruned them. I think they need to be thinned out some.. would removing some of the twigs where the berries are on cause any damage to the bush or will it be some benefit for later crops. any assistance on how I should do this is welcomed. thanks

When pruning blueberries you want to basically replace all of the growth on a four year cycle. The most heavily producing wood is second year wood. So, during the late Fall or early Spring (before bud break) you want to prune out the oldest 1/4 of the branches pruning them at the base of the plant where they emerge from the ground. You also want the prune the bushes so that they have a more open form that allows light and air in. Finally, remove any crossing branches (branches that run from one side of the plant throughout the middle towards the other side.

(quoted from post at 17:22:33 06/18/14) have about 6 blueberry bushes, 5yrs old. heavy crop this yr.. never have pruned them. I think they need to be thinned out some.. would removing some of the twigs where the berries are on cause any damage to the bush or will it be some benefit for later crops. any assistance on how I should do this is welcomed. thanks

Click to expand...

I have a planting of blueberries for my produce stand. I have learned that mine require fairly heavy pruning to maintain fruit size and quality. Each winter/early spring I remove the oldest canes in their entirety. The largest and nicest fruit form on canes that are only a few years old.

It should be noted that this pruning doesn't diminish total yield for the sake of larger fruit. While it does result in larger fruit (necessary for economical hand picking), it also maintains larger total yields. Otherwise my blueberries eventually fruit so heavily future yields are harmed by stressing the plant and preventing adequate leaf area.

If you are wondering about pruning now in June.... I have had years (before I learned the importance of pruning) when the fruit was very thick and the leaves nearly non-existent on certain branches. If this is what you are referring to, I'd say cut them off now. When I left them on they never became nice fruit anyway, and it seemed to hurt the yields for the next couple years. Now I've learned to prune heavy and avoid that entirely. Yields are higher and fruit quality is better.

Disclaimer: this is my experience in southern Delaware. This may be different for other places with different soil types and climates.

thanks for the replies.. I appreciate the how to of pruning.. I think I can follow your suggestions they were very clear on how to do it have a good week

Lots of videos on Youtube about pruning. Yes it helps the plant, most definitely! Also might want to check out videos on propagation of your cuttings.

thanks for the advice about the videos