Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
📖 About this plant
A long-lived deciduous shrub prized for its sweet, antioxidant-rich berries in blue, pink, and white varieties. Blueberries require acidic soil and full sun for best production. They provide year-round interest with white bell-shaped spring flowers, summer fruit, and brilliant red-orange fall foliage. Self-pollinating but planting multiple varieties increases yield.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (50-65%)
4-28°C
Acidic, well-draining loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter; pH 4.5-5.5 (critical — chlorosis develops above pH 5.5)
Acid-loving plant fertilizer (ammonium sulfate) in early spring; avoid nitrate-based fertilizers; mulch with pine needles or peat moss to maintain acidity
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- North America (eastern United States and Canada)
- 📏 Max height
- 90-180 cm for highbush; 30-60 cm for lowbush varieties
- 📐 Spread
- 120-180 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Pink
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, Red in Fall
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic; berries, leaves, and stems are safe. All parts edible though stems and leaves are not palatable
- 🌱 Propagation
- Take softwood cuttings in mid-summer (4-6 weeks to root); hardwood cuttings in late winter; or purchase 2-3 year old nursery plants for faster fruiting
🛡️ Health & Safety
Non-toxic; berries, leaves, and stems are safe. All parts edible though stems and leaves are not palatable
Common issues
- Chlorosis from high soil pH, Birds consuming berries before harvest, Botrytis fruit rot in wet conditions, Mummy berry disease
💡 Care tips
- Requires acidic soil with pH 4.5-5.5,Plant at least two varieties for cross-pollination,Mulch with pine needles to maintain soil acidity,Net bushes when berries start to ripen
