Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)
Wed Jul 16, 2014, 09:54 AM Jul 2014

Blueberries - we have some old (15+?) plants that we have never pruned.

Right now, each bush has wood at the base about 2" around and bears about 2-4 quarts a season. They are about 4'5'tall. The question is, should we let the plants alone, prune them by 1/3?, prune them more vigorously and when?

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Blueberries - we have some old (15+?) plants that we have never pruned. (Original Post) hedgehog Jul 2014 OP
You should prune when they go dormant, after all the leaves fall off in the fall Elad Jul 2014 #1
Yes TuxedoKat Aug 2014 #2

Elad

(11,400 posts)
1. You should prune when they go dormant, after all the leaves fall off in the fall
Wed Jul 16, 2014, 12:16 PM
Jul 2014

but before new growth in the spring.

The main goal of pruning is to get rid of dead/diseased wood, and open up the plant so there's air circulation to the center. Definitely prune, but you may want to take it in steps and do a little every year for the next 2-3 years rather than hacking off too much at once.

TuxedoKat

(3,821 posts)
2. Yes
Fri Aug 8, 2014, 05:23 PM
Aug 2014

I heard recently for blueberries to prune the oldest wood -- stems that look the most gnarled. I agree with not pruning too aggressively as you don't want to stress out the plant. If you prune to much, it might cause the bush to send out too many shoots and not many will survive with all that competition. An interesting thing I learned about pruning this past spring (this was for apple trees, but I think it would apply to blueberries as well) was to prune more on the south side of the tree as this will let more light in to the middle of the tree/bush and let more sunlight get to the branches on the east, west and north. You can also trim some branches that cross or are growing inward too -- so sunlight gets to the center of the bush better too. Always prune too above a bud that is growing out as opposed to inward (or it will just grow inward towards the bush) and don't cut too close to the rest of the stem or the trunk when removing branches (probably 1/8" above buds and 1/4" for larger branches at the base is good).

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Gardening»Blueberries - we have som...