Blueberries need a moisture-retentive, acid soil and they do best in an open, sunny area, but they can be grown in partial shade. In the northern regions of the country they should be given protection from cold winds. They also like clay and other poor or rocky soils. Blueberries can also be grown in containers; a 2 gallon nursery plant should be planted in an eighteen inch container.
Some experts recommend planting blueberry bushes five to six feet apart. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of room for rows of blueberries they should be about eight to ten feet apart, they don't tolerate very much crowding. You want to keep a thick layer of mulch around your bushes to do away with the weeds and to keep the soil moist.
Watering well after planting and in the first few weeks helps promote good root growth.
Blueberries don't need any pruning for the first three years after planting. After that time period start pruning in the winter but keep in mind that the buds for next year will form on the second year wood. To promote new shoots that will fruit the following year, cut from one to four of the oldest shoots from each bush. Always remove any dead or diseased branches and stems and cut away a few stalks from bushy plants. You want to maintain an acceptable height for your bushes but be sure not to cut away more than 1/2 of the newest growth. Pruning always leads to healthier plants and bigger but fewer berries.
One of the most important obstacles to remember is that the birds like the blueberries just as much as you do. You can always plant enough bushes for all of you to share but that may take several bushes, but probably the best thing to do is use netting. The easiest is to purchase bird netting or you can make your own by draping a substantial piece of netting over bamboo sticks or a very large tomato cage.
