Did you know that among other health benefits, blueberries protect against memory loss?
A 2012 study suggested that eating at least one serving of blueberries a week slowed cognitive decline by several years. One possible explanation as to why came from a 2013 study in mice, which found that berries might protect the brain by clearing toxic proteins that accumulate there.
I have even more good news… it’s fairly easy to start growing your own organic blueberries.
6 Easy Steps to Grow Blueberries
1. Choose a proper place and prep the soil.
In order to start growing blueberries you need a sunny place with well drained, well worked and weed free soil. The water is crucial for growing blueberry bushes because they are requiring constant moisture, which means you must have water available in any time.If the soil is not properly drained or it is only partially drained, you will make raised beds. If you don’t have a garden or you are living in an apartment, you can use patio container for growing blueberries.
When planting the blueberries in a garden you need available area of two and a half feet in diameter and a foot deep for each plant. Dig a hole in the area and remove a third or a half of the soil and apply an even amount of pre-moistened peat moss and mix it well.
If you got raised beds, apply a composite of even amounts of peat moss and rind (make sure you are not using cedar or redwood), tripe or planting mix. For more recommendations and advises you can visit your local garden center.
2. Space the bushes for optimal growth
For solid undergrowth the space between the blueberry bushes needs to be 2-2.5 feet, or 6 feet for individual blueberry bush. If you intend to make rows, the space between them needs to be 8-10 feet.
3. Planting
The blueberry bushes are planting during spring or fall. In some parts of the world they can be planted in any time of the year.If you bought containerized plants,gently pull out the bush from the contains, and then rough up the cortical layer of the roots.
Increase plant’s top topsoil for half an inch. Harden it well around the root ball, and at the end apply some soil up alongside the subjected root. At the end make sure you water it well.
4. Mulching
The best wreathes for the blueberry are sawdust, rind mulch, grass clippings and acid tripe. Because of its shallow roots the blueberry has great benefits from wreathes.
Only 2-4 inches of wreathe are more than enough for preserving moisture, disabling weeds from growing and ensuring organic matter. This procedure needs to be done every year and make sure you are not using any rind or sawdust from cedar or redwood tree.
5. Pruning
Pruning is crucial for blueberry bushes in order to be avoided over-fruiting that can lead to small fruits. When it begins to grow, make sure your bush is strong enough before bearing fruits.
Detach most of the flower blooms when they are appearing. If you are pruning the bushes regularly, you will have stronger and healthier plant.
Tips on pruning:
- Remove the low growths around the bottom of the bush
- Clear any dead wood
- Cut off short and discolored branches
- Clear 1/3 – 1/2 of the wood of the bush
6. Soil fertilization
For organic fertilizers, you should try blood meal and cottonseed, which are proved as very efficient for this goal. The manures shouldn’t be used because they can harm the bush.