How to Prune Blueberry Plants for Home Gardeners

Blueberry Class - Pruning Blueberry Plants - Bluegrass Blueberries

There are two ways for home gardeners to prune their blueberry plants depending on the age of the plant. If it is a newly established blueberry plant you may prune some of the bottom of the blueberry plant so that it allows for more top growth.

Also, if you see any branches growing into the middle of the plant, or touching another branch you may want to go ahead and prune it off as well. If you have a mature blueberry plant you will want to prune the dead shoots as well as the unproductive branches so that the blueberry plant will produce more berries. Any canes that are over 7 years old should be pruned back to the base of the plant. The best fruiting years from a blueberry cane are from 3-6 years old.

Each mature blueberry plant should have about 6-12 Canes. When pruning you should leave at least 6 canes, but you don\’t want more than 12. When pruning some of the top stems, the unproductive limbs without many fruit buds, or few vegetative buds should be taken out. Limbs with a lot of fruit buds and vegetative buds should be left. Any limbs that are growing into the plant should be removed. The best time to prune your blueberry plants is during the winter, preferably right before spring arrives.

We will be posting videos on how to prune young and old blueberry bushes soon.

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