When to Prune Blueberry Bushes
The best time to prune blueberries is after the risk of frost damage, but before any new growth, in late winter to early spring. At this time, it is easy to assess how much, if any, winter injury has occurred as well as how many fruit buds are present. Annual pruning is essential to maintain plant size, shape and productivity.
When is Blueberry Season
Summer months are the harvest season for blueberries, which grow throughout the United States. Harvest time for blueberries, is from March to September depending on the state. Florida has the earliest harvest beginning late March and Maine and Idaho the latest harvest ending in late September.
In Oklahoma, Blueberry season is Early June – Late July.
When to Prune Blueberry Bushes
The best time to prune blueberries is after the risk of frost damage, but before any new growth, in late winter to early spring. At this time, it is easy to assess how much, if any, winter injury has occurred as well as how many fruit buds are present. Annual pruning is essential to maintain plant size, shape and productivity.
Trimming Blueberry Bushes
Trimming Blueberry bushes is necessary to keep the plant healthy and allow sunlight and air circulation. This helps prevents diseases and reduce areas for insects to hide. Trimming old wood, you encourage new growth of fruiting canes for a more productive blueberry bush because the plant can focus energy into growing the fruit for large, juicy blueberries.
Tools You Need to Prune Blueberries
Before you start pruning your blueberry bushes, make sure you have all the equipment necessary. I recommend:
- Garden gloves to protect your hands from prickly blueberry bushes.
- Hand pruners to chop off weaker canes and dead branches.
- Hedge shears for tough branches over an inch in diameter.
- Floral scissors for lighter pruning and canopy management.
- A large bucket to collect cuttings for easy disposal.
How Blueberry Bushes Grow
Before your prune blueberry bushes, it’s important to understand how they grow.
Blueberry plants produce new roots throughout the year. Root growth usually begins in early April, when soil temperatures reach about 55 °F, and continues through early November. In general, blueberry roots do not extend very far from the plant. In most soils, 50 percent to 60 percent of the roots are located in the top foot of soil and are within 8 to 12 inches from the crown.
There are generally three types of growth in blueberry bushes:
- Suckers that develop from buds on roots. These are typically only found in rabbiteye blueberry cultivars.
- Whips that develop from latent buds (buds that have been dormant for at least one year) on older wood at the base of the crown or higher up on the bush from older wood. These are found in all blueberry types
- Lateral shoots. These develop from vegetative buds on 1-year-old wood (last year’s growth).
Left unpruned, blueberry bushes grow thicker crowns and roots. Buds grow further down the plant and lateral branches become thin and twiggy. Low-quality fruit is produced, and the plant becomes weak as canes cross each other for light and air. A proper pruning process helps blueberries last for decades.
Flower Thinning
For the first two seasons of blooms, remove the flowers from the entire bush. This seems contrary to your goal, but plants that put energy into growing flowers and fruit before growing a healthy bush structure will have reduced crop load later on. Removing the load of flower will direct growth energy to vegetative buds and roots.
Your goal is vigorous well rooted two year old plants ready to sustain fruit bud production. A three or four year old plant should be strong enough for production of quality berries.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/prune-blueberries-yearly-more-fruit
How to Prune Blueberry Bushes
Prune blueberries under three years of age to train them towards an open shape. Soft shoots should be directed to upright canes. Light pruning is best because you are not removing dead wood but rather directing the bush. Additionally if you prune too heavily, many young canes will grow, age together, and become unproductive all at the same time. Find a balance with your blueberry bush.
- Cut out crossed branches to encourage upright growth. Prune back lateral branches directed toward the middle of the bush.
- Cut out branches that didn’t grow last season or were damaged. Make selective cuts, because aggressive pruning will hinder productive fruiting.
- In the third or fourth year, cut back about one third of the longest canes to encourage them to branch out. Don’t cut too low, because low spreading branches may drag blueberry fruit on the ground.
- Cut off round, fuzzy fruit buds. If you miss any, pick off the flowers in the spring. This leads to a larger root system and larger berries later on.
- If your plants tend to overbear, with numerous small fruits rather than larger ones, clip back the small shoots carrying a heavy load of flower buds. Blueberry flower buds are near the tips of the past season’s growth and are large and plump, compared to the small scale-like “leaf” buds.
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