Every year, garden blueberries are becoming increasingly popular. By purchasing plants, every gardener hopes to get a good harvest in a year. However, sometimes it happens that the bush is actively growing, flowering, but not bearing fruit. Why this situation arises and how to avoid it will help explain this article.

Why does not fruit blueberries

A new bush of blueberries, planted in the ground according to all the rules, can often grow successfully without giving berries for several years in a row. To identify the cause of the lack of fruit, you must first observe the plant. The results of your research should be compared with the most common problems when growing berry bushes:

• garden soil is not suitable;
• the plant is still very young;
• cold winters;
• various diseases.

Bushes in the shade

A bush of blueberries will not bear fruit if it has no flowers - the berries simply cannot be planted. This problem is most common among gardeners who planted a plant in the shade. Although blueberries love shaded areas with high humidity, it can develop poorly without constant sunlight . The lack of normal lighting negatively affects the flowering process.

Did you know? One of the popular names for blueberries is a drunkard, because during the collection of these berries a headache often appeared. In fact, it was caused by the heavy smell of rosemary, which usually grows next to blueberries.

In addition to lighting, the plant also needs wind protection. In this case, it is necessary to properly clean the area to leave trees and shrubs. In addition, a sufficient level of humidity should be monitored. Perhaps the ideal option would be an artificial irrigation system . In this case, the plant will be in sunlight and well moisturized. Subject to these conditions, blueberries will bloom and will delight a large number of ovaries.

Inappropriate soil acidity

Another reason for the lack of development and, as a consequence, the crop, may be the wrong choice of soil for planting. The berry will never grow normally on alkaline and neutral soils.

This problem can be solved by artificial soil oxidation . This culture successfully develops with natural indicators of acidity in the range from 3.5 to 4.5 pH.

Watering violation

The plant will grow well only with proper irrigation. Water should be slightly acidified . To do this, add 1 teaspoon of citric acid to 1 bucket of water. Blueberries need regular hydration during the ripening period of berries, which occurs in the middle and end of summer, and this amount of the mixture is enough for normal development.

Important! Excessive watering of blueberries should be avoided. With a large amount of water, the roots of the plant begin to rot.

Blueberry root goes deep enough underground - about 40 cm. Therefore, it is important to deliver only the required amount of water in a timely manner, especially in dry autumn . Some amateur gardeners claim that the most optimal amount will be about 20 liters per month.

Feeding Disorder

The leaves of the bush, as well as its roots, are very sensitive to feeding. Therefore, one of the reasons for the poor development of the plant or lack of yield is considered to be the wrong introduction of nutrients.

It is best to choose mineral top dressing for blueberries . Organic fertilizer should be completely abandoned, as it adversely affects the development of culture. Each bush requires approximately 50-60 g of superphosphate, 15-35 g of magnesium and 1-2 g of a mixture in which other beneficial trace elements are mixed each year.

We advise you to read how and how to properly feed garden blueberries.

Mixtures containing nitrogen are recommended in 3 steps:

• in spring, when the buds of the plant have not yet blossomed, they use 40% of the annual norm, which is 40 kg / ha;
• at the beginning of May add another 35%;
• and before the onset of summer, the remaining 25% should be paid.

Particular attention should be paid to nitrogen supplementation in the presence of sawdust mulch . If this is the case, then twice as much fertilizer should be applied. The main reason for this is that sawdust absorbs nutrients intended for blueberries quite strongly.

Potassium is also beneficial for the plant. It must be added in an amount of 30–45 g under one bush. Calimagnesia is considered the most suitable fertilizer.

Other feeding options should be considered a violation. Their use can lead to a lack of flowering, ovary berries and plantation death

Lack of mulch

To mulch the soil when planting blueberries, a number of popular and common materials are used:

• hay;
• tree bark;
• straw;
• sawdust;
• peat;
• foliage;
• sand.

The most beneficial is the use of sawdust, although they will have to change the dosage of top dressing. Sawdust prevents the excessive outflow of moisture into the ground, saving most of it for the needs of the bush. Sawdust decomposes and compacts more slowly, does not need to be replaced for a long time

Strict mulch application rules must be followed . Its layer should not exceed 10 cm. If the plant is planted in the pits, then the radius of the scattering of sawdust should be 50 cm from the stem. When planting blueberries in rows, a wide, 50-60 cm, continuous strip of material is used. The first mulching is carried out immediately after planting the crop at a constant place of its growth . Subsequent mulch replacement procedures are performed as needed. The second and subsequent mulching procedures are carried out with a decrease in the layer of materials to 5 cm.

Important! Mulch from leaves and straw quickly decomposes, and should be changed annually.

Inadequate drainage

Drainage provides an outflow of excess water so that the roots of the plant do not rot . For blueberries, such a system will be needed only when planting in sandy or peaty soil.

As drainage, small pebbles or small gravel are used. Lay it on the bottom of the pit before planting the plant. If a pot is used, then the drainage is also laid on the bottom of the tank.

For the most successful plant growth, you should make sure that the drainage layer has a sufficient thickness of 5-10 cm

Planting only one bush

One bush of blueberries is planted, as a rule, those gardeners who do not want to receive a large crop . The place of such a landing is usually a summer house or a flower bed in a private house. Since from one bush of the best variety you can collect up to 10 kg of berries per season, many lovers believe that they have enough of this number of berries, and cost only one plant.

This is one of the most common mistakes, because one bush can stop bearing fruit at any moment or even dry out.

There are too many risk factors - untimely watering, improper care, pests and diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to plant several plants, which will increase the yield and increase the preservation of the culture

Trimming Violation

To avoid damage to the bush, and as a result, and reduce the yield, it is necessary to correctly prune the blueberry bushes . For this purpose, choose one of two seasons: the beginning of spring or autumn, when the plant drops its leaves.

Important! Highly growing varieties are pruned 5-10 cm lower than undersized ones. This procedure stimulates plant growth.

Pruning a plant is carried out exclusively from the moment when it has reached the age of 6-7 years. Experienced gardeners recommend leaving at least 5 annual branches on the bush.

When the plant grows strongly, individual shoots are pruned. The first to remove branches without fruits and reaching the age of more than 3 years

Lack of pollinators

Pollination is an important process by which an ovary of berries is formed . Most varieties of blueberries are self-pollinating. In other cases, insects take on this role.

In the natural environment, plants are pollinated by wild and cultivated bees, butterflies, bugs . To increase the chance of ovary berries on a plantation where blueberries grow, it is recommended to exhibit hives. Bumblebees are recognized as the most suitable for pollination of crops, although bees are more economically viable and easier to breed.

Did you know? If there are 5 beehives per 1 ha of territory, up to 20 bees can visit one blueberry flower in 10 minutes.

According to the recommendations of gardeners and farmers, no more than 5 beehives per 1 ha of plantation will be needed to form an ovary . The distance between them should be at least 100 m.

In order to understand whether there is a sufficient number of pollinators for blueberries, it is necessary to time and calculate the number of insects that visited the plant. With the above-described density of placement of hives, a sufficient number of bees should sit on one flower. It is worth noting that the culture blooms in just 4 days. And if pollination does not occur in the first couple of days after the appearance of the flower, then it will not work with it.

Un dusted flowers can stay on the bush for another 2 weeks, they also turn dark pink, and not snowy white. The longer they stand, the lower the likelihood of an ovary

To speed up the pollination process, houses of domestic insects should be placed in the sun . The hotter the weather, the faster the bees work. However, hives should not be taken out before the bud begins to dissolve the petals, because due to lack of nectar, insects can fly to another plantation.

Spring frost

Winter is not the only time for cold weather. A temperature drop below 0 degrees Celsius in the spring is always dangerous : the snow has already melted, water has accumulated on the open ground, the first plants begin to bloom and bloom. Freezing at this time is very dangerous for early blueberries, so precautionary measures must be taken to protect plants, especially in the northern regions of the country.

Also find out how many years after planting and how often the blueberry bears fruit.

Firstly, it is recommended to buy later varieties as seedlings . They bloom and bear fruit later, but the risk of frost damage is also significantly reduced.

Secondly, it is necessary to choose the right places for the growth of culture . The lowest temperature is recorded in the lowlands, so you should choose higher points to create blueberry plantations. The temperature on the hills is several degrees higher, and this contributes to the preservation of the crop.

Thirdly, you need to constantly and timely trim the bushes. If the time is right, the flowering process can be delayed for 1-2 weeks. This will allow spring frosts to pass without any negative consequences for plants.

There are also some simple but effective ways to preserve a culture without damaging it with frost . The most common is the ignition of bonfires. It is effective only if the exact date of the impending weather is known. This night, a fire is planted throughout the plantation that heats both the ground and the plants themselves. However, a long open fire near the bushes cannot be kept.

No less popular is the wrapping of shoots with last year's leaves, straw, hay. The heat emanating from these materials prevents the freezing of the stem, flowers and buds of plants.

We recommend reading how to grow blueberries in the Krasnodar Territory.

An alternative and costly option would be to use wind turbines. They are turned on during freezing, and they heat up the plants.

Blueberry diseases and their treatment

Any fungal infection spreads very quickly . At the same time, it damages healthy bushes located in the immediate vicinity of the diseased plant. Therefore, it is necessary to act immediately after the discovery of the first symptoms of the disease.

Since there are many diseases, the fight against each requires a special approach:

1. Stem cancer . The plant is treated with one of the modern tools - Topsin or Euparen. The spraying process is repeated 3 times. The first and second time it is carried out before flowering with a gap of a week, the third - after the harvest of berries. Affected branches are pruned and burned to prevent spread.
   

2. Phomopsis . One of the options for fighting is also considered trimming damaged stems and their subsequent burning. Chemicals such as Topsin, Euparen or Fundazole will also help. The spraying procedure is carried out similarly to that described above in the fight against stem cancer.
   

3. Moniliosis and anthracosis . Trimming branches with signs of the disease. Be sure to burn them.
   

4. Spotting . The bush is treated with a Bordeaux mixture. Leaves damaged by the disease are raked in one place and burned. It is allowed to spray with karbofos or fufan before the period of the appearance of flowers.
   

5. Gray rot . The method of struggle is similar to the described actions for stem cancer.
   

If a fungal infection damages the berries, they must be picked immediately . If such berries remain on the bush, the fungus survives in them in the winter and in the spring affects new shoots. Chemicals from the fungicide group are effective in any such infections.

The most common pests of blueberries are:

1. Caterpillars of different insects. They eat leaves.
2. Aphids . Reduces the development of young shoots, spreads various infections.
3. Flower beetle . It feeds on the buds and young buds of the plant.
4. Leafloader . Slowly cobwebs the tops of the branches where it eats leaves and buds.
5. Kidney tick . Damages the kidneys, resulting in leaf death.
6. May bug It feeds not only on flowers and young leaves, but also on the roots of the plant.

Insecticides are considered a useful pest control agent. In the spring, it is also recommended to remove damaged kidneys.

Some birds eat blueberries. To scare them away, shiny objects are used that are hung on bushes. In addition, you can make a covering of bushes from the grid.

Prevention

Every disease and pest can be prevented, which is considered the best option for gardeners. The prevention procedure consists in an integrated approach:

1. At a constant place of plant growth, only those seedlings that do not have a visible sign of disease should be planted.
2. It is recommended to select varieties with the highest resistance to fungus.
3. During landing, all existing rules must be observed.
4. It is also necessary to consider the distance between the bushes, the choice of place, humidity.

Learn about the features of growing blueberries in the Leningrad region.

If the branches are found to be dry or damaged by disease and pests, they are immediately removed . Within 1 year, the bush is treated twice with a Bordeaux mixture. Fallen for some reason, leaves or berries are collected in one place and burned.

Before the flowering period and after harvesting, the entire garden is recommended to be treated with fungicidal preparations.

Video: Secrets of growing blueberries

So, there are many ways to make blueberries bear fruit. Properly and timely measures taken will help to collect the maximum number of crops of sweet and healthy berries.