Blueberries are a less popular crop. She's pretty moody. It is also difficult to wait for a real harvest from it. Of course, there are varieties that can please a good harvest. Among them are Liberty blueberries. We’ll talk about it further.

Description of Blueberry Liberty

The Liberty variety was bred at the University of Michigan in 1997. Brigitta Blue and Eliott were crossed to obtain the variety. A new culture inherited from them unpretentiousness, productivity, late ripening and dessert taste. Today, Liberty is actively grown on an industrial scale in the EU and the USA.

• In the description of the culture and its characteristics there are a number of positive aspects by which it stands out from the rest:
• tall bush of medium height (150 cm, with a width of 120 cm) and intense growth;
• powerful spreading shoots covered with smooth elliptic foliage of saturated green color;
• numerous round, slightly flattened berries of a light blue color, collected in a brush of medium density;
• dense pulp of fruits with a bright, intense aroma;
• good transportability due to the dense skin;
• the ability to collect fruits manually and by machine;
• good resistance to moniliosis, anthracnose;
• high frost resistance (adult plants survive the fall of the thermometer to -34 ° C);
• adaptability to temperature fluctuations in the autumn-winter period, to thaws;
• high productivity (up to 4-6 kg per adult bush);
• adaptability to growing not only in open ground, but also in containers;
• unpretentiousness.

Among the shortcomings, they note only that despite the increased frost resistance, the garden plant still needs to be covered, especially young shoots. This disadvantage is inherent in all varieties of blueberries, without exception.

Chemical composition

The Liberty Blueberry contains:

• sugar - 14.2%;
• acids - 1.1%;
• ascorbic acid - 18.1%.

Also in the berries there are a lot of antioxidants, flavonoids, steroids and other biologically active substances. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K, beta-carotene), water-soluble (C, group B) are present. Among the minerals, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium are most found.

Landing rules

The further growth and development of culture depends on how correctly the landing is made. Therefore, to begin with, you need to choose a place for landing. Blueberries love sunny places, protected from strong cold winds, drafts. She relates to partial shade calmly, but fruiting in such a place will be worse. Required plant to the soil. It loves acidic soils, preferably sandy or peaty. Such soils are rare in suburban areas, so they need to be prepared in advance: acidify, cover with sawdust.

Chernozem is contraindicated in blueberries: it does not grow on it.

He does not like the culture of predecessors and transplants. Therefore, the place must be selected so that the bush can grow on it constantly. Usually, garden blueberries are planted in spacious areas by plantations. Well, if before that, siderates grew. They need to be cut and introduced into the soil in order to restore its mineral reserves. Important! All preparatory actions must be done before planting the seedling in the pit, so that the May beetle does not have time to postpone the larvae that feed on the roots. It is better to plant 2-3-year-old seedlings with a closed root system. Such plants are sold in pots. After the purchase, the roots need to be removed from the pot and softened with an earthen lump. This will help to free the roots, then to straighten them. Without these manipulations, the roots will not be able to break through the ground. Planting work can be carried out in autumn and spring, but it is better to give preference to spring planting, so that during warm time the plant can grow stronger and easier to endure frosts.

Landing takes place at the following stages:

1. A pit is excavated with a diameter of 100 cm and a depth of 30–40 cm.
2. Fill the pit with low-lying peat with rotted sawdust, sprinkle with top peat on top. All water.
3. Spread the roots of a seedling, place it in a hole, and fill it with acid peat.
4. Squeeze the soil, sprinkle with coniferous opal, straw and pour water. Water needs to be poured over the crown.

Subtleties of care and ripening

Blueberry blooms in May. Harvest can begin to be harvested from August to September. In care, the main thing is top dressing. You cannot get a good harvest without it. Nutrients need to be introduced from the second year after planting. Organics cannot be used. Minerals are introduced through the system. They feed nitrogen three times a season, 30-50 g per bush. The first feeding is in the spring, until the buds have opened, the next - with an interval of 30 days. Phosphorus complexes are introduced in April and early summer, 20-30 g per bush. Potash - according to a similar pattern, but 30–35 g per bush.

Blueberries are poured twice a week. Water should not stagnate at the roots so that putrefactive processes do not develop. For one bush you need to spend a bucket of water. Be sure to loosen the soil after each watering and rain. This should be done very carefully, since the root system of the plant is located near the surface of the soil. Weeds are preferably removed by hand. After the trunk circle you need to mulch peat, sawdust, needles. Mulch will slow the growth of weeds and retain moisture in the soil.

For Liberty blueberries, it is very important that they be cut in a timely manner. In the spring, sanitary removal of shoots damaged after wintering is carried out. If damage is noted in the summer, then until the autumn, diseased branches cannot be removed. This can harm blueberries. Formative pruning is performed in the fall. Two-year branches bearing fruit in the current year are removed. Only annual shoots are left, which will get stronger for the new season and begin to bear fruit.

Pollination

Blueberry Liberty belongs to self-pollinated varieties. She does not need pollinators. If you want to get larger and sweeter fruits, then you can plant other varieties in the vicinity, with similar flowering times. Find out also when, after planting, blueberries begin to bear fruit.

Winter preparations

Without shelter for the winter, a frost-resistant variety will not survive. Shelter is necessary to prevent freezing of roots and young shoots. For this, the branches must be bent to the ground, fixed with wire and covered with agrofibre or burlap. The film can not be used as a shelter, since under it the blueberries are pritet.

Video: How to cover blueberries for the winter

Collection and storage of blueberries

Blueberries are collected manually or mechanically. The fruits are stored very well, as well as transported. They should lie in the refrigerator. But, in this way, they will "live" a week. For long-term storage, you can freeze them, make jam, jams, yoghurts from them.

Pests and diseases

Diseases that attack Liberty Blueberries:

1. Gray rot - manifested by drying of the leaves and the appearance of red spots on them. You can drive away the disease with the help of Bordeaux fluid, treating it with a bush in spring and autumn. Affected parts must be cut and destroyed.
2. Mosaic - leaves covered with mosaic stains. It is destroyed by fungicides of Aktar, Fitoverm.
3. Red annular spotting - old foliage is covered with red rings. Destroyed by the same means as the previous misfortune.

Pests attacking a plant:

1. Aphids - the apical leaves of the shoots curl, and small insects appear in them. It is necessary to destroy the ants that carry aphids, treat the bush with Fitoverm, a solution of ammonia.
2. Flower beetle - eats buds and buds. Destroyed by Fitoverm, Aktara.

Blueberry Liberty is a worthy crop for growing in a summer cottage. It brings tasty fruits, is not particularly demanding in care, with the exception of soil quality.