This is hands down the best video I've found to prune blueberry bushes. It is specific and very simple to follow. I use this video every year as a refresher and my blueberry bushes pump out a ton of berries. Thank you very much.
Pruning here in Maine usually occurs in mid-late March. You want to be sure that the plants are dormant, so wait until after New Years, but you need to be able to prune older canes to the ground, so it shouldn't be done unless there is little to no snow around the base of the plants. Thanks for your question!
Here are the most important things I've learned after growing blueberries for 10+ years and watching every blueberry video out there...I wish I knew this when I started. Good luck growers! 1. Understand the growth habit: VERY IMPORTANT. The first year a cane (primary ground stem) grows, it will put on buds directly on the stem by the Fall, which will fruit the following year. The Second year, the buds directly on the primary cane from last year will fruit, and the cane will also grow secondary stems/branches with buds of their own for next year's fruit. Also the tip of the primary cane will die off. This cycle repeats each year, with smaller and smaller branches, stems, and fruit each year. 2. Start by cutting entire canes from the base, then work your way up and do heading cuts (tips of old canes as needed). 3. Cut off canes that are diseased, old, woody, and unproductive. Also canes that are very horizontal or crossing over other canes. 4. Removing old canes allows the energy of the plant to go into new vigorous (tall) canes. 5. Not removing enough old canes will result in new canes that are short (6-12"), thin, and weak. A short thin cane will have very little first year fruit, and virtually no 2nd year fruit due to its short and small size. 6. Commercial growers only keep canes up to the 2nd and sometimes 3rd year. The reason is the branches become thin, short, like matchsticks, and fruit gets smaller and harder to pick. 7. First year plants get heading cuts all around, meaning all growth is cut 6-12" from the ground as early in the season as possible. The allows new canes to grow from where those cuts were made. Also any buds are rubbed off to prevent fruiting, and allow the vegetative growth to be established. Second year most fruit is removed and pruning is also done to encourage vegetative growth. 8. Pruning should be done each year, to promote new, strong canes for next year.
Informative stuff! I purchased four new plants last year and have them potted ready to be planted in the spring. They’ve started to bud by now and I’m wondering if it’s too late to pruin. Also, should I remove these buds? I’m in no rush to get fruit off them this year. We are in Connecticut zone 6b. Thanks!
@@contacthigh8571I’m in Western Massachusetts 6B. 👍 we bought our bushes 3 years old from Dimeo in NJ. I haven’t pruned them yet, and they have been in ground for a year in my backyard. I can’t wait until next March to get our there and try this technique.
Video wonderful - So much easier to understand than reading five pages of how to. Especially for someone who has no clue on where to start the pruning process or understand articles written by professionals to people who understand most of those directions. Thanks so much. Think I must have butchered mine too much last year as just cut off branches randomly so this year did not bear hardly at all.
I have blueberry bushes that look about 60 years old or so. They are wild blueberry bushes. Do you recommend cutting some of the really old thick canes to give it a new jumpstart? Thanks, Steve
The best video ever for pruning blueberries. After 6 years I finally have my bushes just where they should be! Get a ton of blueberries off 5 plants. Thank you!
This is a useful video. I have a friend who inherited 4 blueberry bushes, alongside of her husband, when they purchased some property over 20 years ago. Said bushes are now over 40 years old, and have apparently been declining in quality the last few years, and they weren't quite sure why, as they just let the bushes manage themselves. I showed both of them this video, as I have some new blueberry plants myself and I was looking for some tips to help me out in the future, and now we've been talking about doing some pruning in late February/Early March to try an prune out a third of the older canes this year, and hopefully, over the next few years, rejuvenate the bushes.
@autocook16 The video represents pruning in late winter (March). Next year refers to what we'll be pruning the following winter. So, vegetative buds we see this year will be shoots with fruit buds when we're pruning next year.
Another year gone by and this is still my favourite video! The sun has come out, watched the video and now off to prune the blueberries. I was not doing it properly and so it's taken a few years to finally get the old canes out and not snip off the new red shoots. I pick and freeze the blueberries and eat them every day of the week. I'm still eating 2016 blueberries. By far this is the easiest fruit to maintain of all my plants!
@@dcwatashi Yes, all plants need fertilizer (food) using either granular or liquid. Liquid requires more frequent application and granular is slow release. As for ph of soil I apply a layer of peat moss on top as a layer of mulch.
Your blueberry pruning videos are my "go to". Just planted my bushes last year, going to try out some selective pruning this afternoon using your videos as guides. Thanks for the great info!
Thank you! I discovered last year that I have several well established blueberry bushes in my backyard and they’re getting very unruly (fruit and branches sagging to the ground) but I didn’t want to prune them incorrectly. This is so helpful!
Thanks, very informative. I have a patch of 20+ bushes, between 5 and 15 years old. I just started pruning them this year, and this video was very helpful.
Appreciate the quality of instruction on this video. Thanks for the extra detail about the different types of buds on the stem and how to recognize fruiting versus plant shoot buds. Also the detail around recognizing the weak clusters of stems.
You are helpful and abundantly knowledgeable. Apparently our cameraman has had something heavy dropped on his head, recently, as he is zoomed out wide when you call sharp attention on a very interesting (sounding) tiny shoot feature. Please call him an ambulance...?
My blueberries are over 10 years old and have never been pruned. Can I remove more than just 2 or 3 of the old canes? And timing... I thought the season for pruning was right after fruiting is done, but the video appears to show winter pruning.
Wonderful guide to pruning! We've inherited a 20 year old blueberry patch that hasn't gotten much attention over the last few years. We are looking at growing the business over many more acres that we have available and I wondered if you have a similar video on propagation..? Our ranch is in Northeast Texas and our plants are producing and will bear fruit in June/July. Thank you!
Yes, late winter to early spring before bud break is the best time to prune blueberries. You want to be sure the plants are dormant, but you need to be able to reach the base of the plant without digging through snow. Thank you.
Great video. I was clearly over thinking the process of pruning. I keep my bushes in a enclosure so letting them grow above 6 foot is a problem. How do I handle that without hurting fruit production.
@@dcwatashi If anyone has an answer to this I would love to hear. We have bushes that are 10 feet tall with some branches hanging to the ground! What to do???
@@bethbrainard4722 My best friend who is a landscape architect said to wait until after last frost in the spring. I want to trim them now LOL. Remember this saying: “Patience is a virtue, find it if you can. Seldom found in Women, NEVER found in Man!!” LOL
what if all the canes are old? is it recommended that I cut ALL of the canes to the ground and start anew? I just bought a property that has several bushes, and they are not well maintained, though I would like to keep! Any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks!
Excellent video. I'm off to start pruning! Well actually I need to be patient and wait till spring. I'll set a reminder on my Mac otherwise I know I'll forget when it's time. I do need to clip the grass around them though.
Best video I've seen on the topic. I inherited 40 yr old bushes that are too well shaded, but still produced well last year (in New Hampshire). What is ideal height to maintain?
I have some old blueberry bushes that I’ve never been pruned. Don’t seem to have any new stalks/branches. Can the bush just be cut all the way back, or at least 1/2 cut even though they have nothing to replace them? Anybody with experience?
at 1:17 in the video he is showing last years growth. Are these young canes diseased? All my plants stems look like this at winter pruning and online sources indicate they are diseased. I didn't notice browning of leaves/wilting in the summer, I just want to make sure its not normal discoloring before I go and chop it all off.
Excellent video. I'm always a little hesitant to prune my fruit plants, but this made me feel much more confident when it comes to blueberries. Thanks so much!
By looking at the bush you pruned there’s still lot of dry wood that hasn’t been removed, anything dry needs to be removed, 10 minutes is too long to spend pruning on a commercial field
think i have a blue berry bush on my yard from the previous owner. i have not eaten them but they look convincing. it also looks almost identical to this videos plant. i think his is older than mine bye 2-3 years.
Informative video. thank you. Our bushes are getting too tall to easily reach the top. Should we trim them down to a manageable height ? If so, when is the best time to do that?
Hi! Nice video about pruning. I was wondering the flower bud removal of new plants? Do you cut the branch with flower buds just below the buds or do you remove the buds with hands ie. with glove and leave the branch uncut? Thanks!
This blueberry pruning video is closer to what I'm looking for. Pruning for southern United States is way different. Now to search for fertilizer and mulching tips. 🌿💙
Hopefully my bushes that have put on zero growth in four years will respond to this pruning. They are the same height as when I bought them four years ago.
Fertilizing in the spring can make a difference, at least it did for me this year. Just make sure you use the correct type, I'm using ammonium sulfate, and also Peter's 21-7-7. Using the wrong form of nitrogen can harm blueberry plants.
Nice clear spot on vid. Thank you very much! 5:04 not only I got good info about blueberry bush pruning, I also find this inspirational beyond gardening-if you spend too much time on something, you are likely overthinking. Great insight.
I live in Florida. Our blueberry bushes still are loaded with green leaves. From what I have read I should wait until late winter to trim back. Our bushes are a good 10 plus feet tall. Should I follow your video and as well, should I trim the height back? If so, how much should I trim from the top? Thank you for any answers.
I watched this video a few times. I like it and I learned a lot. I have about 15 blueberry bushes and I am looking to eventually get 30 to 40. I have other fruit bushes and trees as well. Thanks for helping me.
I have 6 bushes that are more than twice that size and definitely getting out of control. We’ve had them for at least 15 years, and they have never been pruned. It helps me a lot to get this basic, concise information. 50-75% is a really helpful gauge of volume, too.
Just what I've been looking for, thank you! I have one large blueberry bush that has nothing but a few berries on it. I'll be sure to trim this one in the spring.
This was a useful tutorial - I agreed this is one the best I have come across. MUCH better than I what i have found from Extension services here on the west coast.
Do you have any videos where there are actually leaves on the bush, or do you only film them after the leaves are gone? This is the 3rd of your videos I’ve watched.
I have a bunch of unknown wild sown blue's & huckleberries. The blueberries haven't been pruned and have developed a great deal of spindly, twiggy growth. Their fruiting is, obviously, sporadic, with some tiny growth showing berries, and others with whole branches of nothing but leaves. I already have a few berries developing, what might you recommend for taming wilder 6~ y/o shrubs? Complete rejuv, or do you think it's possible to spot prune them into healthy structure?
