Blueberry plantations can usually only be created with the right substrate. In this article you can find out which components should be included in every blueberry substrate and which cultivation systems are common.
The growing market for fresh soft fruit is also driving demand for fresh blueberries. The cultivated blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is ideal for cultivation in plantations due to its resistance to diseases and high yield. In this article we give an overview of different cultivation systems and tips for choosing the optimal substrate.
Blueberry Orchards: Growing Blueberries in Soil or Soil Free?
Blueberry orchards can be planted in various cultivation systems in natural soil or as a container culture that is not tied to the ground. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before investing.
Growing Blueberries in Grown Soil
When planting plantations in natural soil, a basic distinction is made between ditch culture and dam culture. The ditch culture for blueberries is the oldest and most typical cultivation variant. Here, the topsoil is replaced by a suitable blueberry substrate. A trench one meter wide and 40 to 60 cm deep is dug for each plant. A plow or small excavator is very suitable for digging trenches. The excavated soil is now replaced with a suitable substrate and the blueberries are planted slightly higher. Over time, the acidic blueberry soil will settle and soon be level with the topsoil. With calcareous subsoils and thus the presence of a large difference between the pH values, both soils usually balance out in the direction of alkaline after a few years. A perforated foil at the bottom of the ditch delays this pH equalization. In the case of strongly alkaline soils, however, soil-free cultivation methods should be used.
Another way of growing ingrown soil is the blueberry dam culture. Instead of digging up the topsoil, a dam of blueberry substrate up to 50 cm high is piled up on the loosened and weed-free surface. The ridges need to be compacted a few times before planting can begin. The soil in the ridge culture warms up faster in spring and can therefore lead to an earlier harvest. The cost of plantation establishment is lower than that of trench culture and weed management is also easier. Every two to three years, however, the substrate has to be poured again. A substrate-saving mixed system from both systems is the Swiss "gram culture". A shallow ditch about 20 cm deep is dug here and thrown up on the side at the edge of the pit. Now a substrate dam is piled up, which is limited and secured by topsoil.
Growing blueberries without soil
In the case of soil-free blueberry cultivation, plants in containers or troughs are used. This form can be applied outdoors and in sheltered cultivation. The planters filled with blueberry substrate can be placed at the desired planting distance depending on the size of the bush. Failures can be easily replaced without much effort and the use of machines. Weed control is much easier than on natural soil. However, the material required for this type of cultivation increases the acquisition costs significantly.
Blueberry substrate: important properties
When choosing the optimal substrate for planting a blueberry plantation, a few points regarding the pH value and the composition should be considered.
Components of a suitable blueberry substrate
Blueberry substrates should contain a high humus content and components that have an acidic effect when decomposed. It must be loose and permeable while storing sufficient moisture. Drought or waterlogging cause the fine roots of blueberries to die off quickly.
Growing blueberries: focus on pH value
The pH value of a suitable substrate for blueberry cultivation is between 4 and 5 (measured in CaCl2) in the acidic range. This narrow tolerance range requires precise pH management of the interactions between fertilization, soil conditions and decomposition processes in the substrate.
Peat substitutes in the blueberry substrate
In the past, only raw peat was used for blueberry cultivation, but nowadays peat substitutes are used for ecological reasons. Acidic materials such as wood fiber, sawdust, wood chips or bark mulch from conifers are found in crushed and composted form in the blueberry substrate. They store less moisture and have a lower buffer capacity than peat, but at the same time bind larger amounts of nitrogen during decomposition and are therefore more difficult to handle. Regular compensatory fertilization and ammonium-based fertilization or watering with rainwater to adjust the pH value as well as site-specific irrigation are necessary maintenance measures.
Organic cultivation of blueberries: organic blueberry plantation
Due to the robustness of cultivated blueberries, blueberry plantations can be managed organically. Until a few years ago, pathogens hardly ever appeared on blueberry bushes. Therefore, the establishment of an organically managed plantation is profitable and quickly contributes to the cost recovery of the plant. Introduced species such as the spotted drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) can be restricted in their spread using decoy traps. In addition to the selection of suitable varieties, diseases such as Godronia dieback (Fusicoccum putrefaciens & Godronia cassandrae) or the viral ring spot disease (Red Ringspot Virus) are controlled by targeted Pruning measures or the removal of the entire bush are also kept in check in organic soft fruit growing. Bird damage and hail damage can be prevented with an effective but costly net combination.
Contact experts: further information and sources of supply
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