Growing Blueberries Successfully In Pots

Growing blueberries in a pot is something anyone can try. It makes you self-reliant regardless of the space you have in your home. These fruits are full of vitamin and have antioxidant properties that are beneficial to everyone in your family. As long as you have some space that can get lots of sunshine, you have a spot for your pot. This fruit plant thrives and bears fruits when grown in pots or containers. However, this kind of growing blueberries takes time, and therefore you must be patient. The plant does not start producing fruits within the first years and when it eventually does, it gives you a lot. Your geographical location does not hinder you from this fruit plant. All you need is soil, fertilizer, and mulch to get started.

So, how do you grow blueberries successfully in pots?

Choosing the pot and acidifying the soil:

     Blueberries thrive to the maximum and give good yields when planted in pots where you can mix sand, pine bark, and peat moss. This makes the soil acidic and perfect for the plant. The container or pot you choose to use depends on the plant size, but it should be from 12 inches up 18 inches deep.

Sandy soil is the best:

     Blueberries do well in sandy soil but require drip irrigation. This fruit plant likes wet soils and cannot survive if the there is no sufficient water. However, you should not use clay soil for blueberry growing. The roots cannot thrive with poor drainage and make the whole plant do poorly, and eventually fail to produce.

Be careful with the fertilizers:

     While growing blueberries is easy, you must be careful with the fertilizer. If you add a lot of it, it will affect the plant negatively. The best way to ensure that you have enough fertilizer is to apply twice or thrice in a year. Use organic slow release fertilizers. Nitrate fertilizers tend to form nitrogen that slows the plant’s growth. You can look for fertilizers with nitrogen but in ammonium or urea form. Read the package to see the type of nitrogen it has before you buy.

Mulch is important:

      During the initial years of your berry plant life, mulching is essential because it increases acidity in the soil.  The blueberry plant loves acidic soil, but mulching also helps to maintain moisture in the soil and control weeds. The mulch should be between two and three inches deep on top of the coil in the pot.

The best mulches include pine straw, leaves, pine bark, grass, and peat moss. You should never use the barnyard manure; it has too much salt.

Protect your fruits:

      Eventually, when your plant starts producing fruits, use nets to keep the birds away because they can ruin what would have been a good harvest. Bird netting can last for over ten years, and it’s readily available in your local stare. Place it on the blueberries bush when the flowering stops and fruits have started coming out.