6 Tips for Higher Yielding Blueberry Plants

We get a lot of questions about planting blueberry plants and why some produce more fruit than others. As with any fruit producing plant, blueberries need a few key ingredients to ensure they produce the large, high yields that they are capable of.

1. Choose the Right Plant

Pick a plant with an abundance of buds/flowers in the springtime and check for discoloured leaves. Black spots are a sign of disease and there should be no yellow or orange veins until fall.

2. Different Varieties

Having two or more different varieties of blueberry plants is beneficial to the size, yield and taste of the fruits that are produced. Keeping them together will aid the bees in the cross pollination between varieties. I will be posting more on how bees help with the production of berries in a blog post soon, so stay tuned!

3. Find a Sunny Spot

Blueberry plants enjoy full sun, so find a spot in your garden that gets the most amount of sun. Blueberries do tolerate shade, but will need at least 4 hours of sun a day and will produce higher yields with more sun.

4. Acidic Soil

Blueberry plants thrive in soil with a pH between 4 and 5. In BC, our natural soil is already quite acidic from the rain. If you’re making your own soil for your garden, or keeping them in pots there are a few things you can add to boost the acidity. You can start early and mix a small amount of granulated sulphur to your soil a few months before planting. Mixing a 50/50 ratio of garden soil and peat moss will also help acidify your soil. Adding pine bark or needles on top is another easy method.

5. Organic Matter/Peat Moss

Add organic matter, such as peat moss or pine bark, to your mixture, this will help hold the moisture. Not only does your soil need to hold moisture, but it should be well draining. You can add just peat moss to the bottom of the hole you dig for your plant. This will ensure water does not stay stagnant for too long.

6. Add a Water Source for Bees

Bees, and most importantly Mason Bees, are how blueberry flowers get pollinated and berries are produced. If you don’t want to have your own home for bees, keeping a small water basin with some clean wine corks floating on top for tiny landing pads will keep bees in your yard longer and they will keep coming back.