Vaccinium myrtillus
Blueberry
Common names: Bilberry, Whortleberry
Photo: Amédée Masclef · Public Domain · Source
Description
The blueberry supplies aromatic blue berries but needs acidic, humus-rich soil to feel at home. Cultivated blueberries bear larger fruits, while the small wild bilberry tastes more intense. In a pot with rhododendron soil it also succeeds on chalky garden ground.
Care instructions
Plant it in spring (April, week 15) in acidic soil with a pH below 5 and water with low-lime rainwater where possible. Mulch with bark or conifer needles, which keeps things acidic and moist. Only after several years cut out old shoots in winter (February, week 8) to rejuvenate the plant.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, moist, lime-avoiding, lean
Feeding
Light feeder
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Diseases & pests
6 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Otiorhynchus sulcatus
You will find that the black vine beetle is a nocturnal, flightless beetle whose adults carve characteristic crescent‑shaped gouges into leaf edges.
More on black vine beetleOtiorhynchus sulcatus
The vine weevil is the larva of the nocturnal beetle Otiorhynchus sulcatus and causes the actual damage.
More on Vine WeevilEisen-Mangel
In iron chlorosis, the newest leaves turn yellow while the veins stay green, a clear net pattern. Usually the soil does not lack iron, but it is unavailable to the plant at too high a pH.
More on Iron deficiency chlorosisDrosophila suzukii
The Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a small fruit fly that, unlike native species, pierces healthy, still ripening fruits with its serrated ovipositor to lay eggs.
More on Spotted Wing DrosophilaMangan-Mangel
Manganese deficiency shows itself as a net like chlorosis: the leaf veins stay green while the areas between them fade to light green or yellow.
More on Manganese deficiencyPhytophthora spp.
Phytophthora root and shoot rot is caused by soil borne fungi of the genus Phytophthora, which become active above all where there is waterlogging.
More on Phytophthora root and shoot rotVarieties
8 varieties‚Bluecrop’
*‚Bluecrop’* is the most widely cultivated bilberry worldwide and a reliable choice for your garden.
‚Bluegold’
You will find that *‚Bluegold’* stays compact and bushy, making it suitable for smaller gardens or a large container.
‚Brigitta Blue’
Brigitta Blue extends your blueberry season well into late summer.
‚Duke’
*‚Duke’* opens the blueberry season for you: it ripens early and delivers a large, uniform harvest in a short time.
‚Elliott’
Elliott is the classic late variety and closes your blueberry season when others have long been harvested.
‚Goldtraube’
*‚Goldtraube’* is a proven old selection that has been a staple in DACH gardens for generations.
‚Patriot’
Patriot is especially frost hardy and copes better with heavier, wetter soils than many other varieties, good for rough locations at your place.
‚Spartan’
Spartan is considered one of the best tasting of the early varieties and carries very large, light blue berries.
Notes from real gardens
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