How to Grow

From seed

Plant the seed in dampened sphagnum peat moss in seed trays and cover them with ¼ inch (6 ml.) of soil.

Keep the medium consistently moist.

Be patient; blueberry seed planting may take six to eight weeks to germinate, some not for three months.

The hybrid high bush seeds germinate more unreliable than their wild low bush relatives.

Keep the seeds in a warm, sunny area (60-70 degrees F/15-21 C).

If lacking in sunlight, suspend a fluorescent light about 14 inches (36 cm.) above the seedlings.

The resulting seedling from the growing blueberry seeds will look like grass with a few tiny leaves atop.

During the first year of blueberry seed planting, the seedlings may get no taller than 5-6 inches (13-15 cm.) in height.

From seedling

Once the blueberry bush seed plants are big enough to transplant, move them into pots in a sunny, warm area and keep moist.

The growing blueberry seed plants can be fertilized with a liquid fertilizer after two to three weeks in their pots.

The resulting blueberry bush seed plants will bear fruit during year two when the plant is 30-61 cm tall.

It may take several years when growing blueberries from seed before the plant will produce any significant amount of fruit.

So, again, be patient, but once established, the plant will keep you supplied with this super food for decades to come.

In a pot

Choose a pot at least 40cm wide and deep.

Position in full sun and protect from strong winds.

Fill pot with an acidic potting mix, like one formulated for camellias and azaleas.

Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in pot, backfill, gently firm down and water in well.

Feed with fertilizer every 6-8 weeks.

When flowering and fruiting feed weekly with plant food.

From Plant

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil.

Enrich soil with fertilizer.

If the soil is alkaline, or neutral, add Soil Acidifier Liquid Sulfur to help loweer the pH.

Soak bare-rooted plants in a bucket of water for 30 minutes prior to planting.

Dig a hole the size of a football.

Remove the roots from bucket, position in hole and backfill, gently firming down.

Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that the water will go where it's needed most.

Water in well.

Mulch around the base of the plant with organic mulch, keeping it away from the trunk.

Water deeply, once every 2-3 days depending on weather conditions.

Feed with fertilizer every 6-8 weeks.

When flowering and fruting feed weekly with plant food.

Ready to harvest

When blueberries are very dark, try a few to make sure they're sweet enough for picking (Likely from December to March, depending on the variety)

Collect seed

The blueberries themselves contain the seeds.

To prepare blueberry seeds for planting, the fruit will need to be macerated.

This can be done in a food processor, blender or mashed in a bowl.

Add a little water to the berries as you do this.

Once the fruit is mashed, remove the floating pulp.

Seeds will sink to the bottom.

You may need to add water several times to remove the pulp completely.

Once you have gathered the blueberry bush seeds, they must be scarified.

Place them in some damp paper towels and put them in the freezer for 90 days.

Cold stratification will break the seeds’ rest period so they are ready for planting