Pruning Mature Blueberry Bushes - Late Winter / Early Spring

Late winter / early spring is a great time to prune my blueberry bushes. I haven’t touched them in a few years and I’d like them to produce more fruit.

· Find your good pruning shears or loppers. It’s best to disinfect them before starting.

· Using sharp loppers, cut out no more than 2-3 mature stems that are at least over 4 years old. Blueberries grow best on stems that are a year or two old. I looked for 2 of the thickest branches (some had some moss growing on them) and I lopped them pretty close to the ground.

· If you notice dead branches you can cut them out so that your bush focuses on new growth and berries.

That’s all I did this year to my 8 bushes. It took me about 15 minutes including cleaning up the big branches. I’ll use my small shears when I see more growth and can distinguish what is growing vs. what is dead. It’s always a good time to cut out dead branches.

Blueberry bushes are a great addition to any yard. They are very pretty bushes and don’t require a lot of care. Mine aren’t too bushy because I like the sunlight to filter through them to the plants below.

Now to find another project…