How to Grow BLUEBERRIES Like a PRO! Tips to Grow The Best Berries ANYWHERE

[@jameswagandt8718]

On center spacing: if you plant your blueberries every 2.5 feet that does not give 5 feet for each plant. The plant grows 2.5 feet on each side for a total of five. But is adjacent to another plant growing 2.5 feet on each side. Meaning you’re only giving each plant 1.25’ per side for a total of 2.5.

[@joshcrocker4596]

Agreed. Each plant would need 2½ feet on each side. 2½+2½=5 so each plant needs to be 5 feet apart according to the math

[@MalazTorchic]

And this compounds into a bigger issue with blueberries as the berries only grow on the ends the bush, so you cannot trim the branches down and still have fruit on those branches

[@zprince4120]

Exactly 💯

[@emeryrowand2903]

Totally agree- the spacing was not accurate, accept to account for the first and last bush will only reach out 2.5' from center. All the others will also reach out 2.5' each and fill all 5'. Otherwise a nice video. The point about water is very important to remember. If you can't get the bushes enough water, they will never make big full, delicious blueberries!

[@jarod144]

Yep I planted my blueberries 5ft apart so I can get between them

[@AaronWoodring]

Great video. Would just add that u don't need soil to grow blueberries, just peat and pine bark chips. Fertilize in beginning of spring and when they are forming berries. Just add more peat and pine bark each year, whether in ground or containers. This has been the easiest way for me.

[@andrewhammill6148]

I think you got your math wrong there Luke. If that blueberry plant is going to get 5 feet in diameter, then yes, it needs 2.5' on either side of center. But so does the one in the front of it and the one behind it. If it does grow 5' in diameter, you just put them so close, that when the radius has reached 1.25' on each one, they will already be touching.

[@brittanyragon6033]

I was just coming for this very thing.....I was like but....uh .....

[@C5Rose3]

Thank you. I was going to say the same thing!

[@gojade3968]

Same. He's not taking into account that each bush on either side will also grow (about 2.5 ft closer to the one in between).

[@prattacaster]

Lol

[@p3co_]

Haha. I literally paused the video to see if someone commented on this. They should be 5 feet on center.

[@sniper.308]

Bay City, Michigan I’ve been growing blueberries for the last 20 years. I have Sandy soils and I amend with Peat Moss and when planting and some wood chips is nice a little bit some leaves and then I top with sulfur and then mulch with leaves and then use fish fertilizer. The blue crop variety produces best.

[@sniper.308]

After fighting the Robbins for years, I just built one by one cages with deer netting over the blueberry bush row, and tripled my crop!

[@jeweleratlarge]

@@sniper.308 right on, I bird net my entire garden.

[@JeanandKenny]

Sand here too. This Spring I planted three year old blue crop (8 of them) and 8 Patriot in four 4'x12' raised beds Never tried these varieties before so hoping they do well!

[@sniper.308]

@@JeanandKenny plant a couple more varieties also the cross pollination gets more numerous berries . They should produce well.

[@jeanpolkoski2107]

​@sniper.308 I have blue crop, patriot, polaris, northland and Tomcat 1 (the other 3 varieties are 18 yr plants). Many highbush varieties are self pollinating but I get what you mean. It does increase yields. I have 32 plants now, next year I'll put in another 20'ish. Used to grow pine trees for fun but I can't eat those :)

[@halfgridhomestead]

Thank you!!! Got in over my head this year and bought 50!!! let the planting begin!!

[@aphillips5376]

I've used Espoma organic soil acidifier and their berry-tone. I have had awesome results. I save trifecta+ for my raised garden beds.

[@-Fr0nt]

If each blueberry needs 2.5 feet on center, then the spacing needs to be 5 foot on center between each plant to accommodate it. They labeled it correctly.

[@peggykush6972]

That makes total sense.

[@drinmer1]

This guy don't know basic math... He don't understand radius to diameter...

[@farmboy8663]

He needs to show us an end result to prove his point

[@timothytherrien3624]

always perfect timing from migardener

[@giselxflorez9174]

thank you for explaining spacing on center & it’s also great how you describe taking into consideration the water runoff benefitting blueberries in that locale👏🏽

[@JustMichiganDave]

Have you seen the university studies which show growing grasses with blueberry bushes helps them thrive and produce better berries? The grasses are natural chelators and can unlock nutrients like iron from the soil without having to acidify it. I've tried it a couple season now in my yard and anecdotally it seems to be working.

[@adultpersonman4612]

That makes some sense. I’ve experienced something similar. I’ve got a lot of blueberries so I’m gonna do some experimenting

[@lindalouis3731]

Your business is a delight to visit. It's so pretty!

[@caroldurusau2866]

In the south, we grow Rabbiteye blueberries. They are really good, and do better where the winters are not so cold.

[@hassensheikh114]

Love your channel Luke. You explain things really well & simple to follow. New amateur gardener from Melbourne Australia. Thanks

[@jclivin5]

Love it!! Love your channel brother. I recently planted my blueberries on ground and my native ph is 7.0 and I’ve successfully dropped my ph down to a 5.1 in only 4 months! 🙏🏼

[@debbiregnerus8824]

Great timing! I was just going to plant a blueberry bush today. Your explanation of spacing made me realize I can plant two instead of just one.

[@charlesdevier8203]

No you can not. Think that over again. Luke made a mistake; we all make mistakes.

[@debbiregnerus8824]

He might have misspoken, but from his visual presentation as well as other videos in which he speaks on this subject, he is correct. If you look at his garden, he planted the blueberries 5 feet apart, which gives each bush 2.5’ on either side of it.

[@drinmer1]

@@debbiregnerus8824 He planted them 2-5 feet apart... it should have been 5, but you get the idea.

[@scottkuppers]

literally just saved my garden :D I have planter boxes that are way too close together :D spacing them out 2.5ft, thanks!!

[@scottkuppers]

@@Just_A_Name14 what I meant was an EXTRA 2.5 from where they are haha :D thanks!

[@scottkuppers]

@@Just_A_Name14 appreciate it though :D

[@BecomingaGreenstalker]

Thanks Luke! Very timely!

[@johnwood738]

Thank you for posting working on improving my blueberry plants now.

[@RebeccaBernard-z9c]

Question - I'm seeing a lot of weed killer videos where 30% vinegar is used... would spraying the weeds around the blueberries with this be too much acid for the acid loving blueberry plants?

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

Acetic acid will evaporate, slower than water but it is not persistant, evaporation is why it has a strong smell. It works to kill weeds only by direct contact cell damage so only the sprayed parts are killed. The acetate ion is structurally related to some plant growth regulators, but as far as I know the main herbicide effect is just the acid damage. BTW acetic acid is a weak acid with a pKa of 4.76 so it will tend to buffer around a pH of 4.7 when diluted in the soil moisture solution. Sulfuric acid on the other hand, which is created by oxidation of sulfur by soil microbes, is a strong acid with a pKa below 1.0; basically it doesn't buffer for any practical purpose and will fully react with any basic minerals.

[@DanlowMusic]

Now to blow everyones minds.... A friend of mine bought a house and the previous people planted 2 blueberry bushes 18" apart and it looks like one huge bush and it really produces a lot every year.

[@Recovery12Life]

I wonder if there in the new jersey area? It grows wild there

[@DanlowMusic]

@@Recovery12Life it's in WA

[@JeanandKenny]

Mine are like that, I have two beds with 8 mid-highs each in 12'x4' raised beds. I get gallons of blueberries. Right now the branches are hanging to the ground because of the weight of the berries. I'm in WI zone 5A.

[@DanlowMusic]

@@JeanandKenny that's awesome! I'm looking to plant new blue berry bushes every year for a few years. I currently have 4 (2 a year)

[@JeanandKenny]

@@DanlowMusic I'm up to 32 now (yikes), the other 16 are heavy producers at 18 years old. I hope I can keep up with picking... I do this to myself lol

[@Herculesbiggercousin]

Any chance Trifecta+ might be going on sale sometime this spring, Luke & the team?

[@beautifulbeginningsphotogr2547]

Luke, we have a cottage in Grayling, Michigan and all over on the ground is wild blueberry. It’s everywhere. We don’t generally go up early enough to catch the blueberries but every few years will be there in time to harvest all those tiny little blueberries and make the best blueberry pancakes ever.

[@Charlie42003]

What did you use to measure the ph in your soil?

[@DavidKim-us8wd]

A video on how to prune these bushes would be nice.

[@helenerickson8455]

I hate landscape fabric!!!! Ive been digging it out ( 6 inches deep) at my new house. Cardboard chokes out weeds, and also disappears so doesn't cause future problems. Also..weeds eventually root into the fabric making them harder to remove.

[@guylamullins3602]

I wouldn't use cardboard next to a wooden building you plan on keeping awhile. It attracts carpenter ants/termites.

[@wendyflemons1311]

Not to mention that some landscape fabric has polypropylene

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

It is usually used wrong by homeowners, the heavy nursury and agriculture stuff is meant to stay on top and not be covered by bark or other mulch and maybe even moved every few years. The light homeowner stuff is usless unless doubled or tripled because it allows too much light through and if covered by mulch to block light then enough moisture is trapped to sprout weed seeds on top and the fine roots can get through the fabric. My current home went through the 1990s fabric fad when everyone thought it would magically replace herbicides and manual weeding. It is everywhere that I try to do anything and completely embedded with roots and soil, and does nothing to stop weeds but it does stop compost and worms so the soil under the fabric is completely barren. Oh and that plastic bird netting stuff they use in rolled sod is even worse to deal with than the fabric. (I'm lucky to have a tractor and room to use a field cultivator to scrape it all up into a heap that I can sift out after it composts.)

[@Nikki-mx5my]

We moved into a new place a couple of years ago, and yes, we have found that to be the case. Ugh!

[@ArtistCreek]

Agree. Every single time I've put down I enede up tearing it out. I use cardboard, junk mail, soda packages, cereal boxes of it is birnable its plantable. It breaks down and does the job dang near free.

[@firequeen2194]

Too late! Already planted 😂. Watched anyway. Thanks Luke!

[@justpassingthrough.]

I sprinkled clover seeds as a cover crop all over my garden before I put the blueberries in and 1 year later, some of the clover is snuggling up next to one of the blueberry plants. That.plant is bigger and healthier looking than it's neighbor plant which doesn't have the clover surrounding it.

[@Nikki-mx5my]

You may know this already, so forgive if this is redundant, but white clover is a nitrogen fixing legume. It is likely helping the soil around your plant by bringing nitrogen into the soil, which is pretty cool.

[@drinmer1]

@@Nikki-mx5my Yeah but the guy in the video, much rather use a black plastic membrane and calls himself organic, instead of using the organic solutions.

[@quest4knowledge768]

​@drinmer1 did you think that his climate might not allow for your ideas of organic.

[@crazy8skml]

Thank you Luke, I finally got some blueberries to grow from seed. This information is great! I would do a 50% water change in my fish tank and then water my plants. They flourished off it. 😂

[@alyssacampbell1958]

Please do a video on fertilizers, like what is best grown in what. I.e Horse manure, chicken dropping, compost, fish fertilizer. What is best for different vegetables and fruit trees. Thank you 😊

[@mattbradley28]

my migardener's blueberries came in yesterday. this is perfect timing, lol

[@toniatalley1977]

I love your channel so much. Also love all your plants and seeds. I just ordered some raspberries from yall and almost all my garden seeds came from yall as well. Its all doing great

[@sophiamattingly1193]

Do you have a recommended soil PH test kit? I didn't find one in your storefront.

[@3172bees]

Here in northern Maine you could start a riot over high bush or low bush so I ordered a half high to start with.

[@elizaC3024]

Great video Luke! I watered my blueberries just before watching this video. 😊

[@Gkrissy]

Right on time. I just listen to one of Luke’s old videos about why blueberries leaves turn red. One of my bushes turned red and I think it’s due to the temperature swing like month. So I used trifecta and seabird guano while my southern blueberries are ripening.

[@Wisconsin.pikachu]

We have tons of wild blueberries in our woods, and i have been slowly transplanting them into my garden, same with wild blackberries and some other wild fruits

[@Janette-rz4km]

Good idea!

[@terrivance8750]

Thank you, Luke. 😊

[@youwhat821]

Thanks for the tips for on center spacing ❤

[@roccoconte2960]

Great video , i use hollytone and berrytone from epsoma , works very well.

[@siriusinkheart]

I think you should have 5' spacing, because the left need 2.5', and the right one also need 2.5'.

[@rachelclute9384]

Ooooo.... Does on Center spacing apply to trees too, So if my tree says it needs to be spaced 18 ft can I plant them 9 feet apart?

[@brittanyragon6033]

No he was kinda off on this because each plant needs 2.5 on each side which actually would be 5 ft apart.

[@JenHomesteadingRN]

Love wild Maine blueberries!!!! Thanks for the tips!!

[@strictlyconservative8777]

On center spacing, I fell for that too. Thank you for explaining that!

[@lidip8700]

Love the explanations of the water tables. Folks normally disregard the natural water sources! As for me, a rain barrel connected to drip lines work best on our land lay out. I try to buy as much as possible from yall, but you Sell Out so fast! Lol. I guess that's good business & it shows yall have great quality & fair prices! Blessings to the Marion Family!!

[@TohTomajohs]

Thanks. Blueberries are so good

[@Gardenabundance]

He is right on his spacing. Rewatch it and look how far apart they are he’s probably off about 6 inches on each side so they will overlap, but that will not hinder productivity.

[@theodoredavis-zg1ff]

Luke is wrong about his math, however….. 2.5’ will be just fine for blueberries. I like to aim for around 25% overlap so about 3’-3.5’ but have seen very productive high bush blueberry around 2’ on center that do great!

[@drinmer1]

If two bushed grows to 5 feet in diameter, thus 2.5 in radius, you'll need 5 feet in between for them not to touch and 3.75 feet in between for 25 % overlap... If I got my math correct.

[@lauras5312]

Thanks for sharing

[@ltgemini1599]

I need to put mine BACK into pots becz of an invasion on Lesser Celandine. They were planted last year.Not sure about the pot size though. Feedback?

[@CindyOsborne-TDWP]

Can I transplant blueberries from 1 gallon pot to yard in September?

[@jamicasey2696]

Luke, can I add spent coffee grounds to blueberries to increase acidity? Looking for a cheaper option.

[@southbridgefarm8795]

How long do blueberry plants produce fruit if you are growing for profit?

[@GARDENSTATEGARDENER]

Your the best Luke. Thank you

[@ryjowright]

Where did you get your landscape fabric?

[@Firevine]

Man, blueberries are great and all, but that grass looks amazing.

[@julieannaadade8482]

I live in Utah. How would I check for acidic versus alkaline earth dirt?

[@spinninggardener]

Get a soil test done through Utah State University; they have extension offices throughout the state that can help you. Most likely, your soil will be very alkaline, though.

[@HealyMeans]

hi migardener 🤗 im growing blueberries in containers for the first time this year. any specific tips in addition to what you've mentioned here? btw, im growing some the seeds ive purchased from your business this year. too soon to tell, but im hoping for healthy plants and abundant harvests. tfs

[@AaronWoodring]

I have a few if u want. Use peat moss and pine bark, 50/50 mix as your soil. Not garden soil or compost or potting soil. Use acid or acidic fertilizer in early spring and when the berries are forming. If your plant is small, pinch the flowers to focus on growth. Growing mine in plastic barrels from Lowes, it's really easy this way.

[@HealyMeans]

@@AaronWoodring thank you so much. i really appreciate the info.

[@Stephen-gp8yi]

Is it ok to put two young blueberry plants in a 25 litre pot?thanks

[@nn-qm6cn]

Isn't weed fabric plastic? I keep digging up old weed cover (under weeds) in my back yard. Is there not another way that is more natural and not contributing to microplastic pollution? Thanks ! Love your channel!

[@DosMasTequila]

I live in the Novi Farmington Hills area and have no plum trees to let me know when to plant outside. I was wondering if you would make a video and let us know when it is safe to plant tomatoes and cucumbers outside in Michigan?

[@richard1882]

The instructions on my blueberry plants said to plant them 6’ apart.

[@bradmic396]

Where did you get those plants?

[@johnathanhubert7303]

If you plant them 2.5 feet away, then the branches from one will reach all the way to the center of the one next to it and vice versa, right?

[@elizabethhendriks9030]

thank you!

[@DavidSmith-vz9uu]

Is a raised vegetable bed a bad idea for growing blueberries since you mentioned that blueberries like a lot of water as a raised bed would dry out faster?

[@ty_845]

My blueberry plants’ leaves are turning a reddish color as well as getting small dimples in them, any idea what the cause could be? I’ve ruled out blueberry mottle disease so I have no clue what could be causing the issue.

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

Excellent

[@thesidekick6]

that math only works for the end of a row(where one might have a fized barrier). every plant has a radius and your example would have every plant reaching the center of the next plant.

[@Seedstheday]

Will you ever carry Rabbiteye varieties?

[@hopemorrison2367]

LUKE WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE PINE PLANT BEHIND YOU AT THE BLUEBERRY PLANTS

[@_familyMAN]

Looks like arborvitae

[@tinabloomfield7228]

I grow my blueberries in whiskey barrels, and keep them close to my garden so i can keep a hood eye on them...lol i use pine bark as their mulch.

[@marycochran-mm6hy]

Can you give info on blueberrys in planters?

[@allisond3184]

I grow mine in half barrels, that way I can influence their soil better for optimal growing. They're very happy second year in and growing extremely well. I can also influence how closely they're planted together by moving their barrels if they need a little more room. :)

[@sabrinah6968]

I bought several blueberry bushes 3 years ago. I wasn't able to plant them in the ground so I put them in containers. And there they have sat, neglected. Unsurprisingly, they are spindly and stressed. If I plant them as you instructed, will they bounce back? or are these weakened plants that I should ditch and start over?

[@gardeningunraveled]

One more important thing about planting any plant that has been growing in a pot is to loosen up the root ball.

[@vanessaadams9145]

Now what IF, I am using mostly native soil (northern Ontario Canada where alot of blueberries grow wild) and have them in a place where they are constantly covered in pine needles from the tree above shedding? They have green leaves...no purpling or red leaves... I guess IF I see that happening I should then consider amending the soil. 🤷

[@lisahutchens8062]

If the blueberry bush is only 2.5' away from the next bush, which also grows to a 5' width, they're going to overlap by 2.5'. Is that OK?

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

No, forget all of that babbling in the video. 5 feet is 5 feet. Some overlap is ok in a home situation and in some areas the plants won't get as big. Farmers may not want overlap if they are concerned with working around the plants for pruning or harvest, or branches rubbing and causing disease in some climates.

[@BradWilder-cq9hs]

My friend- Wouldn't two plants with a 2.5 ft radius will need 5ft between them.

[@theinfinitemike1490]

11:15 your editor/uploader is viciously leaving you pointing at air because they aren't adding the next video recommendation at the end

[@budj13]

I love your videos and enthusiasm for gardening. I appreciate your planting strategy, but don't call it "on-center" because that is actually a defined term. On center is used in engineering and construction to mean the distance from the center of one member to the next. Your planting strategy is denser at half the on-center distance. Keep up the good work.

[@pedsnursekare]

I ordered raspberries from you 3-4 years ago and to this day it has never grown any fruit. Some of the canes have leaves, a lot of the canes look dead. I was seriously considering digging it up and tossing it in the burn pile. Why does it not produce fruit?

[@madammazon2942]

While I don't know your circumstances, I have a few potential reasons: Shade -if the plants are in full shade they may not be getting enough sun to form blossoms. Nutrients - if they are missing I believe phosphorus then blooms won't form. And finally, depending on the variety of raspberry, the canes are too old. Some types fruit on 2year old canes and others on 3yr old canes. I would look into that and maybe at some of Luke's videos on raspberries. Hope this helps!

[@gospelofsophia7851]

Lack of boron in the soil.

[@pedsnursekare]

@@madammazon2942 they are in full sun. Plenty of rain but good drainage. I’ve read that they produce berries on the second year canes but there nothing happening with any canes.

[@pedsnursekare]

@@gospelofsophia7851 I have some 20 Mule team borax to add to the washer. Could probably add the right?

[@guylamullins3602]

Do you ever prune your raspberry? See Liz Zorab + raspberries.

[@johnransom1146]

You’re struggling to get across radius. Spacing tells you the diameter, half it for the radius and use that as the distance between plants

[@kutmulc]

Not exactly, if you have 2 plants, the distance from center to center of each plant will be the diameter (5ft). For example, if Plant A has a 2.5ft radius, and Plant B has a 2.5ft radius, then the plants will need to be 5ft apart (the diameter of the plant) in order to accommodate the growth of both plants.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

no

[@PolyonthePrairie1]

Manifesting luke doing raspberries next 🧚‍♀️

[@jonobuckley]

I heard that if you pinch off the flowers for the first two years it lets the plant focus on putting the energy into the plant for size, then in future years you will get better blueberries. Anyone else heard of this? No idea if it's right or not.

[@ArtistCreek]

Oh luke yoir math is jacked.

[@mike83ny]

And don't forget to protect them from foraging deer. They absolutely love dining on those buds during the winter. No buds, no berries.

[@Batchat2352]

Ph balance the water ur giving ur blueberries. Most tap water is 8.5. Balance it down with ph down. I found that for every 2 litter of water you need 0.2ml to bring it down to rain water level of 6.5. You dont want to put extreme alkaline tap water on your acidic soil you worked so hard to make it blueberries friendly

[@Jillany]

You pointed to a video to watch that wasn't there. 🤷‍♀️

[@aesthetics48]

I add coffee, is that wrong?

[@seedsaverdiane5636]

Have you ever looked into the ingredients used to make landscape fabric. Since choosing to grow blueberries organically the landscape fabric cancels that out.

[@gardentips1249]

I live in Southern California and only grow my blueberries in pots. They do horrible in the ground here

[@paulvalentine4041]

Buy a lawn mower. Jesus... I just put two Top Hat blueberries in pots here in Mount Clemens. We'll see.

[@dt-paz516]

On center spacing huh

[@tylerb69]

Pretty sure my blueberries got the blight bad this year (red stems, tips are wilted, all of the leaves coming out are dead in these areas). I suspect that they are dead and will likely restart them at some point. Would love to see a video on the various diseases and treating them if possible!

[@Crystal_Blue_Persuasion]

I've had to build cages to protect my bushes from my dogs, hungry moose, and deer.

[@yoopernorvegicus1210]

Math is hard, apparently.

[@kayault2068]

I know you don’t care what people think, but you now look much better less that beard!

[@JuxstLer]

Ooooh noooo. Your editing like the rest do. I don't like it. Dont pedal backwards to move forward. You're better than trying to fill a specific time slot. It's about learning.

[@Uncle_Buzz]

I would sell a kidney to have natural pH of 6.5. I'm lucky if our soil pH is below 8.5 . And our ground water is 7.8, so that's no help.

[@socloseagain4298]

Paul Gautschi: u can grow EVERYTHING in 7.0ph. At neutral - everybody's happy.

[@gjsmimi4474]

Thought my blueberry plants were sick and dying. Checked the pH, it was 7.0 to 7.6. Added acidifier, now they are gorgeous!

[@AleyCZ]

Thanks for the video, but I must give thumb down this time, because of your wrong math.