When to take cuttings from blueberries

Cuttings from deciduous varieties should come from wood that is pruned in winter. Try to take cuttings about the thickness of a pencil. Older bushes are obviously best because you get thicker growth after three or four years and more to prune. Try to get branching cuttings because that will give you a good form for the bush. You can either plant them straight into the ground to strike, if you have good loam, or if it doesn’t get cold enough wrap them in wet paper and leave in the bottom of the fridge for a few weeks – they might even shoot while you keep them there, especially if you put plastic round the paper to keep them moist.

Cuttings from evergreen ones should be taken from short tip cuttings, and grown under mist propagation. Put them in a pot, water well and cover with a plastic bag and seal it. Again they need to be cold. Do all this while the Moon is waning.

Both types are best put into a sandy soil or propagation mix to raise them for the 1st year or 2 before planting them out where they are to grow. Don’t fertilise them in the pots for the first year but if you are going to keep them potted for two years, use a slow release granule. You can put them into individual pots, or have a nursery bed if you wish. Once planted in their permanent place they will produce in the second year. It’s a matter of judging the size, you might find you can plant them out after a year. The ones in the nurseries are two year old plants but that’s because people want a good size before they will pay.

Once they have a good root ball they will love a well drained, clay based loam, slightly acidic with plenty organic material. Remember they are not tolerant of chlorine and chemicals so if possible water them with rainwater, even catch rain in buckets just for the blueberries, or let tap water stand for a couple of days before using it.