Propagating blueberries - It's easy with these methods

You can easily multiply blueberries yourself

Sowing, lowering and cuttings of blueberries

In the wild, wild blueberries generally reproduce not only through sowing, but also through natural subsidence and root runners. In contrast, cultivated blueberries based on originally North American cultivars grow in a very orderly manner and generally do not develop any root runners. Self-sowing usually hardly takes place at the location in the garden due to the regular mowing between the rows. These plants can be propagated relatively easily using subsets and cuttings.

Propagate blueberries by cuttings

When propagating blueberries from cuttings, success depends on various factors:

the time of the cuttings
the right substrate for rooting
an even moisture balance during the rooting phase

The cuttings are ideally cut in early autumn, when the picking of the ripe fruit has been completed. Like the mother plants, the 10 to 15 centimeter long blueberry branches should definitely be placed in an acidic and relatively lime-free substrate. To maintain an evenly moist rooting climate, placing them in a greenhouse or covering the pots with plastic wrap can help. Under ideal conditions, the first roots will usually form on the cuttings within six to eight weeks.

Propagate blueberries by lowering

Blueberries can also be propagated using the so-called lowering technique. This describes the bending of a branch down to the ground with the aim of rooting and later separating it from the mother plant. With shoots close to the ground, this can be done by weighing down some soil and a stone. But you can also use special wire hooks that hold the branches permanently to the ground like tent pegs. You should give blueberry bushes about half a year to a year for the rooting of sinks.

Tips & Tricks

In good conditions with an acidic soil, cultivated blueberries grow quite quickly, so that offshoots can sometimes produce their first yields after a year or two. Please note, however, that certain cultivars are often subject to license restrictions and can therefore only be reproduced for personal use.