Highbush blueberry -Vacccinium corymbosum

,Patriot,

Height: can reach up to 1.3 m–1.5 m

Growing conditions in Latvia’s climatic zones: can be planted throughout the territory of Latvia. The most widely grown variety in Latvia, with a long and gradual berry ripening period.

Crown: a vigorous, spreading shrub with upward-pointing branches. Young shoots are green; mature ones are grooved, grey to grey-brown in colour.

Flowers: arranged in clusters, each cluster bearing 8–10 flowers; they are found both on the previous year’s young shoots and on the side shoots of the shrub’s main branches. One flower is approximately 6–12 mm long. The flowers range from white to pale pink, bloom in spring—May, are resistant to spring frosts, and tolerate temperatures from -2° to -4°C.

Fruit: large berries, firm, tasty, with very dense and productive clusters. The first berries ripen from mid-July, and the harvest can be picked over three to as much as four weeks. Up to 7–8 kg can be harvested from one shrub.

Foliage: leaves ovate to lanceolate, 3–8 cm long, dark green on the upper surface; in autumn the leaves colour from bright yellow to vivid red

Winter hardiness: high, good frost resistance

Growing conditions: choose a sunny location for planting, with nutrient-rich and acidic soil (pH 4.0-5.0) that retains moisture well but does not become excessively waterlogged. For planting, dig a hole 0.60 m in diameter and 0.35 m deep, and fill it with a peat substrate. Highbush blueberries have a shallow root system; the greatest root density is at a depth of 23 cm, and they grow more in width than in depth. A peat mix intended for woodland plants can be used, for example "LAFLORAS KKS-M1"; they can also be planted in pure peat substrate, as it contains all the necessary nutrients, and this is then used to fill the dug hole. The plant should be planted as deep as it was growing in the container. Plants are spaced about one metre apart, and their branches extend up to 60–80 cm on each side.

Important to know! Protect from hares and deer, so the planting should be fenced! They gnaw the young shoots.

Care:Fertilising. To obtain abundant harvests, it is recommended to feed the plants with ready-made complete fertilisers intended for acid-loving plants. To maintain acidity, it is recommended to mulch the shrubs with acidic peat every other year in autumn. In the following years after planting, highbush blueberries should be provided with moisture, but they do not require any special care.

Shaping: in the second half of August, the tips of the nice long shoots should be cut back to encourage branching, because the berries are formed mainly on the previous year’s small side shoots, which are 3–8 cm long. In the third year after planting, the shrub should be started to be shaped so that the sun reaches all the branches and it does not become too dense. This is best done in spring, because then it is possible to see which branches have been damaged during winter. Ideally, the shrub should have 7–8 large main branches.