Question: Last year I had few berries on my plants. What is the best fertilizer for blueberries?
Neil, South Langley
Answer: Your poor blueberry crop may not be caused by lack of fertilizer.
In order to produce well, blueberries also need acidic soil, lots of water in dry spells, at least one other compatible blueberry nearby and (in some areas) protection from birds.
But if you’re sure your blueberries need fertilizer, liquid fish fertilizer is good because it acidifies the soil. Blueberries need acidic soil to do well. Fertilizer for acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons or azaleas, is also excellent for blueberries.
Blueberries given too much fertilizer develop lush growth that can die back in winter. High nitrogen fertilizer is especially damaging and does nothing for berry production.
Wood shavings or sawdust can help acidify the soil when you plant blueberries and also make a good mulch for them. Peat moss is a great acidifier if you dig it in when you plant blueberries, but it’s a terrible mulch because once it gets dry, water runs off instead of soaking in.
I wonder if your blueberries were short of water last summer. It was hard to keep up with watering last year because the drought went on so long.
I also wonder how many blueberry plants you have. Blueberries self-pollinate but produce bigger harvests if there are three bushes of compatible kinds but one of them must be of a different species. Compatible means the blueberries flower at the same time so that pollen can mingle. Nurseries normally sell compatible kinds together.
Is it possible birds are stealing your berries? Some gardeners don’t get any berries unless they net their berries. In rural areas, bears may harvest your blueberries.
Question: Is it possible to prune a Japanese maple tree without sacrificing its beautiful pendulum shape? I have a two-foot treeling (as I call small trees) on my balcony, and I would like to keep it small enough to move. With bursitis in my shoulder, my new motto is: If I can’t lift it, I can’t have it.
Caroline Moore, NewWestminster
Answer: Japanese maples need very little top-growth pruning, just the removing of diseased, broken or dead branches.
In order to keep it small and weeping, it’s far more use to keep the roots pruned. This doesn’t need to be done every year – usually every three or four years is about right.
Pruning the top growth will only encourage your tree to grow faster, but pruning the roots reduces the vigor available for the tree’s growth process. This makes it easier to retain the lovely drooping shape, and you should be able to keep it in the same pot for many years.
Actually, what you will be trying to achieve is something similar to a bonsai tree, though less intricate and on a smaller scale.
Question: I have a single Berlet pear tree planted four years ago. When is the best time to graft it?
Ann Parker, Terrace
Answer: Early spring when the buds on your tree begin to swell is the best time to graft it. The swelling of the buds show that sap is beginning to move and it will be ready to surge from the tree into the graft.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps if you can add the name of your city or region.
