Blueberries in private gardens are not as common as currants or raspberries. However, the culture has already managed to gain the trust of many gardeners, appreciating not only the pleasant taste of the fruits, but also their benefits. One of the valuable varieties is recognized as XXL blueberry, which has a lot of positive qualities.

Geographic distribution

North America is considered the birthplace of blueberries, but in the wild it is also spread in the territories of the eastern states and northern regions of Russia. Mostly found in forest zones, upper belts of the rocky mountains, on peatlands.

Culture can grow as extensive plantations (found in Transbaikalia), and small growths along rivers and streams.

Many years of work by breeders led to the creation of numerous hybrid varieties that are quite adapted to cultivation in different climatic conditions, including hot ones. Berry culture can be found in Eurasia (from Spain to Mongolia), in Australia, Japan and Alaska.

Did you know? In the United States, during the Civil War, blueberry juice was massively distributed to soldiers to protect against scurvy - a disease that develops from a lack of vitamin C.

Description

Blueberry XXL is one of the most successful perennial varieties for planting on the site. Moreover, its name fully reflects the reality, as evidenced by the size of berries, productivity. In general, the bushes themselves are not quite small - the variety is tall, reaching a height rare for blueberries - 2 m.

Shrubs have powerful upright lignified shoots of dark brown color. They grow in a vertical direction, overgrowing with young growth over time.

Root system

Blueberry has fibrous root system with a lot of branches. In the soil, the roots are located at a depth of 40 cm, and the area of ​​their location can be determined along the perimeter of the crown of the bush.

It is important for gardeners to know in order to understand how deeply moistened the soil is and on what area the mulching layer needs to be laid.

The main growth of the root system occurs in the spring and autumn, and in the summer it slows down significantly.

Leaves

Blueberry leaves do not stand out with anything remarkable. They have dark green color, which, with the onset of autumn, turns into crimson. Leaf platinum is shiny, smooth, rather large, oval or elliptical in shape, up to 8 cm long and about 4 cm wide.

The leaves contain a unique composition, including valuable tannins and plant steroids, which have high biological activity.

Fruit

Undoubtedly, the main pride of the bush is its berries, which have impressive, compared to other varieties, dimensions, reaching a mass of 2.5 g. The fruits have a soft, sweet taste and excellent aroma, the shape is round, slightly flattened on both sides.

In unripened berries, the skin is dense, so it is easier to transport them, and the pulp itself is sour. Ripe fruits have a thinner skin of a dark blue hue, complemented by a light waxy coating.

Important! Blueberry fruits contain substances that contribute to blood clotting. Berries are not recommended for people suffering from increased blood clotting.

The fruits of the bush are not only tasty, but also very useful. They contain a large amount of vitamin C, having anti-inflammatory effect on the human body. There are also vitamins A, B (group), E. Macronutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, which help strengthen immunity. And anthocyanins are excellent at improving bowel function.

Grade value and benefits

The description of the XXL blueberry variety indicates that the culture has a lot of positive characteristics, having advantages over its “relatives”. This is confirmed by the reviews of gardeners, who managed to evaluate the plant's advantages on their own experience.

• The main advantages of the variety include:
• high productivity (up to 10 kg of fruits are harvested from 1 bush);
• large-fruited;
• frost resistance (blueberries can withstand temperatures down to -35 ° C);
• unpretentiousness;
• excellent taste of fruits.

Knowledgeable people deeply appreciate culture for its beneficial properties. Healing qualities are possessed not only by blueberries, but also by leaves, teas and decoctions from which radioactive metals are effectively removed from the body, and are also used as mild laxatives.

Landing

For planting blueberries, you need to choose a well-lit sunny meadow - so the fruits will ripen intensively. At the same time, you should pay attention to the fact that the site is not blown by strong gusty winds. It is better if you can identify areas near a low fence, such that the bushes do not appear in the shade.

Video: Planting Blueberries

The culture loves watering, but it negatively refers to highly moistened soil - waterlogging and high (above 0.5 m to the ground surface) groundwater flow can lead to diseases. Such unfavorable conditions are indicated by the growth of such plants as forget-me-nots, reeds, and also the bright green color of foliage on the site.

Try to provide the blueberry with conditions as close as possible to natural ones - this applies, first of all, to the soil composition. Do not be too lazy to change the topsoil. For this, it is necessary to remove 10-15 cm of old soil, and to replace it with new soil, consisting of horse peat, coniferous sawdust, river sand mixed in a ratio of 5: 1: 1.

Important! Culture loves sour soil. It is better to acidify the soil: 40–50 g of acetic acid in a bucket of water — this portion is enough for 1 m².

Gardeners more often apply the method of planting blueberries in separate holesalthough, if you want to create an entire plantation, it may be more expedient to dig a trench and place seedlings in it, observing the distance. Another method that is most suitable for waterlogged areas is the creation of ridges on a hill, which are framed by planks on both sides.

Planting pits should have a depth of about 35–40 cm and a diameter of 50 cm. 2-year-old seedlings with strong roots are good planting material. Make sure that they do not have dry, damaged or diseased shoots.

If you chose a seedling with a closed root system, it, immediately before planting, is removed from the package and planted directly with an earthen lump. Seedlings with an open root system, it is advisable to pre-hold for 20 minutes in water.

Did you know? Blueberries are often used in landscape design, as they are happy with their beauty all season. In spring you can see a beautiful bloom in summer — blue berry placers, and in the fall — bright crimson foliage.

The prepared material is placed in wells, added with soil and abundantly watered, delivering 8-10 l of water for each instance. Now you need to lay a layer of mulch, which warns against evaporation of moisture and overheating of the soil.

After landing care

After planting, it's time to care for blueberries.

Because, as mentioned earlier, XXL variety is undemanding, the main procedures will consist of the following items:

1. Watering. Blueberries prefer moderate irrigation - the land should be moistened 30–40 cm deep. In spring, as a rule, quite natural rainfall is enough, but if they are absent for a long period, forced irrigation is required. Shrubs should be watered 2 times a week, delivering 6-8 liters of water to each adult bush. In the summer, dry periods, you can increase the dose or amount of watering.
2. Loosening. The soil needs to be loosened periodically - this procedure provides proper aeration and, at the same time, allows you to get rid of weeds.
3. Mulching. Mulching the soil is one of the prerequisites for the favorable growth of the crop. For blueberries, the best mulching material will be coniferous sawdust, pine bark, sprinkled with a layer of not more than 10 cm.This cover performs several functions at once: it retains moisture in the root system, reduces soil temperature in summer, inhibits weed growth and fertilizes the soil. Do not forget that the mulch needs to be changed periodically so that it does not turn into a favorable environment for harmful microorganisms and larvae.
4. Top dressing. It should be noted that blueberries are badly “related” to organic matter. The thing is that organic fertilizers increase the level of alkali in the soil, and acidic soils are preferred for this culture. It is better to use complex mineral compounds, such as nitroammophosk or make the nutrient mixture yourself - for 1 bush you need to mix 50 g of potassium sulfate, 80 g of ammonium sulfate and 110 g of superphosphate. Fertilizers are applied several times - in early spring, summer and autumn, in preparation for wintering.
5. Prevention against diseases and pests. The blueberry variety xxl is a fairly strong plant with high immunity, but it is not immune to damage from spores of various species of fungi carried by harmful insects. The most dangerous diseases are all kinds of spotting and tracheomycotic wilt. Of the pests can threaten leafworms, moths, shooter. To create high-quality protection, blueberries need to be periodically sprayed using a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid, Fufanon, Fitoverm. It is advisable to alternate means for better efficiency.
6. Harvesting. Berries of this variety ripen in August. The fruits are sung unevenly, so they are harvested in several stages. If you plan to transport the crop or want to keep it longer, it is better to collect slightly unripe berries. Do not allow a long stay of ripe hearths on the bushes - they will begin to rot.
7. Winter preparations. This is one of the most important stages of care, which begin in mid-September. At this time, the bushes are cut, removing broken, old stems, those that grow in the center of the bush. Also, young growth is cut, which will feed on the juice of the bush, but probably will not survive the winter. You should also weed the site, introduce mineral fertilizers and do preventive spraying. If the plant is located in a region dominated by snowy winters, you can do without shelter. When there is little snow, you should drive a few stakes around the shrub and wrap it with polyethylene or spanbond.

The XXL blueberry variety is a good choice for planting on the territory of the house. The unpretentiousness of the bush, combined with great benefits and a pleasant taste of the fruits, will bring a lot of pleasant emotions to their caring owners.