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For backyard blueberry growers, winter means it’s time to break out the pruning shears and folding saw. Pruning blueberries is a task best performed yearly, when the plants are dormant. Closely tied to crop production, plant health, and fruit quality, pruning too aggressively – or not aggressively enough – impacts your blueberry’s performance.
Reasons for pruning blueberries
Pruning blueberries is an essential winter chore for several reasons.
- Proper pruning maintains an open growth habit, which improves air circulation, opens the center of the plant to sunlight, and reduces disease.
- Annual pruning maintains productivity by encouraging the growth of new fruit-producing stems.
- Pruning removes dead or damaged branches.
- Pruning increases fruit quality because the shrub is able to put more energy into producing the fruit, not more leaves.
The goal of good blueberry pruning is to remove enough old growth to encourage the production of new. And to do so without negatively impacting the berry production for the coming season.
When to prune blueberries
As with most other fruit-producing trees and shrubs, blueberry pruning takes place in mid to late winter. It’s easy to see the structure of the plant more clearly then and discern which branches are to be removed. In winter, the old branches look very different from the new in color and texture (see photos below). Plus, dormant-season pruning causes the plant less stress. The bush is not in an active state of growth, and no carbohydrate-producing foliage is being removed.
The regions where blueberries grow well are those with a dormant season of December through early March. Blueberry shrubs are extremely hardy. Some varieties survive down to -35 degrees F. In fact, blueberries need a set number of hours below 45 degrees F (called chill hours) in order for their flower buds to open and produce berries. Without ample cold weather, blueberries do not produce fruit.
Each blueberry type and variety has a slightly different number of required chill hours. Low-chill blueberry varieties require 200-800 chill hours and are best for southern regions. High-chill selections need 800-1000 hours and are ideal for the north. When buying blueberry plants, select a variety that’s suitable to your region.
Pruning blueberries can take place as early as late December. However, I recommend waiting until late February or very early March for this task. You’ll be able to prune off any stems that suffered winter injury or breakage due to heavy snows. Plus, the chance of winter injury has largely passed.
The different types of blueberries and their pruning needs
There are many different types of blueberries, including high-bush, low-bush, rabbit-eye, and lots of assorted hybrids. In the north, ‘half-high’ varieties are among the most popular. They are the result of the hybridization of high-bush and low-bush types, and are a great fit for most backyards. They grow 3 to 4 feet in both height and girth, and bear plenty of fruits. Southern gardeners should opt for ‘Rabbit eye’ blueberries as they are more heat tolerant and need fewer chill hours.
Don’t forget that you’ll need at least two different varieties of blueberries to get fruit. Most varieties require a cross-pollination partner. (Those listed in the article linked here, however, are self fertile.) Blueberries are primarily pollinated by our native bumblebees because the vibrations these large bees generate are required for loosening and transferring the pollen in the bell-shaped flowers of blueberries.
Regardless of which type of blueberries you grow, the task of pruning blueberries is the same.
Tips for pruning blueberries
How to prune blueberries depends on whether the plant is new and relatively young or old and overgrown. Below you’ll find step-by-step blueberry pruning instructions for both situations. However, I’d like to share a few key points about pruning blueberries first.
- Never shear back blueberries and turn them into the shape of a meatball. Their fruiting buds are located in the outermost 2-3 inches of stem growth. Shearing back the plants removes all the flower buds.
- If you don’t properly prune your blueberry bushes, the existing branches will age, but new, fruit-producing branches will not be formed. Older, unpruned blueberry bushes tend to produce more leaves than berries, and any berries that are produced are small and produced only on the outermost stems.
- Be sure to use clean, sharp pruning equipment. To avoid the spread of disease, disinfect all pruning equipment before moving from one bush to another. I use a special spray pruning disinfectant that doesn’t gum up or rust your equipment, but you can also dip your tools in a 10% bleach solution or use Lysol spray.
- Blueberries produce their flowers on old wood, meaning that the buds for each year’s berry crop are formed during the summer and autumn of the previous season. Protect your blueberry bushes from deer in the winter or they may strip all the buds off the stems.
Pruning blueberries step-by-step
Step 1:
Stand back and evaluate your blueberry bushes one at a time. Begin by cutting off any dead or damaged branches. Cut these stems off all the way back to where they join a thicker branch. Do not leave a stump behind as it serves as an entryway for disease. If the entire branch is dead, cut if off back to the ground.
Step 2:
After any damaged stems are removed, cut out any crossed branches, particularly those that rub against each other. After pruning is complete, you want an open structure with no crossed branches. Cut crossed branches off all the way down to the base of the plant.
Step 3:
For young blueberry bushes or those that have been properly pruned in the past: Cut one-third of the remaining branches all the way down to the ground, choosing the oldest and thickest ones for removal. This encourages new, productive canes to emerge from the roots. Yes, that means cut 1 out of every 3 branches clear to the ground to stimulate new stems to emerge from the roots. Do this every winter and you’ll always have excellent blueberry production.
For mature blueberry plants that are unpruned and overgrown: Perform a careful renewal pruning to encourage new stem production by cutting half of branches back all the way down to the ground. Always cut off the oldest, thickest ones. This forces new canes to grow from the roots. When a branch is seven or eight years old, production is greatly reduced. If you don’t remove old branches, the plant fails to generate new, more productive stems.
Over the following two to three years, remove the remainder of the oldest branches a few at a time until only newly produced ones remain. The plant continues to produce a moderate crop while the bush is being slowly rejuvenated. Heavily pruned, overgrown bushes take a few years to rebound, but your efforts pay off in the long run with many years of terrific production after the plants are regularly pruned.
Pruning blueberries is emotional
There’s no doubt that pruning blueberries is an emotionally taxing job. It’s particularly difficult to see all the buds being cutting off. But, don’t feel guilty about removing branches with potential fruit. If your goal is to increase your blueberry’s long-term productivity and grow larger fruits, then pruning properly is a must. Just have some wine on-hand for after the job is complete!
Blueberry pruning is an annual chore. Mark your calendar so you don’t forget!
Post-pruning fertilization
When spring arrives, here’s how to fertilize pruned blueberry bushes to adjust the soil pH or add an acid-specific organic granular fertilizer, such as HollyTone. Then, mulch the bushes with one to two inches of pine straw, shredded hardwood bark, or shredded leaves. Do not over-mulch. Blueberries have shallow, fibrous root systems that resent thick layers of mulch.
By following these blueberry pruning instructions, you’ll have productive plants for years to come!
For more on growing backyard fruit, check out these articles:
- Organic apple growing using fruit bagging
- Berries in containers: How to grow a small-space fruit garden
- Growing kiwi fruit: It’s easier than you think
- How to grow citrus in pots using 8 simple steps
- 5 mini melons for small gardens and containers
Do you grow blueberries? Which varieties are your favorites?
Hi,
I’ve got four blueberry plants (I’ve forgotten the names of the varieties) in my tiny back yard, probably planted too closely and not pruned well, and I also have exposed roots underneath the plants and there is a clumpy moss all around. Production was pretty good until last year but not anymore. Is this related to not having pruned properly? Thanks in advance.
It could be due to poor pruning, but it could also be due to other factors, such as late freezes, improper soil pH, or infertile soil. I would get a soil test to check for pH and nutrient levels and begin to prune properly as well.
I have not gotten to prune my blueberry bushes the past two years. They are 5 years old. They have grown very tall and produced a tremendous amount of fruit this year, though the fruit was a little small. The branches are bent over due to the weight of the fruit and have taken over the front of my house. The fruit is almost done producing. Can I trim the top of the branches when I’m done picking and then prune them at the end of winter?
You could do that, but I would recommend just waiting to do a more serious pruning in late winter.
This is a great tutorial. Thank you so much!
My question might sound like a “no brainer” question, but in February or early March, when there is no growth on the branches, how does one differentiate between dead branches and live branches?
Live branches will be flexible when you bend them, and when you scratch off a little of the bark with your thumbnail, there will be green underneath. Dead stems snap when you bed them, and they’ll be brown just under their bark.
Hi,
I have several varities of blueberry plants all about 6 to 10 years old. They do produce large berries each year but the berries tend to form on the new small twiggy branches close to the bottom of the bush rather then the larger older thicker branches. Some of the branches are so low on the bush that the berries sit on the ground. Did we prune the shubs incorrectly for this to happen?
Younger branches tend to produce more fruit. To encourage more new young branches, prune out the biggest, oldest branches all the way down to the ground in late winter. Poor pruning sounds like it may be the culprit, but it’s certainly not too late to fix.
Thanks for the tutorial.
We planted few root bound ‘bluecrop’ with few ‘elliott’ plans. Bluecrop plants are about 2 feet height and has handful of fruits and Elliots are 1.5 feet and has no fruits. We planted them yesterday. I am wondering how do we go about pruning and preparing them for future. Thanks.
Hi, I have two “Pink Icing” Blueberries that are 6 years old. The bushes are about 50 feet apart. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have never pruned them (shame on me!). One of the blueberries is doing well and has berries on it. The other one has no berries but lots of growth. Should I wait until March 2021 to prune (I live in Zone 8)? Can I prune out the dead branches now? Thanks!
Dead branches can be removed at any time, but wait to do major pruning until late winter.
I have a northland that did not fair well through the mild winter and late spring freezes. All my others have berries on them, but the northland seems to be suspended in time.
Its now June and the northland looks like it is still may. No visible damage, green canes, small immature leaves that don’t look dead but are not growing, like it went dormant mid bud cycle.
Can I prune all of the canes down to the ground and revive my plant or is it a lost cause?
I would not recommend pruning this late in the season. Instead, I would fertilize the plant with an acid-specific granular fertilizer within the next week or two. Wait to prune until late next winter. Most fruiting trees and shrubs have “off” years every now and then where they don’t produce at all. It’s a rest period of sorts. I’d just let your Northland blueberry have the year off. 🙂
Hello! I have 4 blueberry bushes in containers. I’m a bit worried that they won’t produce fruit this year. I had a huge bounty last year. When do flowers usually show? I’m only seeing foliage on my bushes. I don’t see any flower buds at all! I have not pruned them and I know it’s now too late to do so. Any insight would be much appreciated!
Best,
Amos III
Blueberry flowers typically appear simultaneously with the emergence of the first leaves. Often, fruit trees and bushes bear heavy crops every other year unless the fruits are thinned. As long as you prune blueberries properly, you can maintain annual production without thinning, but without proper pruning, you may find you only have good production every other year.
I pruned my blueberry bush in late winter and it’s bearing fruit now on about half of the branches. However, there are other branches that are beautiful and alive with leaves, but no fruit. Should I cut those off now?
Nope. I would leave those alone. They will likely produce fruit in subsequent years.
Just bought a house with several large (8’ tall) blueberry bushes. They have been severely neglected. It’s early May here in CT and things are just starting to green up and bud out. Should I hold off pruning them as described above or go ahead and prune back half the old branches as described above?
It’s a little too late to prune this year. Mark your calendar for next winter.