Krūmmellene "Blue Gold"

• Plant: highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum "Blue Gold"
• Height: 1.2–1.5 m
• Spread: 1.0–1.2 m
• Ripening: early to mid-season, July
• Hardiness: about −30 °C, USDA zone 4
• Light: sun or partial shade
• Soil: acidic, pH 4.5–5.0, moist, loose, well drained
• Pollination: self-fertile, higher yield with another cultivar
• Supplied as: container plant

Planting. Plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October) in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. Fill a planting hole of about 50×50 cm with acidic substrate: sphagnum peat, conifer litter or pine bark (pH 4.5–5.0); do not add lime, ash or fresh manure. Plant at the same depth as in the pot, 1–1.2 m between bushes and 2–2.5 m between rows. In the first year the flower buds can be removed so the plant establishes better.

Care. Mulch around the bush with an 8–10 cm layer of bark, needles or sawdust and renew it every year: blueberry roots are shallow and dislike overheating, drying out and weeds. Do not cultivate deeply, to avoid damaging the roots. Pick the berries in dry weather once they are fully coloured.

Watering and feeding. Water regularly and never let the soil dry out; rainwater or acidified water is best. In spring and early summer feed in small doses with a fertiliser for blueberries and ericaceous plants or with ammonium sulphate; avoid lime and chloride-containing fertilisers.

Winter and pruning. The cultivar is winter hardy (about −30 °C), but young bushes should be mulched with needles or bark for winter. Prune in late winter or early spring: remove weak, crowded and broken shoots and, on bushes older than 4–5 years, the oldest canes to encourage young fruiting wood.