Garden Bilberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) - representative of the lingonberry family.It is a low, about 60 cm berry bush with fruits of a pleasant sourish-sweet taste. Blooming garden blueberries begins in May, and the first berries appear by the end of June.
Bilberry garden is extremely useful for the bodyperson Its fruits contain a huge amount of such an element as manganese, which affects the blood formation process. In addition, it contains special substances that favorably affect eyesight, increase its sharpness, improve night vision and help relieve fatigue from the eyes. Therefore, fresh blueberries and preparations based on plant extract are recommended to be used by pilots, programmers and other professionals whose work is associated with a constant eye strain. But garden blueberries have a lot of other useful properties. It has a bactericidal effect and does not cause side effects. It has light tannic properties, therefore it is recommended for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in adults and children, and also contains special substances that reduce blood sugar levels.
In order to grow garden blueberries onown land need to purchase specially bred in the nursery varieties, because wild blueberries will not bear fruit even in the best conditions. In this case, only seedlings with a closed root system should be purchased, that is, located in the ground, otherwise open roots will quickly dry out and the bush will die. Landing is recommended at the end of summer - early autumn. Contrary to the general rules, do not plant blueberry seedlings in the spring, as it may not settle down at all. The soil should be prepared in advance. To do this, mix peat with sand, sawdust and leaves, add a quarter of a teaspoon of sulfur for acidification, as garden blueberries love acidic soils. Immediately before planting, the soil is poured with water with any edible acid dissolved in it at the rate of 1 table boat of acid per 10 liters of water. As a blueberry bush grows, it is periodically watered with the same solution, but not more often than once a month. Fertilizing should be done only with mineral fertilizers.
Garden blueberries begin to bear fruit only through3-5 years after transplanting. She prefers high humidity, so it is recommended to plant it in the shady part of the plot and, if necessary, spray it with water several times a day. After a few years, blueberry bushes grow very much. Therefore, it is necessary to dig out weak plants and remove dried or damaged branches. Pruning overwintered bushes produce in the spring before, as the buds begin to swell. Since the garden blueberry has a high frost resistance, there is no need to cover it for the winter. Caring for the soil on which the garden blueberries grow, you need to carry out constantly. Each year it is necessary to add sawdust to the top layer of soil, and during the vegetative season to carefully loosen the ground, trying not to damage the roots, which are very close to the surface.
For cultivation in the European part of Russia, the following varieties are recommended:
- "Bluecrop" - is considered the most valuable variety, as it has not only fecundity, but also good frost and drought-resistant properties;
- "Herbert" - ideal for growing in the southern regions of the country. The berries of this variety are very large, dark blue, ripen late;
- "Spartan" - the variety begins to bloom late, and therefore is resistant to spring frosts. The berries are very large, have great taste;
- "Nelson" - the variety is extremely frost-resistant, the fruits ripen late, but have a strong pleasant aroma, they are large, light blue.
Bilberry garden Top Hut - a hybrid of bilberry withblueberries, very much appreciated among gardeners. It is grown not only because of the very tasty berries that ripen at the end of summer. In the spring, this hybrid is covered with beautiful white-cream flowers that are not necessary to pollinate. And in the fall, bright bronze small foliage decorates the plant for a long time and creates a special atmosphere on the land plot.
