Vaccinium uliginosum L.
Taxon: genus Vaccinium, heather family (Ericaceae)
Folk names: swamp blueberry, swamp blueberry, low blueberry, gonobobel, fool, drunkard.
English: blueberry

Description:
Blueberry is a branchy shrub up to 1.5 m high, with dark gray or brownish bark. The leaves are alternate, elliptical, on short petioles, dark green above, bluish below, covered with a bluish wax coating, with slightly curled edges; fall for the winter. The flowers are pale pink or white, small, with a pitcher-bell-shaped corolla, on drooping pedicels, arranged 2-3 on last year's branches. The fruit is a juicy, sour-sweet, without much flavor, spherical or oval, bluish-black berry with a bluish-black bloom, with greenish flesh. Seeds numerous, light brown. The plant is characterized by an extended flowering period, from May to July. Berries ripen in August.

Spreading:
Blueberry fruit shrub is found in the Far East, in Eastern and Western Siberia, in the Caucasus, in the northern non-chernozem zone of the European part of Russia. Favorite places of growth - in swampy mixed and coniferous forests, in moss swamps. Often blueberry marsh grows next to wild rosemary, the intoxicating smell of which causes a headache. Because of this, blueberries are often called fools or drunkards.

Collection and preparation:
Medicinal raw materials are blueberries. For drying, they are harvested mature. Then they are sorted out, discarding rotten, overripe and unripe ones, washed in cold water, poured in a thin layer on a sieve and dried in an oven or dryer at a temperature of not more than 60 ° C. During drying, the fruits must be mixed several times. The shelf life of dried berries is 1 year.
The leaves are harvested during flowering plants. Dried under a canopy in the shade, after drying in the sun for 30 minutes. The shelf life of dried leaves is 2-3 years.

Chemical composition:
Blueberry fruits contain: up to 45 mg% ascorbic acid, malic, citric, oxalic acids, sugars (up to 9.8%), which are mainly represented by fructose, fiber, pectin (up to 0.6%), tannins and dyes ( 0.2%), carotene and minerals. The branches and leaves contain tannins.

Pharmacological properties:
The plant has antiscorbutic, hypotensive, cardiotonic, choleretic, diuretic, antisclerotic and anti-inflammatory effects. Blueberries strengthen the walls of blood capillaries, normalize the functions of the intestines, pancreas; leaves increase the functional activity of the stomach, intestines and heart. Helps lower blood sugar.

Application in medicine:
Run away. Decoction - hypotensive and cardiotonic, mild laxative.
Leaves. In Siberia, infusion - for anemia and to improve metabolism, diabetes.
Shoots, leaves. In folk medicine, a decoction - for colitis, heart disease.
Fruit. They are used for dysentery, colitis, gastritis, pyelitis, cystitis and anemia, gastric catarrh; and also as an antiscorbutic and vitamin (with C-avitaminosis) remedy. A decoction of dried and juice of fresh fruits - with fever,. In folk medicine, infusion - for gastritis, colitis, diseases of the kidneys, pancreas. Juice - with diarrhea, inflammation of the renal pelvis, cholecystitis, liver disease, hypoavitaminosis, general weakness (after surgery, serious illness). In Tibetan medicine, a decoction is an astringent for diarrhea; in Korean - for diabetes and vitamin C deficiency.

Medications:
Infusion for diseases of the pancreas and kidneys.
Pour 20 g of dry blueberries with a glass of boiling water and leave for an hour, then strain, and squeeze out the spent raw materials. Drink every three hours for a quarter cup.

A decoction for gastritis, diarrhea.
Brew 3 tablespoons of dried blueberries with a glass of boiling water, then heat in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Filter the broth, and squeeze out the raw materials. Drink 3 times a day for half a cup.

Decoction as a laxative.
Pour a teaspoon of dried leaves and 3 tablespoons of fruits with a glass of water. Boil for 10 minutes on low heat. Cool the broth, filter. Drink throughout the day.

Broth as an antidiabetic agent.
10 g of blueberry leaves brew 250 ml of boiling water, then heat for a quarter of an hour in a water bath. Infuse the broth until it cools, and then strain, squeeze out the spent raw materials. Drink 3 times a day for half a glass.

Contraindications:
Due to the high content of vitamin C, it is contraindicated to use blueberries in case of gastric ulcer, hyperacid gastritis in a state of exacerbation, duodenal disease, even in a state of remission. A contraindication to the use of medicinal preparations of the blueberry fruit bush is a low level of glucose in the blood.

Photos and illustrations:

- This is a small shrub that does not grow more than a meter in height. The leaves of the shrub reach a length of 30 mm, they are located on curved long branches. During the flowering period, small flowers appear on the plant, which have a white or pinkish tint. After the flowers fall, fruits are tied on blueberries - blue berries covered with bloom. It is the fruits of blueberries that are of value to humans, as they are edible and contain a large amount of useful trace elements and vitamins. The bush itself is distinguished by a life expectancy that can reach a hundred years.

Interestingly, people sometimes call blueberries gonobobel, drunkard, water drinker, gonoboy, drunken berry, attributing to berries such properties as intoxicating a person and causing headaches. However, this is not the fault of the blueberry, but the fault of the wild rosemary, which very often grows nearby.

Blueberries are eaten both raw and after heat treatment, making jams and jams from them. Wine is often put on the berries.

Useful properties of blueberries

Useful properties of blueberries are diverse. Berries are a source of not only vitamins and microelements, but also a valuable medicinal raw material. To get the maximum benefit, the fruits of the plant must be consumed raw. It is in raw berries that the maximum concentration of nutrients is preserved.

Blueberries are a real storehouse of organic acids, vitamins and mineral salts. Blueberries contain vitamin C, thanks to which this berry is used as an antiscorbutic agent. Blueberry juice and berries are an excellent medicine for diabetics. Blueberries normalize the metabolism in the body. As for the content of iron salts in blueberries, then, in comparison with its content in a pear and an apple, in the first it is twice as much.

Among the medicinal properties of blueberries, the following can be noted:

Radiation protection.

Strengthening blood vessels.

Normalization of the heart.

Improving the functioning of the intestines, stimulating its peristalsis.

Slowing down the aging process and atrophy of nerve cells.

Improving the functioning of the brain.

Providing a choleretic effect.

Anti-inflammatory effect.

It is useful to use blueberries with, with capillary toxicosis, with capillary insufficiency.

Berries have a therapeutic effect on and.

Blueberries are a berry that people with need to consume. They not only promote tissue regeneration, but also enhance the effect of taking drugs aimed at reducing blood glucose levels.

Thanks to the regular inclusion of fresh berries in the menu, you can achieve normalization of metabolism.

A decoction of dried blueberries is used as a remedy for dysentery. To prepare a medicinal drink, it is necessary to pour a tablespoon of dry raw materials with a glass of boiling water and insist.

The use of fresh berries stimulates appetite.

A decoction of the branches and leaves of the plant is consumed at.

A decoction of only the leaves of the plant has a mild laxative effect.

Useful blueberries for vision. With its systematic use, you can restore vision, relieve tension from the eyeballs. The berry has a beneficial effect on pupil accommodation, improves visual acuity in the dark.

For the production of gastric juice, to get rid of diseases of the digestive tract and to reduce body temperature, it is useful to drink fresh blueberry juice.

There is evidence that blueberries have antitumor properties. It has been established that they contain a large amount of antioxidants that destroy cancer cells.

It is useful to use blueberries for people who work in hazardous industries. The berries contain a large amount of pectin substances that bind and promote the excretion of radioactive compounds from the body.

Blueberries contain a large amount of vitamin K1, which is actively involved in the processes of blood clotting.

To maintain vitality, blueberries are recommended to be consumed regularly by the elderly.

The berries themselves and the juice extracted from them are dietary products that are useful for overweight people.

Due to the high content of vitamin PP in the berries, it is useful for people with varicose veins.

It is useful to use blueberries during a flu epidemic or other colds, as the berry contains a large amount of vitamins that can increase the body's resistance to pathogenic viruses and bacteria. In addition, blueberries help the body to better absorb vitamin C, which is so necessary to maintain normal immunity.

Blueberries contain flavonoids, which help prevent urinary tract infections and help suppress the growth of pathogenic flora.

Through many studies, scientists have found that blueberries can slow down the aging of the brain by protecting it from the bad effects of radiation exposure. The scientists decided to conduct an experiment on rats. According to the results of the study, it was found that due to the fact that rats were fed a diet consisting of blueberries with strawberries, their memory and attention improved. But in rats that did not receive such food, on the contrary, attention and memory changed for the worse.

What are the benefits of blueberries for women?

Blueberries are useful for women suffering from anemia. Although there is not a lot of iron in the berry, this is offset by the fact that it is 100% absorbed from it.

In addition, it is important for a woman to consume blueberries if she has a predisposition to varicose veins. The unique composition of the berry allows you to maintain veins and small blood vessels in good shape, maintain their elasticity and strength.

It is good to include blueberries in the diet of women during menopause, as regular consumption of blueberries helps slow down the aging process in the body.

Is it possible for a nursing mother to have blueberries?

Video about the benefits of blueberries:

Composition of blueberries

The composition of blueberries is as follows:

Water - 88%;

Sugar - 8%;

A mixture of organic acids - 1.6%;

Fiber - 1.2%;

Proteins - 1%;

Pectin, tannins and dyes - 0.5%.

Calorie content per 100 grams of fruit is not at all high and amounts to 61 kcal. The berry contains a whole range of vitamins and minerals, including: carotene (0.29 mg), ascorbic acid (16 mg), a complete list of B vitamins (B1 - 0.02 mg, B2 - 0.02 mg), vitamins K, PP and R. There are iron (0.8 mg), phosphorus (13 mg) and calcium (16 mg) in blueberries.

Organic acids that are present in blueberries are represented by the following set: citric, acetic, oxalic, benzoic, malic acid.

Blueberries are very difficult to harvest without damaging the integrity of the berry. But it is even more difficult to save the collected berry. So, in the North, the fruits are put in birch bark boxes, poured with fish oil and buried in moss. Thus, the inhabitants of the North have been storing berries for many centuries.

Of course, in order to preserve the berry in urban conditions, it is necessary to place it in plastic containers and close the lid tightly. Store containers in the freezer at -15 °C. Thus, the berries will remain fit for consumption throughout the year. It has been established that frozen berries do not lose their nutritional and healing properties. Therefore, you can subject the fruits to deep freezing. But for this you need to choose ripe, intact berries with a whole skin.

It is important that before freezing, the berries should not be washed, otherwise their skin will become too tough. It is best to freeze fruits in small portions, this will avoid defrosting large quantities of blueberries.

Blueberries can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to +4 for two weeks. But at the same time, it is important to pack the berry hermetically so that it does not absorb foreign odors.

Contraindications to the use of blueberries

Despite all the useful properties, there are also contraindications to the use of blueberries, among them:

Eating blueberries in large quantities. If the recommended doses are not observed, oxygen supply to the muscles may be disrupted, which will lead to a malfunction in their functioning. Such a negative effect occurs due to the increased content of antioxidants in the berries.

Blueberries are an allergenic berry, so they should be offered with caution to children and people prone to allergic reactions. In addition, the use of blueberries can provoke fetal intoxication, so it should not be included in the menu for pregnant women, as well as mothers who are breastfeeding.

Blueberry- fruits of a plant of the Heather family. In addition, there are also such names for it: a drunkard and a gonobobel. They are so specific because the berries seem to intoxicate and dizzy.

Blueberries are often confused with blueberries because they look very similar. The fruits, blue in color, are covered with a bluish bloom on top (see photo). Ripe berries reach an average length of up to 1.2 cm. Inside the fruits have a fleshy juicy green flesh. The taste of the berries is moderately sweet with a slight sourness. They will appeal to those who do not like sugary sweetness in taste.

In the northern hemisphere, blueberries are found almost everywhere. Natural conditions for the growth of this shrub are forests, mountains and wetlands.

Where and how does it grow?

Blueberries grow mainly in wetlands, mountains, forests, and tundra. However, the plant can be planted in any other area. The main thing is that the area is characterized by high humidity. As for the choice of soil, here, too, scientists argue that blueberries are able to sprout in any soil and withstand severe frosts, sultry heat, and even flooding of the soil.

The plant grows in the form of a small bush, which reaches only one hundred centimeters in height. The branches of the plant are gray in color, smooth and curved. The leaves are small, three centimeters long. The inflorescences are small, painted in pink or white. Blueberries are dark blue. The skin is covered with a bluish bloom. The fruits of the plant are edible, they are quite juicy and moderately sweet.

When can you pick berries and how to do it right?

People who planted blueberries for the first time in a garden plot ask themselves this question: “When do blueberries ripen and how to pick berries correctly?” Experts say that the blueberry season falls in the middle of summer, or rather, at the end of July. Therefore, berries can be harvested as early as the beginning of August. But you should not hesitate with this matter, because the fruits of the plant can overripe and fall off.

If there are not very many blueberry bushes growing on the site, the berries can be picked manually or with the help of a comb (scoop), which is easy to use, and, most importantly, leaves do not fall into it, so sorting the berries is quite fast.

If a whole plantation of such plants has been planted and each bush has begun to bear fruit abundantly, then it is best to use a special berry harvester here. It is able to replace several people, so it is considered a fairly economical tool for picking blueberries.

How is blueberry different from shadberry, honeysuckle, blueberry?

Blueberry differs from shadberry in that the latter grows in the form of a tree that reaches almost five meters in height. And blueberries grow on a bush that is not more than a hundred centimeters in height. Also, the difference between the two berries is that the irga belongs to the Rose family, and blueberries belong to the Heather family. As for the fruits of the two plants themselves, there are differences here too. Blueberries are very juicy and sweet and sour, while the berries of the shadberry are less juicy, a little sweetish, almost tasteless.

The difference between blueberries and honeysuckle is that the berries of the latter ripen much earlier (in the month of June), and the fruits of the former only at the end of July. The taste of blueberries is sweet, with a slight taste of sourness, and honeysuckle can be sweet, tart, sour and even bitter. The taste of the berries depends on which variety is grown. There is also a difference in the color of the berries. The color of honeysuckle fruits is varied: they can be blue, white, black, red or orange. And in blueberries, the berries are painted in a rich dark blue tone.

Blueberries and blueberries, although they belong to the same family, still have a number of differences. The blueberry bush is even smaller than the blueberry bush. The stems of the latter, unlike the former, are firmer and lighter. Also, the difference is noticeable in that the blueberry bush almost spreads along the ground, and the blueberry bush, on the contrary, grows upwards. The latter plant can adapt to any conditions and soil, and blueberries grow only in pine forests. The juice secreted from blueberries is dark in color, while the juice of blueberries is clear. In addition, blueberries, unlike blueberries, are larger and oblong in shape. Blueberry fruit pulp is characterized by a dark blue tint, and blueberry pulp is greenish in color.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of such wild berries are very diverse. Blueberry positively affects the work of the digestive tract, the circulatory system, for example, the walls of blood vessels become stronger after eating berries, and the hematopoiesis process also improves. It is also worth considering beneficial effect of blueberries on the nervous system. Perhaps this is due to the content of magnesium, which acts like a sedative.

Berries have strong antimicrobial properties. Given this, blueberries are recommended to be used as a preventive measure against various infectious diseases, such as dysentery. In addition, blueberries is an excellent natural antioxidant, which allows the use of berries as a tonic, regenerating and tonic.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the ability of blueberries to break down fats. In addition, berries are low-calorie foods. Considering this, they are allowed to be used during the period of weight loss and to maintain ideal shape.

It has been noticed that with regular use of blueberries, you can relieve eye strain and restore vision.

Blueberries contain a lot of phyllochionine, which is actively involved in blood clotting.

The composition of blueberries includes a huge amount of vitamins, such as B, C, E and PP, as well as minerals: iron, sodium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Berries contain proteins, carbohydrates, fats and water.

The plant is very useful for women because it has medicinal properties. Due to the low energy value, blueberries are considered a low-calorie product, in this regard, berries are recommended for weight loss, since the plant is able to break down fats.

Blueberries are good for the skin too. It can restore tone to the face and rejuvenate it. To do this, it is recommended to prepare the following mask. In a bowl, grind two teaspoons of berries with a tablespoon of sour cream, then add a drop of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of olive oil. Mix well and spread over the skin of the face. After fifteen minutes, the mask should be wiped off with a damp sponge, and then washed.

In addition, blueberries are good for the eyes. The berries of the plant are recommended to be eaten with daily eye strain.

Blueberries are useful for gastritis, but only with low acidity of the juice in the stomach. Proponents of non-traditional treatment advise a tablespoon of berries to pour two hundred milliliters of boiling water and set aside to infuse for fifteen minutes. After the infusion of blueberries, it is required to strain. The remedy should be drunk before eating seventy milliliters. Before use, the infusion should be warmed up a little so that it is warm.

Blueberries can strengthen if you eat dried berries. For constipation, you need to steam a tablespoon of dried and ground leaves of the plant with a glass of boiling water, let it stand for about an hour, and then filter the infusion. Drink half a glass up to four times a day.

With pancreatitis, blueberries are allowed to be eaten, but not at the time of an exacerbation of the disease. During the remission period, compote, jelly can be cooked from blueberries.

Also, the use of blueberries helps to lower blood pressure.

Below is a video about the beneficial properties of blueberries.

Use in cooking

Blueberries are widely used in cooking: they can be consumed both fresh and cooked.

Most often, jams and jams are prepared from fruits, which, even after heat treatment, retain many useful substances. Blueberries are used to make various drinks, for example, compotes, jelly are made from berries, and they also make juice and use berries in the alcohol industry.

Blueberries are widely used in baking. They can simply be added to the dough or used as a filling.

You can make a tincture from blueberries. Rinse, dry and crush two kilograms of fresh blueberries so that the berries release juice. Pour the blueberry puree into an airtight container, add two hundred and fifty grams of granulated sugar, pour a liter of vodka, stir well, and then close. Remove the container with the contents in a fairly dark place and leave for fifteen days at room temperature. Shake the container once every two days. After the tincture, you need to strain it with a gauze cloth, then pour it into a glass bottle and cork (you can add granulated sugar if you wish). Let the tincture stand for another five days, and then try. Blueberry tincture has a ruby ​​color and berry aroma.

What can you substitute for blueberries in a recipe?

Blueberries can be replaced in the recipe with only a few berries. For example, if blueberry filling is required for making a pie, they can be replaced with fresh blueberries, cherries or sea buckthorn.

To decorate the cake, you can use blackcurrants instead of blueberries.

If you can’t find blueberries, but you want to make a smoothie, fresh berries can be replaced with currants.

In addition, experienced chefs in many recipes replace blueberries with red currants, raspberries or strawberries.

Storage and harvesting of berries

For the storage of blueberries, it is necessary to select only ripe fruits of large size. By terms, there are two ways to store berries:

1. Short. Fruits can be stored at room temperature for three days.
2. Long. If the berries are washed, dried, distributed in glass containers and put in the refrigerator on the top shelf, the fruits can remain fresh and edible for ten days.

Also, blueberries can be prepared for the winter in such ways as freezing, drying, candied, soaking in water and cooking jam from berries.

To freeze the fruits of the plant, they should be sorted out, cut off the tails, washed under water, dried, folded in layers in an airtight container (each layer must be sprinkled with sugar) and placed in the freezer. The shelf life of frozen blueberries is twelve months.

To prepare the berries by soaking, you need to rinse, dry, distribute the blueberries into glass jars (you will need a container that can hold five hundred milliliters), completely pour cold boiled water and boil for about ten minutes. After the jars should be preserved, and then placed in a cool room (cellar or on the top shelf of the refrigerator). This method of storage will ensure the freshness of the berries for at least six months.

For candied blueberries it is necessary to twist the washed berries with a meat grinder, and then pour the berry puree into a deep enameled container. After pouring granulated sugar into the puree (about five hundred grams of sugar will be needed per kilogram of berry puree) and put the container on fire to heat the berry mass. You also need to boil glass jars for twenty minutes, and then pour the puree into containers and preserve. It is advisable to store candied blueberries in a cellar or refrigerator for no more than twelve months..

To prepare blueberries jam, berries need to be sorted out, washed and dried. Now you need to make syrup. To do this, pour five glasses of water into a fairly deep bowl, add five hundred grams of sugar and boil until the sugar melts. Next, put the berries in the already prepared syrup and boil over low heat for about four hours. After the jam, pour into a sterilized container and cork. Store in the cellar for about two years.

blueberry harvesting for the winter with the help of drying implies the following. Distribute clean berries on a baking sheet and place in the oven, heating the oven to fifty degrees. The oven door does not need to be completely closed, leaving it ajar. At a fifty-degree temperature, blueberries dry for two hours, then the temperature regime must be increased by another ten degrees and the berries dried for about an hour. Place dried blueberries in an airtight container and store either in the refrigerator or in the cellar for up to six months..

Blueberry benefits and treatment

The benefits of blueberries have been identified through numerous scientific studies and experiments. Scientists have proven that regular consumption of berries increases the protective functions of the body, which allows you to resist the effects of radioactive substances. Vitamins and trace elements found in blueberries promote the elimination of toxins and salts of heavy metals from the body.

In folk medicine, many diseases are treated with blueberries. For example, a decoction is prepared from branches and leaves, which helps in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Besides, A decoction of the leaves can be used as a mild laxative..

Blueberry juice is widely used in folk medicine. Basically, it is recommended to use it for fever, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as during the period of increased secretion of gastric juice.

Harm of blueberries and contraindications

Blueberries can cause harm if berries are abused, eating berries in large quantities can provoke allergic reactions. In addition, headache, nausea, and even vomiting may occur.

It is worth reducing the amount of berries consumed by pregnant and breastfeeding women, as they can provoke the development of allergies in a child.

There are contraindications to the use of blueberries for biliary dyskinesia.

Characteristics of the best varieties

To date, a large number of blueberry varieties have been bred, which differ in ripening time, color, taste, and growing region. Consider and give a description of the best of them.

Blueberry varieties	Description
Bluegold (translated as "blue gold")	The variety is bushy, tall (grows up to one and a half meters in height), frost-resistant, self-fertile, does not tolerate extreme heat, the berries ripen after the twentieth of July. The fruits are light blue, sweet. The blueberry bush bears fruit for about sixty years. In autumn, the green leaves of the plant turn first yellow, and then scarlet.
	Belongs to those varieties in which the fruits ripen by early August. Blueberry berries are large, bright blue in color, the skin is covered with a blue bloom. The taste of blueberry "bluecrop" is moderately sweet, there are sour notes. Also, this variety is characterized by good resistance to severe frosts.
	A plant with a late fruit ripening period (berries ripen in early August). Blueberries are round, bright blue in color, sweet. This variety is self-fertile, frost-resistant, subject to long-term transportation.
Denis blue	Blueberries, although they ripen late, are pleased with their large size, dessert taste and good transportability. The pulp is sweet and sour. The bush is tall, with medium frost resistance.
	Variety "Duke" of the early period of fruit ripening. The berries are large in size, rich blue in color, the skin is smooth, covered with bloom, the flesh is tart-sweet. Well transfers long transportation. Good frost resistance, but it is better to cover for the winter.
	Late variety with good frost resistance. A good harvest can be harvested from a tall bush. Berries are blue in color, large in size, with a sweet taste. Due to the strong skin and dense pulp, blueberries can be transported over long distances.
Northland (translated means "northern country")	The variety is suitable for growing in the northern regions, frost-resistant, undersized. It is characterized by an early ripening rate of berries. Fruits are blue, sweetish. Many gardeners plant blueberries "northland" as an ornamental shrub to decorate the garden plot.
	The variety is undersized, frost-resistant, self-fertile, not susceptible to diseases and pests, the average period of berry ripening. The fruits are slightly flat, fairly large, light blue.
	It is a tall shrub, which is characterized by a fairly high resistance to cold and diseases. Ripe berries are harvested after the twentieth of July. Blueberry fruits taste sweet and sour, small in size, deep blue in color. The plant begins to bear fruit three years after planting the seedling..
	Tall shrub of an early variety, which produces fruits of relatively large size. The berries are blue, round, slightly flattened, sweet in taste, but there is astringency. This blueberry variety has an average frost resistance.
	This variety has an average ripening rate of fruits, which at the time of harvest are painted in a bluish-blue hue and acquire a rounded shape. The skin is smooth, covered with a wax coating. The plant is frost-resistant, but can get sick with a fungal disease.
	The variety is characterized by large blue berries and a late ripening period. Harvest can take over four weeks. It tolerates severe frosts well, when the temperature ranges from -24 to -28 degrees. Transportability is low, because blueberries are very tender and can crack.
Elizabeth	Belongs to varieties with an average ripening rate of berries, good resistance to many diseases and pests. It may not withstand severe frosts, therefore it is suitable for growing only in warm areas. The fruits of the plant are round, with an elastic skin, with a sweet aftertaste.
	Blueberry "Erliblu" is characterized by fairly early fruiting and high resistance to severe frosts. Berries grow in the form of a ball, medium and large sizes, light blue in color, with a tart, sweet and sour taste. Good resistance to diseases such as powdery mildew, but the fruits may be susceptible to mummification. Transportation and long-term storage is not subject.

In addition to the main varieties, other varieties of blueberries were bred, which are also quite popular with farmers. Conventionally, plant varieties can be divided as follows:

• Tall: Puru, Berkeley, Nord Country, Sunrise, Chanticleer, Bluejay, Bluray, Meader, XXL, Atlantic, Blue Berry, Blueetta ”, “Weymouth”, “Huron”, “Double”, “Kaz Plishka”, “Collins”, “Sierra”, “Boniface”, “Jersey”, “Elliot”, “Goldtraube”, “Hannas Choice”, “Hardy Blue ”, “Brigita Blue”, “Herbert”, “Darrow”, “Pink Lemonade”, “Renkokas”, “Legacy”;
• undersized: "North Blue", "Chippewa", "Alvar", "Blue Giant", "Wonderful", "Shegarskaya", "Polaris".

There are a lot of varieties of blueberries, and each of them has different taste qualities, fruiting and life periods, as well as areas and areas for planting. Therefore, you can always choose the option that is right for you.

Growing: planting and care

Blueberry cultivation technology consists in proper planting, care and harvesting. You can grow a plant both in a greenhouse and in a garden or in a personal plot.

So, with regard to the proper planting of shrubs. Before planting blueberries in the garden, you need to select high-quality seedlings, that is, so that they are healthy and have green leaves without spots. Blueberries should be planted in early spring before the buds ripen, choosing a sunny and calm place in the garden. To plant a plant, you first need to completely soak the pots with bushes in cool water for about three hours (so that the earthen ball is saturated with moisture). After that, you need to carefully pull the blueberry bush out of the pot, turning the plant upside down to break the lump from the ground. Now you should plant a bush in a hole, carefully fix the roots and fill it with a substrate (a mixture of sawdust, bark, sand, red peat and coniferous litter). Further, in a circle near the bush, you need to make a small hole, soak it well with water, and then add mulch (you can use straw or bark). The distance between seedlings should be at least one meter.

To transplant blueberries to a new place in the garden, the shrub needs to be planted in the ground only to the depth at which it was previously located. Although some gardeners recommend planting blueberries in the soil five centimeters deeper. For transplantation, it is best to dig up a young shrub that has reached two years old, cutting off green shoots and buds.

When the planting stage is over, you can proceed to the blueberry care stage. Throughout the season, it is necessary to loosen the soil several times, as well as to carry out mulching. It should also be remembered that a shrub plant needs timely watering, pruning and feeding.

Watering blueberries should be done no more than twice a week. For each adult bush, one bucket of water in the early morning and the same amount of water in the evening will be enough. During the fruiting period, blueberries need to be watered very often. If the plant is thirsty, this can adversely affect the yield.

Blueberry top dressing is not particularly required, however, the plant is very fond of mineral (inorganic) fertilizers, which should be added to the soil in early spring, at the time of sap flow and during the period of bud formation. But as for organic dressings for blueberries, experienced farmers categorically forbid them to be applied to the ground. The most optimal fertilizers for the plant are:

• ammonium sulfate;
• potassium sulfate;
• zinc sulfate;
• superphosphate.

Ammonium sulfate should be applied to the soil three times: during the movement of the juice, then at the beginning of the third month of spring, and then at the beginning of June. And more fertilizer in the ground for blueberries is not required until the onset of next spring. The only thing you can feed blueberries in the fall is superphosphate (one hundred grams is required per bush).

You also need to regularly prune blueberries. This is done so that the plant bears fruit well. Pruning in the spring is carried out until the buds swell on the branches. If there are diseased branches on the plant in autumn, they should be cut off immediately and not wait for spring. All flowers are cut from an annual bush so that the plant develops well. In four-year-old shrubs, weak, diseased, frozen branches, shoots (which are older than five years old) are cut off and shoots are removed.

During the flowering period, the plant requires pollination. The best pollinators for blueberries are bumblebees, sometimes bees. When the blueberry flowers turn white, there will be four days left for them to be pollinated, otherwise after two weeks they will change color to dark pink and eventually bear no fruit.

Blueberry diseases include:

• white spotting;
• drying of branches;
• stem cancer;
• gray rot.

To reduce the risk of developing the disease, every year with the advent of spring and after harvesting, the shrub should be treated with a Bordeaux mixture. If the shrub is still sick, it should be treated with Topaz three times (the break between treatments is exactly a week).

Thanks to proper care of the plant, blueberries begin to bear fruit four years after planting, and full fruiting begins after seven years. Blueberry yield is very high.

Fall care for blueberries is also important. It implies sheltering a bush for the winter, since the frost resistance of blueberries is average; in severe frosts, the plant can freeze. After collecting the fruits, the branches of the shrub should be pulled to the soil, put a wire loop on top, fix the bush, and then cover it with a bag on top and sprinkle with spruce branches. In warm regions, blueberries overwinter in the open, without shelter.

Blueberries can be propagated from seeds, cuttings and division of the bush.

Breeding blueberries by dividing the bush is as follows. The excavated plant must be divided so that each part has roots seven centimeters long. Divided bushes should be immediately planted in the place where they will constantly grow.

Cultivation of blueberries by cuttings is carried out at the very end of March. So, in order to properly propagate blueberries, you will need to cut branches in winter and put them in boxes with holes filled with peat. Boxes should be stored in a well-ventilated room at a temperature of five degrees Celsius. With the arrival of spring, you need to cut the blueberry cuttings using the lower parts of the branches. The length of the handle must be at least twelve centimeters. The cut at the bottom is made at an angle and under the kidney. The upper cut is made above the kidney by about one centimeter. After the cuttings must be treated with a growth stimulator. To root blueberry cuttings, they need to be planted in beds with a layer of drained soil and covered with a film. After three months, the film can be removed. With the advent of spring, when the soil warms up well, the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place.

Fruiting of blueberries propagated by cuttings and division of shrubs falls in the fourth year after the plant is planted.

To propagate blueberries from seeds, you should collect the berries, remove the seeds from them, dry them a little and plant them on temporary beds with sour peat. The air temperature should be at the level of twenty-five degrees. Nitrogen fertilizers should be applied in the spring when the seedlings are two years old. After that, the seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent site. Blueberries propagated in this way begin to bear fruit only after seven years.

Sometimes there may be difficulties with blueberry farming. If blueberries turn yellow, it means that the plant does not have enough nitrogen. If the leaves on the shrub began to fall off, then you need to acidify the soil for blueberries. You can use sulfur powder, which should be applied to the moist soil where the seedlings were planted. If the blueberry does not bloom, it means that there is stagnant water in the soil, it is very wet, or the plant was planted in a shady area. Therefore, the soil should not be waterlogged and seedlings should be planted only in a well-lit place.

In the garden, blueberries are compatible with other plants such as blueberries, lingonberries, and cranberries. Also, the blueberry bush gets along well with corn, thyme, parsley, rosemary, zucchini and cucumber. However, blueberries are not recommended to be planted next to flowers and fruit trees.

This berry and considered several varieties garden blueberries. And in the same article we will deal with landing issues. garden blueberries and caring for her.

Blueberries are not among those plants that can be said to be "planted and forgotten." She will give us her tasty and healthy berries, only with proper planting and proper careful care.

Planting garden blueberries

Plant in a permanent place garden blueberries it is possible both in autumn and spring, but spring planting is still preferable, because the risk of freezing of young seedlings in winter is reduced.

Blueberry is a very sun-loving plant and does not like cold winds, so it is best to plant it in a sunny and wind-protected place.

If you plant it in the shade of trees, then the berries will be sour, and their number will not please.

Blueberries are very demanding on the soil and prefer to grow in an area with acidic soil (pH 3.5-4.5), not previously occupied by other cultivated plants, since mycorrhiza living on the roots does not tolerate developed land very well.

If you do not have such a place, then you should try to create it, based on the fact that blueberries love peaty-sandy or peaty-loamy well-drained soils.

To do this, we dig a hole 60x60 cm in size and 50 cm deep, it is advisable to loosen the surface of the bottom and walls of the hole a little so that over time they do not become dense and do not impede the flow of water and air.

Then we fill the pit with high-moor slightly decomposed peat or a mixture of peat, sawdust, fallen needles and sand, and also add 40-60 g of sulfur (for acidification) to the pit, mix everything and compact. In other words, we make an acidic substrate, in which blueberries like to grow.

And to acidify the soil, you can use a solution of citric or oxalic acid (add 3 teaspoons of acid per 10 liters of water), as well as malic acid or 9% acetic acid (100 ml of acid per 10 liters of water).

So far, no fertilizers need to be added to the planting pit, especially organic ones, which alkalize the soil.

It is best to buy blueberry seedlings with a closed root system (in pots or containers), and then it is very important to plant them correctly.

In no case can you just transfer the seedling from the container into the pit, since the tender blueberry roots will not be able to turn to the sides in a dense clod of earth and the root system will not be able to develop normally, in connection with this the plant will most likely die in a few years.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to lower the container with the seedling into the water for only 10-15 minutes before planting, then remove the plant from the container and try to knead this earthen ball very carefully, and if the roots are tightly braided around the ground, then carefully straighten them with your hands.

We plant the seedling 5-6 cm deeper, as it grew in the container, water it and mulch it with sawdust (or some other mulch).

Mulch in the summer will be able to protect against weeds, retain moisture, and simply serve as additional fertilizer; in winter, it will protect the roots from freezing.

How to care for blueberries?

Regular weeding is of great importance when caring for blueberries. Especially while the bushes are young, weeds are the worst enemies of blueberries.

Loosening is no less important, but we should not forget that the root system lies at a depth of 20-40 cm and, therefore, we should loosen the trunk circles to a depth of no more than 8-10 cm.

During the growing season of the plant, it is advisable to mulch the tree trunks 2-3 times with a mixture consisting of sawdust and rotted manure.

Water management is very important

When growing blueberries, it is necessary to constantly monitor the water regime, since this plant needs moisture. It is very important to prevent the soil from drying out.

Until the blueberry seedling takes root, it is necessary that the earth is constantly wet.

And within a few weeks you need to maintain two or three times watering.

And, in the future, if the weather is dry, blueberries need to be watered twice a week and it is better to do this in the morning and evening.

And in hot weather, it is also desirable to spray the bushes with cold water.

In July-August, when the bushes bear fruit and lay flower buds for the future harvest, abundant watering is very necessary for blueberries.

But, at the same time, although blueberries are a very moisture-loving plant, excess moisture is also contraindicated for it, so stagnant water should be avoided.

When should you prune blueberry bushes?

Trimming blueberries at a young age is not recommended. It is possible only in early spring (before the buds swell) to cut out diseased, broken, creeping, weak and frozen branches from non-fruiting bushes.

But by the age of 10-12, the bush begins to grind berries and reduce yields.

Therefore, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning, which can be done in two ways:

• Immediately in one year, we remove all the old branches. The disadvantage of this method is that within 2-3 years there will be a significant yield loss.
• In the first year of pruning, we remove only part of the old branches, and leave the rest for fruiting. And then the next year, when young shoots grow, we remove the remaining old ones.

Plant nutrition

To improve growth and increase yield, it is good to feed blueberries with mineral fertilizers, while organic fertilizers are simply contraindicated for them.

We feed blueberries once when the buds swell, and the second - after 6-7 weeks.

Top dressing of blueberries should start from the second year of cultivation:

• 1 tablespoon of complete mineral fertilizer is applied to a two-year-old bush,
• for a three-year-old - 2 tablespoons,
• for a four year old - 4 tablespoons,
• for a five-year-old - 8 tablespoons,
• for six years and older - 16 tablespoons.

By the appearance of blueberries, it is very easy to determine which mineral elements it lacks at the moment.

So, for example, if not enough:

• nitrogen- the growth of shoots slows down, old leaves become yellowish-green, and if the nitrogen deficiency is significant, then the whole bush looks yellowish-green, then a reddish tint appears on the leaves and the yield decreases, the berries become smaller;
• phosphorus- the leaves are closely pressed against the stem and acquire a purple hue;
• potassium- the tips of the leaves die off, spots appear, the tops of young shoots turn black and die;
• calcium- the leaves are deformed, and their edges turn yellow;
• magnesium- the leaves have red edges, but at the same time, a green color remains near the midrib;
• boron- apical leaves become blue in color, yellowing appears between the veins of old leaves, the growth of shoots stops, and then they die;
• gland- on young apical leaves, yellowing appears between the veins, a network of green veins is formed against the background of the yellow color of the entire leaf;
• sulfur- the leaves become yellowish-white in color, and sometimes turn completely white.

Knowing these signs, it is possible to determine with great certainty which elements the plant lacks and to fill this deficit in a timely manner by additionally feeding it with appropriate mineral fertilizers.

Shelter for the winter

In most cases, the limit of frost resistance of tall blueberries is a temperature of minus 23-25 ​​degrees and, of course, the probability of freezing in a snowless winter is especially high.

If you have planted late-ripening varieties, then do not forget that they often suffer from early autumn frosts and therefore these varieties must be covered first with non-woven material or burlap.

Preparation of bushes for wintering must begin in advance.

The branches must be bent to the ground, for this you can use twine or wire arcs, placing them in a cross.

Then, with the onset of stable frosts, we cover the bushes with non-woven material, burlap.

But it is better not to use plastic wrap.

From above you can throw spruce branches. In winter, the bushes can also be sprinkled with loose snow so that the tops of the stems are constantly under a white blanket.

With the onset of spring, we remove the shelter, cut off the tips of the frozen branches.

Blueberry flowers usually do not need protection from spring cold snap, as they can tolerate frosts up to 7 degrees.

Harvest

The timing of the collection of berries depends on what varieties we have planted. So if the blueberry variety:

• early ripe, then we begin to harvest the berries from the first decade of July;
• if mid-season - from the second or third decade of July;
• and late-ripening - from the second or third decade of August.

Blueberry fruits do not ripen at the same time, so the harvest on the bush lasts more than a month.

The first sign of the beginning of blueberry ripening is the change in the green color of the berries to bluish-purple. This means that in a week, with good weather, the berries will already ripen.

It is necessary to remove from the bush only such berries that are easily separated from the brush with a dry separation.

The largest, most attractive and tasty are the berries of the first and second harvests, so they are best consumed fresh.

And the berries of the following collections are much smaller and I recommend putting them in for processing.

Now we know almost everything about this wonderful berry. It only remains for us to consider: how blueberries reproduce; what diseases and pests bother her; how to deal with them. But we'll talk about this later.

See you soon, dear friends!