Blueberry suckers - Ask Extension
There are shoots coming up from the base and the leaves are a different shape than the rest of the plant. Should I cut them off? Plants are 6 years ol...
Knowledgebase
Blueberry suckers #875776
Asked July 03, 2024, 10:22 AM EDT
There are shoots coming up from the base and the leaves are a different shape than the rest of the plant. Should I cut them off? Plants are 6 years old.
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
Here are some recommendations and a great publication:
- Remove the low growth that would touch the ground when loaded with fruit. Cut out short, soft shoots that develop from the base of the plant late in the season.
- Prune off canes and twigs damaged by winter injury, mechanical causes, diseases or insects. Cut out the unproductive canes: those that haven't produced much new growth on 1-year-old canes, which have buds but are dull in color.
- If you have been pruning every year, it is best to remove the two oldest (most unproductive) canes each winter.
- Prune to let light down into the plant center.
- If your plants tend to overbear, with numerous small fruits rather than larger ones, thin the fruit buds by clipping back some of the small shoots carrying a heavy load of flower buds. Blueberry flower buds are near the tips of the past season's growth and are large and plump, compared to the small scale-like "leaf" buds.
