Blueberry pruning

[bussinspain]

Good morning all. Do I need to prune my blueberries? If so how do I go about it please? I bought them early this year and had a few handful of berries of each bush - delicious They are in pots.

[bario1]

I'm no expert but I've read that blueberries don't need much pruning in the first few years - just cut off any dead/diseased looking wood, and any 'crossing' branches if you want to keep a nice bush shape.

[Aberdeenplotter]

When Jim McColl of Beechgrove Garden was in my plot last year, I asked him that very question. He said the very same thing but added that some of the older wood should be cut out annually.

[DannyK]

This site has good advice and a couple of videos Kb Results - Trehane Nursery

[vixylix]

Look at you casually dropping names AP - just cos you've been on the telly

[Losos]

I bought them early this year and had a few handful of berries of each bush - delicious They are in pots.

I bought two bushes early this year, they are also in pots. I've pruned just a couple of stems that were in the middle and interfering with the general shape of the bush. Apart from that I've done nothing because (As mentioned above) the general opinion seems to be to leave them for the first three to four years and after that just take out the dead or damaged parts.

[cptncrackoff]

I believe in addition to the above..any branches coming out too close, and/or touching the ground can go too!.

[Snadger]

I have one blueberry plant which doesn't fruit very well. Appaently, even though they are self fertile, you get bigger and better berries with more than one plant. I need to get a couple more!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Look at you casually dropping names AP - just cos you've been on the telly

Och I'd forgotten about being a tv star <preens>.

Seriously though, I only mentioned his name to give my comments some gravitas or credence. I'm not really a fruit person although I do grow

[cptncrackoff]

I have one blueberry plant which doesn't fruit very well. Appaently, even though they are self fertile, you get bigger and better berries with more than one plant. I need to get a couple more!

Different varieties are best apparently..although I've done well with just two bluecrop plants up until now, I have bought a pink lemonade to stick between them!

[boatsman]

I have one blueberry bush but this year for the first time there was no fruit. I'll trim it a bit, cut out crossed branches and dead ones. The trouble is there are no blueberry bushes, as far as I know, in the vicinity so no cross pollination can occur.