Blueberries have rather high-demanding root systems. They are quite sensitive and don’t develop well in less-than-ideal conditions. That’s why Kekkilä Professional offers various different blueberry substrates, that are designed to fit the exact needs of this crop. This article focuses on the cultivation of blueberries in pots. If you wish to learn more about different cultivation methods, like growing your shrubs in ridges, go to this related article.

In all phases of cultivation, blueberry shrubs require an extremely consistent structural stability in their root area. The fine root system needs adequate support ensuring the best possible air and water content to make sure that it develops well.

As blueberry bushes are a long-term crop, the long-term quality and stability of the substrate you use to fill your pots is of great importance.

Propagation and production in pots

It’s quite common for blueberry plant producers to develop their young plants in pots. This creates a very safe and highly controlled root environment for the crops, ensuring that the young plants get the best possible start in life to grow into strong and healthy bushes.

However, your adult production-oriented bushes will also thrive when they are grown in pots. An additional benefit to growing your blueberry bushes in pots is that you can grow more plants per hectare, as the plant density can be higher. The roots will use the full volume of the container to develop, creating a more compact, but equally elaborate root system. This means each shrub requires less space.

Growing blueberries in pots gives you more control

As mentioned above, growers who cultivate their blueberries in pots have more control over the crop. In the first place, you’ll have, of course, more control over the quality of the root area of your plant. You can make sure that the substrate offers the physical properties your crop needs, and the risk of contaminations coming from the local field is lower. A high-quality substrate allows you to better regulate irrigation and nutrition as well, as it should offer some buffering capacities. Growers cultivating in pots typically need to use less water and nutrition than growers focusing on open-soil cultivation.

Some growers put their pots into ridges created out of local soil to protect the roots from frost damage during the winter. The image below shows how these developing plants are grown in colder climates that need to deal with low temperatures.

Make sure to talk to your local Kekkilä Professional distributor if you want to learn about our portfolio for blueberries in pots, or if you wish to get some advice tailored to your situation!