Blueberry "Blyukrop": features of the variety and the possibility of its cultivation

Blueberry variety "Blyukrop" appeared on the territory of Russia at the end of the 20th century.Its original homeland was America, but later, in 1916, the variety was selected on the territory of the state of New Jersey. Since then, this varietal blueberry fell in love with many gardeners around the world for its good fruiting capacity, disease resistance, ability to adapt to different climatic conditions and large size of berries.

"Bluecrop" is a tall blueberry, reaching a height of 1.8-2 meters. The branches of the bush are erect, grow quickly and tend to branch. For this reason, the plant needs annual pruning. Lingonberry leaves have a dark green color, oblong in the form of a pointed ellipse with jagged edges. The size of the sheet is on average 3 centimeters. The foliage abundantly covers the bush, making the plant look massive. The shrub acquires a particularly beautiful decorative appearance in autumn, when its leaves become reddish.

Blueberries bloom in spring, in early May. Its flowers are sufficiently resistant to night frosts and are able to withstand sub-zero temperatures of up to 7 degrees. The flowers have a white-green shade and rather large size, are located next to each other, forming long clusters. Pollination in flowers is cross, so the bush cannot pollinate itself: it needs pollinating insects and the neighborhood of other bushes.

From the ovaries are formed berries of dark blue color with a waxy coating with a diameter of up to 2 centimeters. The berries have a regular round shape and reach a weight of up to two grams. Fruits are located near the cowberry of the variety "Bleukrop" on long tassels, which are outwardly quite large, resemble a bunch of grapes. A large number of berries rather tightly to each other are located on one cluster. The taste of ripe berries is sweet-sour.

Berry must be ripened for three weeks: from mid-July to mid-August in central Russia. In the northern regions, these periods may be shifted to later due to climatic conditions.

The blueberry variety of garden blueberries is valued for its high yield. It is easy to pick berries, because they are located in large clusters. Already in the third year, every bush is able to produce a good harvest: up to 5–9 kilograms of berries can be harvested from an adult plant during a season. In addition, the berries have a fairly strong skin, which greatly facilitates their collection and provides resistance to damage during transportation.

According to experts, the next positive feature of the variety is its resistance to frost. "Blyukrop" can be planted safely in the northern regions, as this variety of blueberry can withstand temperatures up to 35 degrees. In addition, this variety is resistant to diseases - lesions rot, pests.

In addition to frost resistance, the blueberry "Bleukrop" is capable of tolerating a lack of acidity in the soil where it grows. And if other, more capricious varieties immediately react to the slightest changes in conditions, then "Blyukrop" bravely endures adversity and at the same time does not wither, does not reduce the yield. For such unpretentiousness, many gardeners are willing to put up with some shortcomings of the variety.

Reviews of gardeners who grow blueberries for wholesale indicate that one of the drawbacks of the BLUKROP variety is the extended period of ripening of berries. The plant does not have a single-stage ripening - the berries ripen in waves, therefore it is impossible to collect them all at once. Unripe berries have a characteristic reddish color and a sour taste. Those who grow blueberries in their garden for pleasure do not consider such a feature a disadvantage of a plant.

Another disadvantage breeders consider excessive branching and congestion fruit brushes berries. Under the weight of the fruit branches pulls down, some of them may even break down.Because of the branching, the green mass can shade the fruit clusters, as a result of which their ripening period increases.

Although blueberry "Bleukrop" and is considered disease resistant, it happens that due to some reasons, the plant may be subject to certain diseases.

• Powdery mildew. In the summer, when the weather is especially hot and it often rains, the leaves, shoots and berries are covered with white bloom against the background of high humidity and sudden temperature changes. This plaque is nothing more than a fungal mycelium, which is able to spread throughout the plant at a very rapid pace. If you do not take measures for treatment, the plant may die.
• Defeat gray rot. The conditions for its occurrence are the same as in the case of powdery mildew disease: humidity and sudden temperature fluctuations. However, it can also occur with excessive application of top-dressings containing nitrogenous compounds. In this case, the plant's resistance to this disease is significantly reduced. Gray mold causes fungus, and the fruits of the plant suffer the most. Initially, the berries can see the appearance of small yellow specks in the form of dots, which then increase in size. Some time after this, the fruits become covered with a gray, fluffy bloom, similar to mold, - this suggests that the berries begin to rot.

• Cancer stalk. This disease often affects young blueberry seedlings. The causative agents of the disease are bacteria that are activated in the event that the plant's resistance is reduced due to an excess of nitrogenous fertilizers. Stem cancer is manifested by the fact that the plant slows down the growth process, the possibility of fruiting is significantly reduced and, as a result, the yield is reduced. Visually, on the root collar of the shrub you can find large thickenings. Such a plant is useless to heal - the bush must be dug out and burned.

The most favorable time for planting a young seedling is considered spring, when the air temperature warmed to 15-17 degrees and there are no frosts on the soil. You can plant a sapling in the warm autumn days, but so that the bush has managed to adapt and strengthen the root system before the start of the arrival of soil frosts.

When planting seedlings need to follow a specific procedure.

• At the selected location, a recess is made in the soil: 50-60 centimeters deep and the same width.
• A drainage system is created by placing a layer of expanded clay (15-20 centimeters) or gravel on the bottom of the planting hole, after which the same layer of crushed pine or fir bark or sawdust is placed on top.
• Prepare a soil mixture of sand, peat and black soil. In case the soil is not sufficiently acidified, fallen needles and sulfur are added to the soil mixture at the rate of 65 grams per 1 square meter of soil.
• Half of the soil mix is ​​placed on top of the drainage and leveled.

• The seedling is taken out of the container and placed in a container with water for a few minutes in order to get a wet pot and it is possible to straighten the roots of the plant.
• The plant is planted in the planting hole and covered with the remaining second part of the soil mixture. This should be done in such a way as to deepen the stem by no more than three centimeters.
• The surface of the hole is covered with mulch from the needles and watered abundantly with water.

Varietal blueberries "Blyukrop" does not require special conditions for planting and subsequent care. It is enough to follow the usual principles.

• The grade well fructifies on those sites where from all directions the sunlight and protection against wind is available to it.
• Bleukrop is very sensitive to irrigation. The plant prefers abundant and regular watering, as it was originally selected on marshy soils.
• The variety will feel good when the acidity of the soil is 3.8-4.0. If the level of acidity is too high, the plant will grow worse and grow.
• If there are places on the site with close groundwater storage, this will be the best place to plant this variety. But you need to make sure that the water in the roots of the plant does not stagnate, otherwise they will begin to rot.

• Every year, in the first decade of March, it is necessary to prune the bush, removing old, frozen branches and removing too thick branching. Rationing of height and quantity of escapes promotes increase in productivity.
• Regular fertilizing with nitrogen-mineral fertilizers will be required. In the spring - at the very beginning of the growing season - ammonium sulfate must be applied: it is added to the soil after the snow melts, then at the very beginning of flowering and during the formation of fruit ovaries. The next feeding should be done in June, when the fruits ripen. In the autumn, nitrogenous fertilizers are not applied to the blueberry “Bluecrop”.

If your blueberry sapling “Bleukrop” has taken root and over time you will want to get planting material from it for breeding, There are two ways to do this.

• Cuttings. After the plant leaves, in the fall they cut shoots with lignified bark. The shoots are wrapped in cloth and cleaned in a cool place, not subject to frost, until the arrival of spring. By the beginning of April, the shoots are cut into small pieces of 20 centimeters each, treated with “Kornevin” in order to make the formation of roots faster, and put them in a container with a mixture of sand and peat. The container can be covered with foil or put in a greenhouse. Young shoots need to be watered regularly. Planted on open ground saplings can only be closer to the fall: at this time, blueberries have already formed a viable root system.
• Reproduction by layering. In early spring, when the plant is actively moving juices, the blueberry bush selects the lower branch and bends it to the ground. Branch need prikopat in the soil and cover with foil, leaving it until the end of summer. By the autumn, the branch will put fresh roots into the soil, and you will get a viable branch, from which a new bush will grow.

In Russia, the blueberry variety "Blyukrop" very fond of gardeners. Today it is actively grown not only in the suburban areas, but also on an industrial scale. The plant tolerates the climatic features of the Russian winter, gives a constant abundant harvest. The berries have a tart sweet-sour taste and have a number of useful properties:

• improve the elasticity of the vascular and capillary walls, reducing its permeability and fragility;
• effectively eliminate inflammatory processes in the body;
• accelerate metabolic processes and remove toxins;
• slow down oxidation and inhibit wilting;
• Excellent tone and are an indispensable assistant in the fight against vitamin deficiency in children and adults.

The variety "Blyukrop" can successfully grow even novice gardeners, as it is very viable and undemanding. In addition to the valuable crop, the plant has attractive decorative characteristics and will decorate your site.

Review of blueberry "Bleukrop", see the following video.