Sprout Year

Pruning is essential for the production of wild blueberries. Rejuvenation of the upright stems concentrates plant energy into the formation of fruit buds and away from new branching and leaf buds. The older branched plants that typically have few flower buds are replaced with more productive shoots. The new shoots are closer to the ground and suffer less winter injury.

There are two types of pruning used today. Burning is the older of the two methods and can either be a free burn, one using straw or propane or oil burners. The photo at the top shows burning with straw and the second photo shows a propane burner. Flail mowing, the other pruning method, is gaining popularity because of cost effectiveness and environmental benefits. Level fields are required for mowing as well as mechanical harvesting. Plants have to be cut less than an inch from the soil.