The Life of a Blueberry
Stage 1
All modern blueberry varieties are the result of careful breeding. Existing varieties are cross-pollinated, and only the best new seedlings are nurtured. Commercial growers will typically grow five to ten thousand seedlings to try to find a variety which is better than the current commercial varieties.
Stage 2
Of the ten thousands seedlings grown, perhaps only about 50-100 seedlings will remain after year two. The rest are discarded because of defects that make them undesirable to grow. The remaining plants are propagated and re-planted for further evaluation.
Stage 3
Each seedling that makes it to this stage is propagated into perhaps 10-20 plants. Experts assess them and the best specimens are then taken on to a larger field scale trial. Here the experts will assess whether the new plants can produce more flavour than varieties currently grown. Resistance to disease is also important, to allow growers to continue to decrease the amounts of pesticide used. Other factors assessed include appearance, season of ripening, size of fruit and the growth habits of the bush.
Stage 4
After further field trials, it is normal for perhaps only one of the original 10,000 seedlings to make the grade. The ones that do are named and released to growers as a new variety. It is now typically 10 years from the time the seedling was first planted, it having taken:
3 years to make the first selections
then a further 3-4 years for initial trials
and a further 3-4 years for commercial trials on farms
Stage 5
Once a new variety is released, new plants are normally produced in tissue culture to speed up the growing process. On arrival at the nursery they are immediately potted into larger pots, typically 1 litre in size to begin with. After 6 months, the plants are ready to be potted up into larger pots, normally 4-5 litres in size. To protect the plants and reduce the risk of disease, the nurseries are normally protected areas, with only authorised staff allowed access.
Stage 6
Depending on the variety and time the seedling was received, it will be anything from 12-24 months before the plants are ready to be planted in the field. First the ground is prepared and the plants are planted. Blueberries are very fussy about the soil they will grow in, and need a pH of around 4.5 to be happy. They also need a very fine soil, with low clay content and preferably high in organic matter.
Stage 7
At last the hard work is paying off. Within ten weeks of planting the Blueberry plants are beginning to grow. The Blueberry plants will typically take a further 2 - 3 years to bear enough fruit to pick economically.
Stage 8
Frost can be a problem for Blueberry growers - they can combat this in two ways:
Spraying irrigation water on the bushes - the water on the outside of thre berry freezes and actually protects the berry itself from freezing
Using wind machines to mix layers of cold and warm air, a technique which raises the air temperature sufficiently to protect the berry
In winter, each Blueberry plant is pruned to thin out the old wood, with the aim to produce an open balanced bush. In the first 5 years the plants are only lightly pruned and after they are mature, it is normal to take out about 25-30% of the wood each winter in order to leave strong healthy branches that are capable of sustaining larger fruit.
Stage 9
At last. Blueberry fruits hang in bunches but have to be individually picked as they ripen at different times. Typically plants are picked 6 or 7 times each season, and the season lasts about 4 weeks for each variety. Growers plant a number of different varieties that harvest at different times in order to extend the picking season and to supply fruit to the shops for as long a period as possible.
Stage 10
Ripe Blueberries are picked straight into punnets, with the aim to put the fruit into cold store within an hour of picking. Once cooled, the punnets are weighed and labelled in the packhouse. The fruit is then taken to the supermarket depots for distribution to shops all over the UK on a daily basis.
Blueberries need plenty of warm days and sun in order to fully acquire their full flavour - a bit like grapes need the warm long days and sun to produce a good quality wine. Each variety has a characteristic appearance, and all have unique tastes. One of the strengths of the Blueberry is that each variety tastes different, and each berry in each punnet has a slightly different taste. This ensures you always want to eat another berry that is even better than the one you have just eaten.
British-grown berries account for a large percentage of the total volume of berries bought by consumers each year.
BerryWorld also sources a wide range of soft fruits for the UK market from across the globe.
Information about our breeding programmes and new product development.