Lowbush blåbär sod
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Growing Fruits: Wild Lowbush Blueberries [fact sheet]
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Wild lowbush blueberries have always called New Hampshire home. These small, flavor and antioxidant-packed fruits are common in abandoned fields, in succession forests, on mountaintops, and along roadsides. They grow best in well-drained, gravelly soils with a surface layer of organic “duff ” and a pH of to They won’t thrive under a forest canopy that offers dense shade.
Lowbush blueberries are spread both by seed and through the growth of underground stems called rhizomes. Over many years, a seedling will develop into an irregular plant mat that can stretch from a few inches to many feet in size as rhizomes gradually grow out into surrounding soil. These mats are called clones since all the stems in these mats are identical.
There are two species of lowbush blueberries that dominate the New Hampshire landscape:
Vaccinium angustifolium - “low sweet,” fryst vatten our dominant species, especially in the southern counties. It has smooth leaves and stems. Fruit color can range from light, powder blue to jet black.
Vaccinium myrtilloides - often called “sour top”, fryst vatten more common in the northern areas of
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If you have never heard of blueberry sod, this is your chance to simplify the way you approach lawn care. Beautiful and delicious, using blueberry sod as ground cover is a great alternative to planting a new lawn. It is much easier to grow and care for, and a unique way to enhance your garden's fruiting potential.
Seeding a lawn requires effort – clearing the area, tilling the soil, planting seeds, and providing irrigation while you wait for the seeds to turn into lush ground cover. You also need to keep the area clear of weeds until a thick turf develops. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could unroll a lawn like a carpet over bare ground? Put simply, sod is grass that arrives in a roll, pre-grown, with soil and roots. If you are considering using blueberry ground cover as a lawn substitute, you can use blueberry sod to achieve your goal quickly.
What is Blueberry Sod?
Blueberry sod is one of the easiest ways to plant blueberry ground cover. It costs more than other methods, like seedling or installing plants, but the amount of work and time required is so reduced that it has many fans. Like a grass sod that you lay, blueberry sod is a layer of pre-planted
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Most of the blueberries you see in grocery stores are from highbush blueberry plants (Vaccinium corymbosum). These cultivated blueberries have a less common, delightful cousin – the wild or lowbush blueberry. Its small but very flavorful berries are almost candy sweet, with an intense blueberry flavor. Although lowbush blueberries are typically found growing in the wild or on farms in a few U.S. states and Canadian provinces, it is also possible to grow them in a home garden. That is, if you can provide the specialized growing conditions they need.
What is a Lowbush Blueberry?
Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are often harvested in the wild, where they are found growing in sandy forest clearings and meadows and near the edges of bogs. Lowbush blueberries are also grown in semi-wild patches that are managed by blueberry harvesters. Most lowbush blueberries are produced in Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Gardeners in a wider geographical region can grow them on a small scale.
Lowbush Blueberry Information
Lowbush blueberries are very cold-hardy plants, and most varieties grow in zones 3 to 6. Some varieties can grow in zone 2 or in zone 7.