How Do You Plant Rabbit Eye Tifblue Blueberries?

Prime the soil for early spring planting. Work the soil with a pitchfork, chopping up large chunks of earth as you create a fine-planting medium.

Assess the soil pH with a soil testing kit after breaking it up. Tifblue rabbiteye blueberries grow best in acidic soil with a pH between 4 and 5.

Modify the soil with peat moss if the pH is above 5. The addition of peat moss is an organic way to lower alkalinity and acidify the soil. Mix the peat moss in with the soil following the instructions on the label.

Dig holes for the rabbiteyes that measure twice the width of their root balls. Dig the holes 1 inch deeper than the height of the root balls. Space each blueberry hole 6 feet from the next, in rows 8 to 10 feet apart.

Slide the Tifblue blueberries out of their nursery containers, being careful to leave the roots and soil intact. Place one blueberry plant in the middle of each hole.

Refill the holes and use your hands to pack the soil around the main stem of each rabbiteye. Spread 3 inches of mulch around each plant. Bark chips, straw or pine needles help to discourage weed growth around the rabbiteyes and improve water retention when used as mulch.

Water-in the blueberries with a garden hose. Soak the soil to a 1-inch depth after planting and maintain moist soil as the blueberries grow. During the first year, rabbiteyes only require 1/2 gallon of water per plant per week. During the second year, 1 gallon of supplemental water per plant will suffice. Each year, watering should increase by 1 gallon to accommodate the growing plants.