How to Grow Brunswick Blueberries in Zone 6

Select a site in full sun. Test the soil pH with a home test kit. Find a different location if the result is above 6.0. Blueberries require an acidic environment to tap into nutrients. Mix 1 cubic foot peat moss and the same amount of sand into the soil if the pH is between 5.5 and 6.0 to acidify the ground slightly.

Plant the ground cover in a hole deep enough to hold the Brunswick blueberry at the same depth as it has been growing in the nursery. Space multiple plants 10 feet apart.

Irrigate the blueberry shrub at planting. Continue to maintain the soil moist to the root zone through the growing season.

Build a 2- to 3-inch-deep mulch ring around the base of the Brunswick blueberry. Use pine needles or pine bark, which help to maintain the soil's acidity. In general, the mulch slows water evaporation, keeps the plant's shallow roots insulated from extreme temperatures and suppresses weeds.

Prune off all flower buds the first year. Cut the stems back to one-half their length at planting.

Feed the newly planted blueberry for the first time after the initial flush of leaves reach full size. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. azalea food with equal percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium around the base of the plant. Cover with the product an area that extends 1 foot away from the plant. Do not let the fertilizer touch the stems. Repeat this step every six weeks until one month before summer's end. Always irrigate the plant immediately following fertilization.

Resume fertilization the following spring, giving the Brunswick blueberry 1 cup 10-10-10 Azalea formula to stimulate berry production. Cover an area that extends 36 inches away from the plant. Water the nutrient in. Apply 1 cup nitrogen in the form of ammonium nitrate in a band 2 inches from the plant every six weeks until July 1.

Begin to taste test the blueberries after they turn blue in June. Pick them when they feel ripe. Cover the bush with netting to protect the fruit from birds.