Blueberries and blueberries - similar to each other berries. They belong to the same heather family. A person without experience will not immediately be able to determine which berry is in front of him.
And gardeners with experience do it without difficulty. There is a big difference between blueberries and blueberries. How to distinguish these two berries, we will explain in this article.
Table of contents
The external difference between blueberries and blueberries
Blueberry bushes are much higher than blueberry bushes.They can reach 1.5 m in height. The growth direction of most bushes is vertical. Blueberry is a creeping plant.
The stem is woody over the entire height, and blueberries have green, not stiff shoots. The stem is brighter than blueberries. Their leaves also differ among themselves. Egg-shaped blueberry leaves with a sharp tip and slightly serrate edges. The foliage on the bushes is a little wider and with dulled tops.
Berries on blueberry bushes are arranged one by one. On blueberry bushes, the arrangement of berries resembles clusters. Blueberry berries are slightly smaller than blueberries. They are round. Blueberry berries are slightly elongated and resemble a pear. Blueberry dark blue color, almost black, with a slight touch.
Blueberry berries are a bluish-blue color. Blueberry pulp is dark blue in color, and blueberries are greenish. The juice of blueberries instantly colors the hands in a persistent dark blue color. It is often used as a dye. Blueberry juice is colorless and not easily soiled.
Bilberry is not included in the list of plants of cultural production and is not used for cultural cultivation. It requires the wild conditions of nature.Selection work is carried out mainly with blueberries.
Composition and useful properties
Berries differ among themselves in many respects. To determine which of them is more useful to consider their composition.
The composition and properties of blueberries
Blueberry is a low-calorie berry. It has only 57 kcal. 100 fresh berries contain 1.1 g of protein, 0.6 g of fat, 7.6 g of carbohydrates, 87 g of water and 0.4 g of ash. Blueberries are rich in various ingredients. It contains tannins, organic acids, vitamin C, vitamin B, carotene.
Berry has healing properties. It is used to prevent visual impairment. Plants are added to pharmaceutical formulations. The plant has astringent properties. Therefore, it is taken for diarrhea. Berries are rich in antioxidants and help in the prevention of substandard tumors.
Systemic use reduces the risk of developing pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, diabetes. Proponents of treatment using traditional methods apply it to purulent wounds on the skin, burns, and bladder pathologies. The flesh is added to facial masks.
Healing is in addition to berries and bilberry foliage. From it boil broths.
Bilberry berry is contraindicated for people suffering from constipation, diseases of the pancreas and duodenum.
Composition and properties of blueberry
100 grams of fresh berries contain 1 g of protein, 6.6 g of carbohydrates, 0.5 g of fat. Berry is 88% water. It also includes pigments, fiber, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, carotenoids, provitamin A, vitamin C, PP, K, and vitamins of group B. Caloric content is 39 kcal.
The berry is recommended for diabetics. Berry normalizes metabolic processes, lowers blood sugar and enhances the effectiveness of drugs. Blueberry has a tonic effect. Polyphenols dilate blood vessels. Vitamin A helps relieve tension and restore vision. Berries are useful for normalizing the functional activity of memory.
Teas and decoctions of dry berries are used as dizenteric and antidiarrheal agents. Blueberry leaves are raw materials for healthy drinks.
Growing conditions: how to distinguish two berries?
Many lovers of northern berries care about whether it is possible to grow blueberries and blueberries at home. In comparison with blueberries, blueberries do not apply to home and industrial cultivation.
Features of growing blueberries
Blueberry - a lover of the forest environment. For cultivation in the home garden, you must first prepare the planting material and create the most similar soil conditions. It is necessary a month before planting to choose a suitable site and organize it. Bilberry prefers sunny spots or penumbra.
The soil must be perekapy at 0.6 m in depth. It is advisable to add sulfur to the soil in the form of powder, oak leaves and pine needles. It is necessary to regulate the necessary acidity.
Under each bush of blueberries should dig a hole with a diameter of 0.5 - 0.6 m and a depth of 0.5 m. Peat chips, mixed with soil, are added to the hole.The same mixture is filled with a pit on top.
Planting material can be grown from seed. To do this, stretch the ripe blueberries and stretch them into a container. Pour into a blueberry mass of water. Substandard material will pop up. Remove the pulp and seeds remaining on the bottom, spread out on a cloth towel and dry.
Then sow several seeds in a pot with wet peat and sand. Cover the container with a film or glass and place it in an illuminated place with temperature indicators from 5 to 10 degrees above zero. If all recommendations are followed, the first shoots appear in a month. After 14 days, they are transplanted into larger pots and grown in them throughout the year. Next, blueberries are planted on the site.
When planting take seedlings with a lump of native land. The edges of the root system are moistened with water and placed in a recess. Land should be loosened, and the roots straighten. To fill a groove with soil, to condense, moisten and zamulchirovat needles, dry oak or maple foliage. In compliance with all the rules of cultivation and care of blueberries fruits for over 20 years.
Growing blueberries
Blueberries prefer to grow in swamps, in rocky tundra, in forest thickets and taiga. The best varieties for growing at home are "Patriot", "Iksinskaya", "Blue Ray", "Taiga Beauty".
The planting technique differs from the cultivation of blueberries in that the diameter of the holes is required less. Also, before planting, it is necessary to destroy the clod of earth with your hands and place them in warm water for 20 minutes. At the end of this time, place the seedlings in earthen hollows.
Berry prefers moderate watering. With a low acidity in the soil, acidification is carried out. During the winters with little snow, blueberry bushes are insulated.
The difference in storage and transportation
Blueberries, unlike blueberries, are more demanding in storage and transportation. Berry, picked in a warm time, quickly deteriorate.The optimal storage temperature is considered to be from 0 to 4 degrees above zero. In such conditions, the berry is stored for 14 days.
Frozen blueberries are stored for a year.
Blueberries, unlike blueberries, are very demanding for harvesting, storage and transportation. To transport fresh berries in large quantities to preserve its presentation should be in a special refrigerator, in compliance with the required temperature standards. Amateur gardeners are also advised to carefully pick and carry the berries.
Blueberries and blueberries are stored in frozen, canned, dried form. They are suitable for compotes and preserves.
Knowing all the differences between blueberries and blueberries, you can safely and confidently reap the harvest yourself or purchase it on the market. And what kind of berry to prefer - the individual choice of each. After all, each of them has many of its features.