Blueberries dying a slow death......

[cashxx]

I left them alone for two weeks because I thought I was messing with them to much and found the one half dead and is the one I pruned down to nothing. Now the other one is doing the same and want to save that one if I can as its my favorite one.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I found this link, which is one of 11 pages where Stark Bros teach on their view of growing blueberries. This page is the soil page. Sorry I am not able to help more. I am thinking it might serve as an overall checklist as well as guide.

https://www.starkbros.com/growing-g...fA5shIrZI6z3FjkpQmqx4D8voFVRVIDRoCxOgQAvD_BwE

 

[cashxx]

Looks like I lost my second blueberry bush. All is dead. Tried feeding it miracle grow and iron chelate at the roots and spraying the leaves that were still living and just kept dying. Not sure why. Third bush is so far looking ok. I got it back to life a couple of weeks ago by spraying it with iron chelate, but we got a bunch of rain and hurt it for some reason. Wondering if the ground is staying to wet or something and getting root rot. The PH was high for a while as well, but it was down between 4-5 when I checked this past weekend so don't think that was it.

 

[Montray Davis]

Hello all,

I bought a new house in November 2017 in Western, PA and always wanted blueberries and decided to do them at this new house. I got 3 different varieties at a nursery (Chandler, Bluejay, and can't remember the third).

I planted them a little late around May 18th and they have a decent amount of berries on them, which is why I bought them at a nursery than at Lowe's or Home Depot. My soil is mostly clay, so I dug the holes about 1 to 2 foot deep and about 3 or so foot around. I mixed in peat moss, manure, and acidifier granules with fresh potting soil. I then put about 3 inches or so of pine needles over the whole area as mulch.

They all looked fine then the smaller of the bunch in the front started drooping then turning yellow with green veins. They all looked fine yesterday and now they all of have yellow leaves and green veins. The smaller one is starting to get brown spots and not sure what the issue is.

I keep checking the PH of the soil and it won't budge past 7. From what I read, I should have prepared for this a year in advance, but I thought our soil around here was mostly acidic. I bought Miracle Grow Miracid and have dumped it on with 2 gallons of water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of it and hasn't helped either.

So wondering what someone with more experience might recommend?

Should I prune them and get rid of the berries so they focus on rooting this year and hope they will be fine until the PH gets lower? Any way I can get the PH adjusted more quickly? I put a bunch of peat moss in as that is what the nursery said to use and I would be fine, but not so much.

Thanks in advance,

Dan


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Out of curiosity, are these newly transplanted? Almost every time I've ever transplanted Blueberries, they have gone into extreme shock relative to many of the transplants I've done with other fruit trees.

This may not be the reason for your cause specifically, but, just throwing it out there.

 

[cashxx]

Out of curiosity, are these newly transplanted? Almost every time I've ever transplanted Blueberries, they have gone into extreme shock relative to many of the transplants I've done with other fruit trees.

This may not be the reason for your cause specifically, but, just throwing it out there.

Yea, I bought them from a nursery and planted them. If they are in extreme shock, would they come back this coming year or are they dead? Being in shock sounds like they would come back? The PH is proper now as well. I was kinda thinking they were in shock because I dropped the PH to quickly. But again, would they come back the following year if that is true?

 

[Montray Davis]

Yea, I bought them from a nursery and planted them. If they are in extreme shock, would they come back this coming year or are they dead? Being in shock sounds like they would come back? The PH is proper now as well. I was kinda thinking they were in shock because I dropped the PH to quickly. But again, would they come back the following year if that is true?

If shock is ultimately the problem -- and the only problem, then with some TLC they should definitely come back.
I've never had Blueberrry outright die from transplant but again, they've always pretty much dropped most or all of it's leaves.

My guess is much like Apples, Blueberries don't like transplanting. It stresses them out a lot.
They generally recover if they were healthy prior to transplant.

Just tend to it as you normally would, and give it some time. While leaves should start coming back very soon, actual full recovery from transplant shock can* take quite a long time . Wish you the best

PS: It's still cold here in Texas. IDK where you are but if it's still cold where you are located then it's probably not growing much replacement foliage. Come spring, they'll be just fine

 

[alp]

I found this on the web:

"Iron deficiency (chlorosis) is a very common deficiency in blueberries. It is first exhibited by younger leaves and spreads to the entire shoot. Yellowing occurs between veins, while veins remain green. Leaves may turn completely yellow or, in severe cases, reddish-brown. Blueberry plants are not able to remove iron from a high pH soil. Iron is much more available at a lower soil pH. To correct iron deficiency, apply iron chelate to the soil or to the leaves. The more permanent and less expensive solution is to lower the soil pH with sulfur to the recommended soil pH of 4.2 to 5.2. Manganese toxicity can occur when soil pH is too low or too much acidifying material has been used. Symptoms are similar to those of iron deficiency. A foliar analysis may be needed to determine the problem."

Not sure how you are testing PH. Do you test the water you are using by itself first? I find my tap water is best, as it is treated to be nuetral, whereas the distilled water my tests have called for shows up as a 6 PH. In other words you could be actually around 8PH. My clay soil is that way. We have tons of lime in our soil and water and they even have lime plants in this county. I use agricultural pelletized sulfur, rhododendron and azalia fertilizer, and broad micronutrients at least once per year, usually in the fall. The blueberries are usually loaded if I remember to feed the roots.View attachment 37909

Amazing! It's loaded.

 

[alp]

I just add ericaceous compost to it. And they are in pots. Wonder what I should do to make them bear fruit like yours, @DirtMechanic ?

 

[DirtMechanic]

I just add ericaceous compost to it. And they are in pots. Wonder what I should do to make them bear fruit like yours, @DirtMechanic ?

Fertilize in the fall and spring with azalea food and pinestraw mulch. Also our soil is usually showing 5.5-6 on my little ph meters. Plus, though it does not look it, they do drain pretty well where they are located.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Thanks for reply. I found the same thing. As usual, can't find anything local and have to order off the internet for the iron chelate. Here is the tester I got, but it is just for soil. But I was putting that Miracid in the waterView attachment 37910 the last two times and it should have lowered it.

I bought that exact tester today and checked the pH against my Burpee. The Burpee showed 6pH and that one showed 7pH. The Burpee pH matches another I owned, but I broke the legs on that over time last year. Its nice to have a stick tester that works, but I still do not trust just one. The little colored water tests burned me and I am not over it I guess.