I have a young blueberry bush planted in a 10gal pot. The bottom leaves are turning brown and crunchy the upper leaves are developing brown spots. The soil is moist and fertilized with fruit fertilizer. Can anyone tell me what I need to do or what is wrong?
Whats wrong with my Blueberry bushes?
- Thread starter CindaSage
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Not an expert, but a bit of googling reveals that your plant could be suffering from lack of iron and the cause of the poor intake of iron could be the wrong pH
Now, before you run off and bury iron nails next to your blueberry bushes one of the biggest culprits of this problem isn't that the soil doesn't have enough iron, but that the plants can't use the iron in the soil. Blueberries are unable to use the iron in soil when the soil pH is too high. Blueberries like their soil pH to be between 5.2 and 4.0 with the optimum being 4.5 to 4.8. Another problem that can cause iron chlorosis is too much water, this can happen with wet springs or irrigation that is set to water amounts that appropriate for the summer heat but not a cool spring.
source: https://www.groworganic.com/blogs/articles/blueberries-with-yellowing-leaves
Or another cause could be fungal.
Are you using ericaceous compost for blueberry and rain water for watering please?
Now, before you run off and bury iron nails next to your blueberry bushes one of the biggest culprits of this problem isn't that the soil doesn't have enough iron, but that the plants can't use the iron in the soil. Blueberries are unable to use the iron in soil when the soil pH is too high. Blueberries like their soil pH to be between 5.2 and 4.0 with the optimum being 4.5 to 4.8. Another problem that can cause iron chlorosis is too much water, this can happen with wet springs or irrigation that is set to water amounts that appropriate for the summer heat but not a cool spring.
source: https://www.groworganic.com/blogs/articles/blueberries-with-yellowing-leaves
Or another cause could be fungal.
Are you using ericaceous compost for blueberry and rain water for watering please?
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They are over fertilized because of the addition of fertilizer. When using new potting soil there is no need to add fertilizer because a new potting mix is loaded with fertilizer. The tip burn is caused from a excess nutrients released into the soil with every watering. I don't know what you can do at this point, except remove the plant and replant in basic soil without fertilizer. Those green little balls are fertilizer prills and hold a lot of fertilizer that will release when water and heat hits them.
Here is another solution if the cause of the problem is lack of iron that is.
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Its hot soil. Too much love. They are a relatively slow growing acid lover that does not eat much.