Have I killed by blueberry bush?

[Lara's lottie]

Hi

Last spring I got a self fertile blueberry bush 'Sunshine Blue' from Ken Muir fruit, and it did really well last summer for starting off as such a little bush, it about doubled in size and gave a few handfuls of blueberries. It is in a tub of ericaceous compost on my patio, nice and sunny in the summer and close enough to the house so it should not get frosted in the winter.

Over winter it died back a bit and generally looked dormant but still had its leaves. Then in February it lost all its leaves and looks like a sorry set of twigs. This is my first go at blueberries and i have read that they are deciduous but it is not showing any life yet. Should i be worried or am i just being impatient?

Any ideas when it should start new growth? Anything I'm doing wrong? I have bought some sequestered iron sachets would it be worth giving it a dose just in case the soil has become too alkaline?

Any idea would be very much appreciated.

[Nicos]

They are supposed to lose their leaves- so don't worry.
Mine are just starting to get buds.
I'm sure it'll be fine!

[gojiberry]

You will just have to be patient and wait and see if it springs to life. You don't say what part of the country you are in and the further north the longer you will have to wait. Mine are a couple of years old and although out doors are in a well sheltered spot. Don't want to put a dampener on the outlook but mine are almost in full flower with loads of new leaves.

[SMS6]

There are different varieties too, which flower and fruit at varying times. I have two Blueberry bushes - one is already in full flower and kept some leaves all winter almost like an evergreen but the other has been just a twig and is only just starting to produce leaves.

You can get ericacious fertiliser which might give it a boost in case the soil is losing its goodness.

[bluemoon]

Most blueberries lose their leaves in autumn, but at least one variety keeps its leaves until it's almost ready to produce new ones. I'd check to see which type yours is.

[Furkin]

As SMS6 says,,,, there are dozens of different varieties that fruit/flower at different times of the year,,, from about now up to Christmas.
I don't know yours - so can't help I’m afraid.
I only popped in here to say that my 2/3 year old ones have had flowers for a couple of weeks now,,,,,, like you I thought they seemed a bit slow to take off, but all of a sudden - they seemed to get a spurt on.
They are indoors at the moment, although they did go out a few times in the sunshine a couple of weeks back.
I bough some youngsters off a certain auction site, for friends,,,,,,, but they are all in a sorry state at the moment. They seemed average when I received them some weeks ago - I removed them from the tiny pot type things that they were in & put them in ericaceous compost (in fact treated them as I have my others),,,, but the past couple of weeks have seen them begin to fail,,,, and I think may be a bit too young to get better - so I’m not expecting them to pull through. Boo hoo.

I ‘think’ yours might be a late fruiter and will hopefully kick into life soon enough. When they start, they do flower quite quickly.
Good Luck