Blueberry problem

[The_Minkey]

I was wondering if anyone can advise me on what I did to my blueberries. I bought 3 last year from T&M and planted them into large containers of ericaceous compost last autumn. They started budding nicely in the spring though one was always a bit puny, and one always had a pinkish tinge to its leaves.

I applied a bark mulch back in the spring when they were flowering to help keep the moisture in. I took off the flowers, as recommended for the first couple of years, and I've been watering them with rain water apart from a single time when we had a dry spell and I had to water them using water from a Brita jug as we have very limey tap water.

Anyway about 5 weeks ago, the spindly one just gave up the ghost followed shortly after by the pinky one which just started curling its leaves quite rapidly and died. It wasn't dry. Meanwhile the third is still thriving.

I rang T&M for advice as I didn't want to risk losing the third if I could help it. They said I seemed to have done all the right things and they've sent me replacements which was very nice of them. I wasn't expecting that at all. I can't get over the thought that it might be something I've done.

Wrong compost? Evergreen Ericaceous
Wrong bark chippings? Bog standard, the kind people use to cover weed matting.
Wrong size / type of pots: 2ft pots, black plastic ( I realise this was jumping the gun but I didn't think it would be harmful ).
Wrong drainage: Broken polystyrene for lightweight drainage.

I'd be really grateful for any advice.

Sue

[djhs196]

It sounds like the advice you followed seems pretty on the ball - anything over what you've already done is really a bonus to be honest, but perhaps:


* pot up more gently in stages - get the root ball established at each stage so the compost won't go stale on it (as it won't need all that compost initially). This may also prevent any kind of excess water sitting in the unused compost and prevent any rot type disease

* insulate pot rots over winter (wrap the pot base in bubble wrap)

* perhaps look to try and beef them up with a liquid ericaceous plant fertiliser to get them established as quickly as possible

Again, what you've already done should be enough!

Some good advice here:

Taking Care of Blueberry Plants in the Home Garden

[TonyF]

We've covered this several times in the archives.

I'm not sure why T&M advise to take the flowers off. Obviously it stops the plant fruiting, probably in an attempt to help establish the plant better but that's unheard of here and not anything I've ever done and my bushes are fruiting very nicely as they have done since year 2.

It sounds as tho you're killing them with kindness and may have overwatered them a bit, mine rarely get watered - perhaps once or twice a week - and they do very nicely.

[The_Minkey]

Douglas: I'll definitely pot up the new boys in more appropriately sized pots. It never occurred to me that using an over large pot could cause a waterlogging issue. Given the fact blueberries don't like wet feet, that could well have been the issue.

I gave them a feed with an ericaceous fertiliser when they started flowering and thanks to your link, I'll give them another feed round about now.

I'll also insulate the pots come the winter. Good point.

Tony: If memory serves, it was purely to help the plant establish better with a view to getting a bigger plant in a couple of years and, providing one doesn't murder it like I did, a better cropping plant. Whether the larger crop in Year 3 makes up for what you lost in Years 1 & 2, I don't know.

I don't think I overwatered them. I hadn't watered them at all since the autumn when I first planted them in their containers. Due to the volume of compost, there was no need as it kept moist up to the spring. If anything I thought I may have underwatered as there was a dry spell round about that time and I had no rainwater. The raindance didn't work so as things were getting a bit dryish, I gave them a drink of tap water. Luckily, some days later the weather broke and we had some rain at last.

I've now got a couple of water butts, I just have to figure out where to connect them as my two downpipes are located in really awkward places and the butts can't be sited directly adjacent. I may have to resort to putting some decent guttering on the garden shed instead. In the meantime, I've been able to harvest water pretty well using old compost bags at the base of the drain pipe to collect the rainwater (almost 200 litres in just a few days) .

Are your plants in containers or in the ground? It's good to know you don't water them every day, I may have been tempted to water more frequently in smaller pots.

Thanks both for your useful advice - fingers crossed I neither kill them with cruelty nor kindness this time..

Sue

[bluemoon]

I would only remove flowers for one year and even then only on bushes which were planted out, things in pots establish well enough without. I've never removed blueberry flowers (though that's largely because it's one of the most beautiful scents in the garden) and I've had berries on bushes that were originally just a few inches tall - though admittedly not many, and which are now considerably larger and doing well.

[WrexTheDragon]

I had about 3 bushes die like this this year.

The only thing I can put it down to is a very wet spring that we had in this area.

I have cut my bushes back and hope they are OK next year? Will also be looking to replace the ericaceous compost with a John Innes ericaceous compost, that I understand has better drainage than the one I used.

[The_Minkey]

I've never removed blueberry flowers (though that's largely because it's one of the most beautiful scents in the garden) and I've had berries on bushes that were originally just a few inches tall - though admittedly not many, and which are now considerably larger and doing well.

The way I looked at it was that I was going to get very few berries this year anyway so although it pained me, I decided to deflower. The one bush that survived is now looking quite chunky with branches just about spanning the pot. It may have grown as well anyway. I've no idea, nothing to compare it with. It would be interesting to see a comparison of yields. I must say, I'm really pleased to learn the flowers are scented. I removed them before noticing.

"I have cut my bushes back and hope they are OK next year? Will also be looking to replace the ericaceous compost with a John Innes ericaceous compost, that I understand has better drainage than the one I used."

Outo of interest, how many bushes did / do you have?

Yes, I was also wondering about the type of ericaceous compost I've used. The T&M adviser didn't specify anything more specific than 'ericaceous' nor do many sites. However, I do recall seeing a recommendation for the John Innes ericaceous somewhere and stumbled across another site a couple of days back which said it was best to use a coarse variety.

I only found this site while researching blueberries so there was definitely a silver lining to losing my blueberries

[WrexTheDragon]

I had 6 bushed about 5 years old, 3 died? and 3 are doing well. They where doing well and had flowered and the fruit had set. The fruit turned blue very quickly and shrivelled up. This was followed by the leaves going brown and falling off. Branched turned dark brown.

I use rain water most of the time, but they do not object to tap water from the hose.

I originally used a Levington ericaceous compost that I understand was peat based. I have been told that this is OK for about 2 years. If I needed compost for a container I needed the John Innes as this has better drainage than a peat based compost.

I put my loss down to a vey wet spring, It may also be that I have given them a Tomorite feed by mistake.

[The_Minkey]

Wrex: That must have been gutting. Sounds exactly like the way my two went, though spindle bush went first, followed by pinkish bush which went remarkably quickly. No drooping, just straight to wither. Brown stems like yours.

The Evergreen I used is peat based with moss. Sounds like it's well worth trying the next lot with John Innes.

Out of interest, what size pots are your 5 year old bushes in? My replacement bush from T&M (the other never arrived) is in a 4 or 5" pot and I'm wondering whether it just needs to go up a couple of inches.

[WrexTheDragon]

Pots about 10"

[BFG]

I think tap water is normally alkaline. Could that be something to do with it? Can you check the pot pH?

[Storming Norman]

Sue,

Just a few thoughts - could you have had a vine weevil problem?

It's a terror in my pots, and once you have had it it recurs.

That is why I decide to put mine in my garden soil, even though it is not acid. There are ways of influencing the soil balance and I seem to be getting a reasonable crop from my first year plants. And they are so much easier to water correctly this way.

You might want to try using pine leaf mold instead of chippings - the local park should have some under the trees. They are very acid so might be welcomed.

Ann