Leggy Blueberry Bushes

[ecoprincess]

Hello!

Wondering if anyone could give me a bit of advice please.

I bought two blueberry bushes three or four years ago from a garden centre. I have them in pots, they're about 3' high but they're extremely... leggy? They are very bare, and hardly grow any blueberries or leaves. What am I doing wrong? I can't seem to get them to get bushy, at all. My friend grows some too, hers are massively bushy and she has never done anything different than me. I'd love to be able to produce them in a larger quantity as they are absolutely divine straight from the plant - can barely face the supermarket ones now!

Can anyone help?

[chris]

Same variety as your friends? Are yours in acidic compost? Mine are bare at the moment, just coming into bud now. Have you never had leaves or fruit ?

[Two_Sheds]

They are very bare, and hardly grow any blueberries or leaves.

That's not leggy. Leggy is what happens when a seedling is grown without enough light, and it grows UP reaching desperately for the light.

It's normal for them to drop their leaves over winter of course.

If yours never get any leaves, then I suspect your blueberries might have a problem: pests or disease.
Do you have them in ericaceous soil/compost?
Do you give them only rainwater, not tap water?

I'm no expert by any means. Can you post any photos for a more accurate diagnosis?

[Bigmallly]

This may help plus a nice little vid at the end.

BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Grow blueberries