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Strange buds on blueberry plant

germanmausgermanmaus Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
I'm wondering if anyone has seen this before. I've had the plants a couple years. It didn't produce too many last year. I pruned it maybe a month ago. It seems to be some kind of clustering. Did I prune it incorrectly? Do I need to prune some of these off if they are actually buds?

I wouldn't think a potted plant could produce this much fruit. There was another shoot or two that looked like this also. The other blueberry plants all have the normal buds, but all my plants are a different species/sub species? of blueberry.






Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Those look like willow buds to me. I take it there's 2 separate stems coming out of the ground?
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I agree ... those look like some kind of Salix (willow)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I have Goat willow self-seed into my blueberry pots all of the time and the young growth and leaves look almost identical until flowers appear.  If I don't remove them promptly, they can easily take over and I think that's what has happened here.  Follow a stem with those willow flowers on back to the main trunk/stem and remove it complete with attached roots.  If there is still another separate stem and roots left in the pot after you have finished, that'll be your blueberry.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • germanmausgermanmaus Posts: 3
    I think you're right. It looks like there's shoots from possibly 2 different plants. Hahaha, I didn't even think that was possible. So, what do I do with this? Can I extract the willow plant safely without damaging the blueberry?



  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I'd tip them both out of the pot, grasp the stems, one in each hand, and gently shake while pulling them apart.  Then re-pot the blueberry using the original soil (plus a bit of fresh ericaceous compost, if you happen to have any.)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Is the blueberry still alive? Mine are in flower now.
    the roots on the tree will be very deep, as Bob says, empty out the lot.  If it is still alive it will need ericaceous compost. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • germanmausgermanmaus Posts: 3
    Thanks for the advice, everyone! I'll try getting the willow out of there tomorrow. The blueberry plant does seem to have some buds, but not many. Definitely seems like the willow is choking it. I'll look for ericaceous compost at my garden shop too. Thanks again!
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