Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

New blueberry-blues (red leaves)

BibluBiblu Posts: 27
in Problem solving
Hi Gardeners,

We recently purchased a blueberry bush (Chandler) from James McIntyre (online) and I quickly planted it in a pot with ericaceous soil. We purchased it because our previous bush died, so maybe I’m a little sensitive at the moment as I still mourn the old bush. 

It’s probably been in just over a week, I watered it ‘generously’ while we had that short sunny spell, and after the rain recently the soil does still feel damp to touch. 

The leaves are all red, and looking like they might start to crinkle up. 



I wasn’t expecting bowls of blueberries in the next few weeks but I thought it would at least stay green till the autumn?

Some more knowledgeable people’s thoughts would be welcome :-)

Thanks,

Posts

  • BibluBiblu Posts: 27
    Thanks Pansyface, interesting to know yours have changed leaf colour over time.

    It only gets morning sun, about 9am - midday at this time of year - do you think sunburn is still possible?

    What do you mean by 'the plant drops'? I'll keep an eye on it and look out for this but what are the early warning signs? - leaves dropping or becoming brittle?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2020
    We have a Chandler blueberry ... we’ve had it three or four years maybe. The young leaves are always a bronze colour ... they’re turning green now but you can still see a hint of the colour. 



    I wouldn’t worry about yours ... they may be reacting to a less sheltered spot than they were in at the nursery, but I think they’ll be fine 😊 

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





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Bronze-coloured new leaves are perfectly normal for 'Chandler' and a few other varieties and they will turn green as Dove says.  Nothing at all to worry about.
    Here is my Chandler surrounded by several other varieties:

    Just spotted a couple of dandelion seedlings in there which need coming out sharpish!
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BibluBiblu Posts: 27
    Thanks for all the feedback, I’ll keep an eye out for dropping leaves. 

    I guess another sign would be new leaves? - guess if it was dying then it wouldn’t be producing new leaves or growth?

    Bob - wish we had as many blueberry bushes as you!! :-)
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    @Biblu I started with only two and just slowly added over the years but finally ran out of space in my designated 'blueberry patch' and am determined not to buy any more! :D
    One good thing is that having so many (about a dozen) means the crops are always good due to cross-pollination.  Trouble-free, low maintenance and lovely autumn colours - what's not to like? :)

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    the red leaves are always present on mine to some degree. It could be a sign of lack of nutrients or not quite the right PH for them as they love acidic water but nothing I've been able to change over the years much. 
    Like you have said if the leaves are still alive and growing then it will be fine. Don't get your hopes up about lots of blueberries though.
    I started over 5 years ago and my first varieties I started with have just now become a decent size to produce a big harvest. Before that expect a cup per bush per year.

    Unfortunately one of my new varieties I bought last year dropped all of it's leaves this year for no apparent reason - very strange and a lot worse than your red leaves ;)

  • vilkoivuvilkoivu Posts: 13
    Hi! How about this amount of red in plant? It's also Chandler. We've had really cold spring here in Finland.  At planting they were green, but now all are reddish. Any suggestions?
Sign In or Register to comment.