Blueberry leaves going brown
Luke-
Posts: 2
Hi all! I was hoping someone could give me some advice on what I could be doing wrong. I got 2 blue berry plants about 6 weeks ago and planted them in pots with 50% pine mulch and 50% premium potting mix for azaleas (acidic). We water them every second day. For some reason the plant is growing fast, yet it seems to be loosing the leaves on the lower parts of the stems.
the leaves appear to start turning brown from the outer edges and eventually shrivel up.
Any ideas on what the issue might be?
Watering every second day, getting 6 hours of sun a day, I haven't added any fertiliser (I assume the potting mix I got has a lot of nutrients so shouldn't need to do it at first?)
ill go out today and get pH checked b I assume the potting mix should be at the right level since it was only recently planted.
thanks a bunch!
Last edited: 07 April 2017 23:18:46
Posts
Depending on the variety, it could either be that they are deciduous types (the majority) which have been grown in artificial conditions and are now losing the older leaves now they are in the real world, or they are evergreen types which lose many of their leaves at this time of the year as they are replaced by new ones. Either way, the new growth looks healthy and there are clearly plenty of buds on the stems so I would say you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
However, I dfo think you are probably watering them too often and would cut down and only water them when the surface of the compost begins to dry out. Blueberries like damp but not waterlogged soil. Always use rainwater as tap water can be alkaline which they won't like at all.
I'm also assuming these are outside. They should not be grown indoors or under cover as they won't appreciate the dry air and heat; They are hardy outdoor plants and need a cold season to grow and fruit properly.
Thanks a lot for your reply! I live on the Gold Coast, australia. we are going into autumn now so I will certainly start reducing how often I water them As we approach winter. I'm basically putting my finger in the soil about an inch under the mulch and if it's damp, then I won't water
Regarding the leaves, that's great to know. I agree there's a lot of new growth so thats a positive sign! it just seems that new leaves also tend to die. Perhaps that's just the way it is. I most certainly am leaving them outdoors as well.