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Blueberry woes

arwenpiearwenpie Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg

Hello all, I am new to the forum and would be grateful for advice. I have had three years of failure with my blueberries, can anyone help? This is the first year they've stopped looking poorly and put on some nice leafy growth, but this week the very young fruits all dropped whilst still tiny. They are planted in a sunny free draining spot, the soil is not acidic but I mulch heavily with ericaceous compost and water regularly with ericaceous feed. Would I be better off lifting them and planting in a purely ericeous medium? Or is something else causing the drop? 

Posts

  • Hortum-cretaeHortum-cretae Posts: 979

    Most likely causes of fruit dropping early are 1 - lack of water and, 2 - a late frost. 

    H-C

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Agree with H-C and we've had both conditions this year.  Mine are in containers and a lot of them got frosted and are the same.  Luckily, I have several varieties and the later flowering ones seem OK.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • arwenpiearwenpie Posts: 4

    Thanks very much - actually my potatoes suffered from a frost so that could well be it - there are a couple of varieties in so I'll keep going and hope the later ones pull through! ?

  • BLTBLT Posts: 525

    I am having my second attempt at growing Blueberry bushes this year.. I have them in a large tub of Ericacious compost and I am watering with rainwater only..  Not seen a flower as yet??  DidI link and miss it.. For what it has cost me this year alone I could have bought a heck of a lot of Blueberries. Good luck with your growing efforts.. image

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    I started with small plants (eg in 9cm pots) and they took 2-3 years before starting to flower so you may have to wait another year, BLT.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BLTBLT Posts: 525

    Thanks Bob. I cheated and bought a larger Blueberry plant about 2 fy high from a garden centre for £6.. to go with a couple og 9 inch wonders lol..  Thanks I guess I have to be patient.

  • hoegloryhoeglory Posts: 69

    At GQT, they always advice you to get two different varieties of blueberries to get better fruiting.

  • BLTBLT Posts: 525

    I bought my plants from two different sources.. " plants were small and the other was 2ft high..  I am hoping for a crop at some stagein the future..

  • Logan4Logan4 Posts: 2,590

    It's the watering that's  why the fruit drop. When it's hot weather, I'd water every day and make sure that the water drains from the bottom. I haven't had trouble with frost. If their small plants they will take a few years to flower.

  • IamweedyIamweedy Posts: 1,364

    I had vine weevils in my blueberry pots.  It might be worth checking for.




    'You must have some bread with it me duck!'

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