Dying Blueberry?

Where are you? (can you put your location into your profile, it helps).

Blueberries (you prob. know) like acidic conditions. Therefore: ericaceous compost and rainwater, not tap water.

I have had 3 four year old plants that have gone this way. Very healthy untill after they flowered. Flower buds have turned purple and leaves truned brown.

I have cut mine back now, and hope they come back to life next year.

Only one plant left that is healthy and in fruit.

A mate of mine has also lost 2 plants. Quite a few posts on the forum about this problem, so looks like we are not the only ones suffering from this.


I have put it down to a very wet spell in the spring.

I knew about the soil, but the water never crossed my mind. Use tap water sometimes and rain water others.

An ericaceous plant food will help. Mine like a liquid seaweed feed too.

I've had my blueberries for a few years and grow them in lime poor/free soil; normally in pots. They can deal with neutral conditions but in my experience will not tolerate tap water at all (ours is very hard water). Not only is rain water necessary they are really very very thirsty plants. Some suggest that a medium sized plant needs a gallon of water a day. And although they like water, they don't like swimming in it. Flush the water through rather than sitting in it. Leaf browning could also be caused by pests at the roots; check there's no vine weavil nibbling the roots if you have your berries in pots. THere are also nutrient deficiencies that cause browning; can't remember which though. Is it Boron or somesuch micro thingy? Unlikely to be that though

p.s. I have learnt from bitter experience that root problems can be made worse by feeding plants as there is a risk that with fewer functioning roots the food can burn the plant. I would 1) Check for root ball pests 2) flush the soil with planty of rainwater 3) Top dress with some fresh ericaceous compost. Then find a nice sunny spot and water well every few days so that the plant doesn't dry out.