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Balcony Gardening

browning,dry (and sometimes wilting) leaves on blueberry plants

14 years ago

I have 5 blueberry plants in 12 inch high containers (with a diameter of about 10 inches) equally space apart, about 3 1/2 feet from each other. The person I bought the blueberry plants from told me that I should cover the blueberries with about a half-inch or 1 inch of soil, no more, which is what I did. The leaves are browning on some of them and then drying out. Some other leaves are wilting. There is some limited growth on some of the plants. One plant bloomed (2 little pretty flowers) but then wilted right away.

I feel the soil to make sure it's damp, inserting my index finger all the way. It is just damp, not saturated.

I haven't checked the PH because I haven't gotten my hands on a PH meter. I just purchased one and will pick it up in a few days (when I will get to the states for my summer vacation).

The soil is not too sandy and loamy. That may also be the problem. I am correcting that today, before I leave for the states. Maybe the soil is not getting drained enough at the bottom.

Any advice as to what else I could do? If the soil turns out to be more alkaline than it should be, what can I purchase to make the soil more acidic?

Thanks, Tina:)

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Comment (1)

topie
14 years ago
I'm assuming you're growing the "European Blueberry" or "Bilberry" (Vaccinium myrtillus), rather than one of the North American blueberries like Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

The "European Blueberry" grows wild in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, England, Alpine countries, Poland, and northern parts of Russia. So I assume it likes cool temperatures! It may just be too hot for it in Greece right now.

The American Highbush blueberry likes swamps and bogs, so I don't think you're overwatering, unless the "European Blueberry" is vastly different than the American one. The U.S.A. blueberry is also frequently found in shade in the wild, so you may want to be sure yours is not getting full Mediterranean sun. I would see if you can move it to a cooler spot.

If you test the soil and it's too alkaline, you can acidify the soil with any type of plant food made for hollies and that sort of shrub, but I'm not sure what this type product would be called in Greece. Here we use something called "Holly-tone".

Hope this helps...
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