What's wrong with my blueberry's foliage?

15 years ago

I've already lost one plant this year (in a different part of the yard) which seemed to just wither and die for no reason. Any ideas????

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Comments (4)

nick123
15 years ago
Looks like it might be phomopsis stem wilt. If so, cut out the infected branches, cutting into healthy growth. Do not leave any infected branches still attached to the plant. Spray a general purpose fungicide routinely to prevent re-infection.
remontant
Original Author
15 years ago
Nick, I have some Hi-Yield copper fungicide I used to use on my roses, but I've lost the label add-on info. Should I wait until after the berries have been harvested before spraying?

Thanks.
Reilly
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Since no one else has answered, I'll try to help. I usually grow blueberries in soil, but I also grow lots of vegetables in containers, just not blueberries. So take my advice for what it's worth. It doesn't appear to be over fertilization, as that would affect the entire plant, but much of it looks ok. It doesn't look like pH either. From the photos it appears to be specific branches that are affected. You could check for something that's affecting entire branches such as borers, fungi and such but blueberries are usually fairly pest resistant. Considering your zone though, might be worth checking for pests or diseases that damage stems. Aluminum can be toxic at high doses (I usually use sulphur), but I don't think that's it either. If you do think you over fertilized your plant, flush it. Another possibility is root damage. I have noticed that root damage on blueberries often only affects a few canes at a time, almost like canes each have their own root system. Root damage can be caused by many things including overwatering, rot, pests, or even physical damage among other things. Blueberries definitely don't like wet feet. Maybe even frost damage since you are in a pot rather then ground. Might want to pull the plant out of the pot and take a look. Looks like you may have other plants growing in the pots. Could they be choking roots? Let us know what you find out. It's hard to tell what is going on without more info.
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How are you watering this plant? Do not get the leaves wet. Use lime-sulfur spray if you can. I have never seen anything like this, so unsure? If you can't use sulfur, wash leaves off as best possible, and use horticultural oil, do not use sulfur and oil, that will kill all the leaves. You might want to post in the Orchard forum, lot's of experienced blueberry growers there.
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The brown patches have only appeared since i sprayed with the copper, so potentially that is the issue. I was spraying due to the purple patches, maybe I should check the root zone. I was going to re-pot into 5-1-1 mix in Autumn. It has got bark on for mulch and the soil always seems moist (very rarely have to water them). The bark mulch may be up against them stem, should I remove this? Update: Also just checked the PH (with PH wand thing) and it was about 5.2 and my other one was 5.9/6. I used flower of sulphur last time to lower the PH, should I used it again?
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Some of my blueberry plants are showing the same simptoms too. They used to be in 17 gallons pots then I transplanted them in to raised beads in March. A part from the drying/dying new berrie formation, the bushes are looking fine otherwise. I did notice a large number of aphids this year . Last winter was vey mild while this Spring was very cold with a few late frost. In my case I thought that the combination of transplant, pests and weird weather caused the issue.
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jellyman
15 years ago
Reilly:

I have never seen anything like that on my blueberries, so I would agree it is something relatively uncommon. However, it does look like a fungal infection, and Nick seems to be pretty sure of his ID of Phomopis Stem Wilt. I would prune off the affected parts as soon as they appear.

If you have lost the insert on your fungicide, but you know at least the brand name, look it up on the internet and read about it. Copper fungicides are normally not highly toxic to humans, but you may have to choose between picking the blueberries and saving the plant. If that disease continues to progress, you may lose your blueberries anyway.

If you have this disease established in your plantings, you will want to apply a fungicide much earlier next season.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
fruitgirl
15 years ago
Did the other plant have the same symptoms?

There are several different fungal diseases that can cause cupping/browning like this. Phomopsis is usually accompanied by cankers at the base of the twigs...which is what causes the leaves to flag.

If you want to get it tested, contact your county extension agent and see if he can advise you how to send a sample off to the University of Tennessee plant disease clinic. Most land grant schools have something like this. It will porbably cost you at least $25, but if it's killing plants, I'd say it's well worth it.

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What's wrong with my blueberry's foliage?

Comments (4)

nick123

remontant
Original Author

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What's wrong with my blueberry's foliage?

Comments (4)

nick123

remontantOriginal Author

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remontant
Original Author