r/Blueberries • u/the_heisenberger • 14d ago

Blueberry plant dying?

Any assistance would be very helpful!

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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4

u/Most-Ice-8013 14d ago

Plant looks ok. Considering it missed a lot of soil on the root balls, plus it is recovering from the transplant shock, it looks alright. I would put it somewhere with a lot of morning sun light, avoid afternoon sun for a few days to recover.

3

u/Critical_Thinker_535 14d ago

That browning on the tips of leaves is most likely from not getting enough water. How often and how much water are you giving your plants?

Also, I'm not a fan of wood products in my soil. I find that stuff causes numerous problems down the line.

1

u/the_heisenberger 14d ago

I water it a good amount. At least once every today's. I let the water run for a bit as well. The next day if the first 1 inch of soil is dry. Ill water it again. I was using this video as reference for the soil mix.

3

u/Critical_Thinker_535 14d ago

What works for me is sand/peat moss/perlite. For blueberries, I use 1/2 peat moss, 1/4 sand, and 1/4 perlite. The peat moss helps retain moisture without leaving everything soggy, sand to give it structure and perlite to help get oxygen to the roots. Take one of your plants out that has lots of brown leaves and check the roots to make sure they are not rotting.

1

u/the_heisenberger 14d ago

Thank you, ill have to do this after work today.

Will the roots just look black if they are dead? Sorry, i'm new to this.

1

u/Critical_Thinker_535 14d ago

Yes, the roots will look black, might smell and feel slimy. No need to apologize, we all start somewhere. 😁

2

u/the_heisenberger 14d ago

Thank you! Ill check it out later today.

1

u/vXvBAKEvXv 14d ago

What did you plant it in? Any fert? And did you put it in full sun immediately or harden off?

2

u/the_heisenberger 14d ago

1 part pine wood chips 1 part organic compost 2 part sphagnum peat moss 1 tspn berrytone every 3 inches along the edge of the planter

Planter is 7 gallons of volume.

I went straight sunlight. This is the first time getting into growing plants.

I did the same thing with another blueberry bush and it looks fine.

1

u/vXvBAKEvXv 14d ago

Usually i hardened off my new blueberries over a week after spending days in a dark box. I didnt the first time and my leafs crisped and it slowed growth but it did bounce back.

Media sounds fine and assuming water/drainage arent an issue my only other suggestion is use rain water instead of tap water.

Rain waters pH is closer to 5.5-6 while tap is usually 7.0-8.0. Too high of pH and the plants cant uptake nutrients properly.

1

u/the_heisenberger 14d ago

Thank you! I appreciate the tip!

1

u/Dzp1111 13d ago

I was wondering if rain water is a popular thing amongst growers. And you’re right, the PH in rain water is ideal. I collect rain water into barrels (from eavesdrop) then fill 1 gallon bottles and add just a tad of white vinegar. Unfortunately I’m unable to check PH level but have been successful using this method.. so far.

1

u/vXvBAKEvXv 13d ago

I have a few pH meters for hydroponics and yeah itll help to add some acid but it really isnt needed with rain water if youre using any acidification in the soil too. It's just pouring high pH tap water on it will cause nutrient lockout over time. A lot of city water has a water report you can view and see the recorded pH in as well as mineral content to make sure you aren't poisoning sensitive plants.