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| Please forgive me if this subject has been previously covered. I am totally new to blueberries and just purchased two plants in pots from our local Botanical Gardens in southern Alabama. --One Premier, one Tif Two weeks have gone by, they are still in pots and one has started rapidly losing leaves. Is this normal? I have watered but not over watered. They are sitting out on my covered porch-indirect sunlight. Should I go ahead and plant them in the ground? Any advice would be appreciated--I just don't want to kill them! |
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| Most Blueberry plants are deciduous and lose their leaves during Autumn.Some don't however and it can be because of location. I have mostly Northern Highbush and they all drop the leaves in the Fall.Some of my plants are Southern Highbush,which are hybrids,developed for growers mostly in areas where it doesn't stay too cold in the Winter.Where I'm located,the Winters are usually not too severe,so mostly the leaves stay on these.I just added a few Rabbiteyes,like yours,this year,so I'm waiting to see how they will respond. Has it been chilly there lately?A cold snap could cause them to drop.Are the plants young?They could stay in containers for a year or more or they could be planted in the ground now.What kind of mix are they in?I use about 60/40 Pine and or Fir bark mulch/Peat moss in pots or ground.What is the pH of the irrigation water?This is very important,because if too high,around 7 or above,it's going to be difficult to grow them.They like the pH from 4 to about 6,with 5 being ideal. I'm sure other people with Rabbiteye or Blueberry growing experience can add to this. Brady |
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| Like many other plants, blueberry bushes will drop leaves in response to stress -- too much water, too little water, overfertilization, disease, etc. If the stress is severe (for example, if the soil dries out completely), it can kill the plant. Alternatively, stress can also trigger a plant to enter dormancy earlier than it might otherwise. I'd imagine that healthy plants would hold leaves quite a bit longer in your climate (my rabbiteyes are still holding all of their leaves here in zone 7B), so this particular plant might be closing up shop early as a survival response to a stressor of some sort. Identifying the exact cause isn't always easy. Are the leaves shriveling, cupping, or otherwise changing shape or color before dropping? |
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- Posted by melikeeatplants 9b (San Jose) (My Page) on Tue, Oct 29, 13 at 13:55
| Some of my varieties are dropping leaves here in 9b. (These are in pots, the in ground ones are still holding green). Based on your description (indirect sun, keeping watered, rapid leaf drop) this is probably what is happening. As mentioned above, pots are harder to manage than in ground and the plant could be going dormant earlier because it isn't super happy in a pot. You can transplant now, they are not bare root and you'll be moving the soil with the plant, so not much disturbing of roots. |
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| Thanks everyone for the quick responses. We did have a chilly week last week--no freeze, but now the weather is back in the 75-85 range during the day. I am not sure about the type of soil in the pots. As far as stress goes, I did move them into the sun for a couple of days last week when it was chilly--the pots dried out a little. No shape or color change in leaves that have dropped. I will try to get them in the ground this weekend and take PH and irrigation under advisement. Thanks so much! |
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| lucylu362, please read the coments on "emerald blueberry" its just a few posts down. i had a few questions on my own plant and some of the advice people where giving me was awsome, i think it may help you out |
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- Posted by Fascist_Nation USDA 9b, Sunset 13, (My Page) on Mon, Nov 4, 13 at 0:18
| If they are not turning red before dropping then they are not likely dropping due to the fall. If the branches appear to be drying out then I'd guess lack of watering. I water with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar per 5 gal...drops pH to around 4.5. Hopefully you have transferred them to a bigger pot with good acid soil mix. And mulched. Another possibility is these plants are likely greenhouse raised and the shock of putting them into direct sunlight can cause leaf drop---hence the reason for conditioning them after unboxing for a day or two outside under the porch before transplant. They should grow back if your weather remains above 55F. If not, don't let the roots dry out but they should come back after winter. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Rabbiteye Blueberries
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