blueberry sulking
 

I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much: it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.

It's a dwarf variety supposedly suitable for a pot, and it's planted in a
pot maybe 16-20 inches across in ericacious compost and kept dampish.

I haven't been feeding it much because I understand they mostly come from
fairly nutrient-poor soils - should I feed it, and if so, what with? I did
give it some chicken manure this year in a fit of generosity as I was
feeding the very healthy clematis in the next pot - but it just ignored
it....

It's in a moderately shady location on the north side of a low wall at the
moment - the few sunny spots in my garden are *very* sunny and tend to dry
out fast.

It gets some sun in the mornings in summer, less in winter, but lots of
light as it is opposite a very light south-facing wall (so the light
bounces back onto it, though not as strongly as direct sunlight).

Any ideas on how to coax this curmudgeonly plant into full health?

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

In message , Victoria
Clare writes
I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much: it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.

IT may be virus infected or the soil despite being once ericaceous
compost has turned sour or alkaline high pH. Your best bet is to repot
it in fresh compost after removing as much of the soil as you can get.
Mine thrive in 16" pots without any special attention.

It's a dwarf variety supposedly suitable for a pot, and it's planted in a
pot maybe 16-20 inches across in ericacious compost and kept dampish.

I haven't been feeding it much because I understand they mostly come from
fairly nutrient-poor soils - should I feed it, and if so, what with?

Miracid and/or a bit of potassium sulphate to encourage flowering.

I did
give it some chicken manure this year in a fit of generosity as I was
feeding the very healthy clematis in the next pot - but it just ignored
it....

That may have been somewhat alkaline with ammonium salts...

Any ideas on how to coax this curmudgeonly plant into full health?

A foliar feed when it starts into growth might tip the balance.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 10:30:40 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much: it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.

It's a dwarf variety supposedly suitable for a pot, and it's planted in a
pot maybe 16-20 inches across in ericacious compost and kept dampish.

I haven't been feeding it much because I understand they mostly come from
fairly nutrient-poor soils - should I feed it, and if so, what with? I did
give it some chicken manure this year in a fit of generosity as I was
feeding the very healthy clematis in the next pot - but it just ignored
it....

It's in a moderately shady location on the north side of a low wall at the
moment - the few sunny spots in my garden are *very* sunny and tend to dry
out fast.

It gets some sun in the mornings in summer, less in winter, but lots of
light as it is opposite a very light south-facing wall (so the light
bounces back onto it, though not as strongly as direct sunlight).

Any ideas on how to coax this curmudgeonly plant into full health?

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall

I found to my cost that giving chicken manure to anything in pots can
be lethal!
Is it in ericaceous compost? Do you give it tea? Try some
sequestrene. I have used Miracid, but that's fairly high in nitrogen.
My plant doesn't look very handsome but it gave me a lovely crop of
fruit this year. Better luck next year.

Pam in Bristol

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.207...
I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much:
it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.



Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't get any
berries.

--
Martin & Anna Sykes
( Remove x's when replying )
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sykesm

On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 07:17:48 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't get any
berries.

I only have one plant!

Pam in Bristol

Pam Moore wrote in
:

On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 07:17:48 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't get
any berries.

I only have one plant!

Yes, mine is supposedly a self fertile variety. The problem isn't that
it's not setting fruit: it's that it is barely blooming at all and
generally looks a bit manky.

I will change the compost (though if it's that I'm annoyed as it was
planted into a new bag of ericacious when I got it!) try some sequestrene
and a foliar feed next year.

Does the aspect sound about right? I wondered if it needed more sunlight
(it's mostly in indirect light bouncing back off our house wall).

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

In message , Pam Moore
writes
On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 07:17:48 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't get any
berries.

I only have one plant!

That is your answer then you need a pair. And they must be different
cultivars - a rooted cutting off your original will not work.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 09:25:05 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

Does the aspect sound about right? I wondered if it needed more sunlight
(it's mostly in indirect light bouncing back off our house wall).

Mine only gets direct sun in the morning, as it's by my east-facing
front door.


Pam in Bristol

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 10:30:40 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much: it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.

It has just occurred to me: there aren't vine weevil grubs in the soil
are there? Check it carefully when you repot.

Pam in Bristol

In article , Martin Sykes
writes
"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
8.207...
I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done much:
it
just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it doesn't fruit,
it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops in a fit of pique.
Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.



Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't get any
berries.

That surprised me, as blueberry in the genus Vaccinium, and I didn't
think they were self-infertile, but a google threw up
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...berry_care.asp
which says that you get a better set with cross pollination - and also
gives general growing instructions.

Googling on blueberry pollination gives a whole lot of articles on
commercial blueberry growing which show great concern about encouraging
enough bees for pollination.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Pam Moore wrote in
:

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 10:30:40 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

I've had this blueberry plant for 3 years now, and it's never done
much: it just sits there and looks sulky. It doesn't grow much, it
doesn't fruit, it occasionally has the odd flower which it then drops
in a fit of pique. Its leaves are a bit mottled and sad-looking.

It has just occurred to me: there aren't vine weevil grubs in the soil
are there? Check it carefully when you repot.

Hmm, good thought: I shall have a careful check. If there are, they are
picky ones - all the other pots are looking pretty good if a little tired
now.

Victoria

In message , Victoria
Clare writes

Yes, mine is supposedly a self fertile variety. The problem isn't that
it's not setting fruit: it's that it is barely blooming at all and
generally looks a bit manky.

I wouldn't trust the claims of self-fertile. All the ones I have ever
grown crop much better when grown together with another named variety.

Does the aspect sound about right? I wondered if it needed more sunlight
(it's mostly in indirect light bouncing back off our house wall).

Mine get almost full sun on a SW facing aspect and thrive on it. The
last few leaves are just dropping off now. The stems are a pleasing
shade of red.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote in
:

In message , Pam Moore
writes
On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 07:17:48 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

Apparently blueberries need a partner for pollination or you won't
get any berries.

I only have one plant!

That is your answer then you need a pair. And they must be different
cultivars - a rooted cutting off your original will not work.


Martin, Pam has no problems with her single plant - she said it fruited
well.

My plant was the problem one, and the problem is its general health, not
fertilisation.

If it has no flowers on it, pollination partners aren't going to make a
difference - though I'll bear it in mind if I can get it flowering well but
not setting fruit.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

Martin Brown wrote in
:

Does the aspect sound about right? I wondered if it needed more sunlight
(it's mostly in indirect light bouncing back off our house wall).

Mine get almost full sun on a SW facing aspect and thrive on it. The
last few leaves are just dropping off now. The stems are a pleasing
shade of red.


Where in the country are you? I was concerned that in full sunlight it
would be too hot for it.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

We've had a good crop from only one plant