How to Diagnose Blueberry Bush Problems

Blueberry bushes are popular both for their fruit and for their beauty. They produce fruit during the summer and flame-red foliage in the fall. These bushes can be combined with other "border" plants to create landscaping in your yard. People plant these bushes to harvest and present homegrown fruit to their guests, and to enjoy the fruit themselves. Watch your blueberry bushes for a couple of common problems, and treat them promptly.

Urea prills
Pruning shears
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Identify the problem. New growth and flower blossoms that blacken and die have a fungus called "mummy berry." This fungus causes hard, dry berries. "Godriona canker" causes small red spots on foliage near the ground, and causes the plant to wilt and die back.
- 2
  Remove infected berries immediately. Prune off any infected foliage.
- 3
  Put urea prills around the base of the plants in spring to kill fungus spores. Always follow manufacturer directions for urea prills.
- 4
  Prune your blueberry bushes according to standard pruning practices to remove the possibility of disease in the future.
- 5
  Prevent future disease by fertilizing blueberry bushes in spring rather than fall.
- 6
  Watch your plants for nutritional deficiencies as well. If blueberry plants have yellow leaves, it means that they have an iron deficiency.
- 7
  Fertilize your plants with an iron-heavy supplement to get them back in shape.

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