Overwatering Blueberries With Drip Irrigation

Symptoms

• Overwatering causes leaves to yellow and fall off. It also makes plants more susceptible root rot or crown rot. Blueberry plants can wither and die from overwatering. They require less-than-daily waterings unless they are potted patio plants.

Drip Irrigation Considerations

• Drip irrigation works efficiently because it delivers water directly to the soil and roots and does not dampen foliage. However, University of Kentucky experts recommend that gardeners who use trickle irrigation for blueberries monitor the amount of water they give the plants. It is easy to accidentally overwater with drip irrigation systems because you don't clearly see the amount of water going into the soil. A tensiometer works well to help keep track of soil moisture.

Watering Technique

• Only water blueberry bushes when the soil feels dry to the touch up to about an inch beneath the surface. Do not turn drip irrigation on daily. Water plants only occasionally but deeply. Turn drip irrigation on when the top inch of soil feels dry and leave the irrigation on for long enough to reach deep plant roots. Give blueberry plants 1 to 2 inches of water per 10 days during their growing season. Blueberry plants do not usually require waterings during their dormant season, especially in climates with rainy winters.

Other Tips

• Applying a mulch layer over the soil's surface helps keep the roots moist with infrequent waterings. Allowing time in between waterings for the top layer of soil to dry out prevents fungal diseases forming from too much moisture. The exact amount of water blueberry plants need varies depending on the soil's density. Water blueberries so that the soil feels damp, but do not water them so much that the surface of the soil remains soaking wet after turning off the drip irrigation.