My Blueberry Bushes Have Leaf Damage

Pruning

• Prune your blueberry bushes to remove any dead wood that will slowly decompose and introduce various problems to the bush. Cut back any weak and spindly branches to the ground in the fall and remove all the clippings from the area. Cut out any diseased leaves immediately.

Removal

• Remove the whole bush if all the leaves are infected, as it is better to lose one bush than infect your whole crop. Always remove diseased bushes from the vicinity and either burn them or bag them up, because the fungus will continue to grow in the wood.

Purchase Healthy Plants

• Replace diseased bushes after you pull them out with new plants that are resistant to known viral and fungal infections in your area and save yourself the struggle of applying pesticides and fungicides over the season. Working with a strategy of planting resistant plants along with pruning will prevent many diseases from entering your field.

Soil

• Maintain the proper pH in the soil once you have removed any diseased portions of the blueberry bushes. Check the acidity of the soil; according to Mike Ellis from the Ohio State University Extension, you should use well-draining soil with a pH from 4.5 to 5.2 to prevent chlorosis, an iron deficiency of the soil. Add sulfur several months before planting to lower the pH and lime to raise the pH.