Why did my blueberries die? - Ask Extension
My blueberries have been growing in a pot for about 4 or 5 years. They suddenly withered and died in a span of a few days. Can you perhaps tell why th...
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Why did my blueberries die? #867506
Asked May 07, 2024, 10:26 PM EDT
My blueberries have been growing in a pot for about 4 or 5 years. They suddenly withered and died in a span of a few days. Can you perhaps tell why this happened or what could've caused it?
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately we don't see any distinctive symptoms that point to a particular problem. Drought stress is our primary suspect (if not by itself, then as a precursor to a secondary issue) since blueberries have little tolerance for getting too dry. Containers will dry out faster than in-ground plants, and our weather (except for the most recent few days) has been dry for a while, even though we're not back in a drought yet. Were the pots being checked for water at least once or twice a week while temperatures were mild/warm? Potting mix that is several years old sometimes drains differently than it used to, since the components break down over time and tend to also subsist (shrink to a lower level in the pot, reducing root room and moisture-holding capacity).
Occasionally opportunistic fungi infect plants under stress, even if there are no symptoms at the time. After the fungal growth obstructs or kills enough sapwood as the infection progresses, the plant reaches a tipping-point and cannot tolerate the reduced moisture transport in its tissues and the plant seems to die suddenly with only a little bit of added stress. Such infections generally do not bother healthy, vigorous plants that aren't under stress, and there can be no outward indication of their presence (or at least nothing very obvious) when an infection is in its early stages. Botryosphaeria is one example of a typical stem/branch-infecting pathogen that takes advantage of various shrub or tree species experiencing drought or heat stress. This fungus can infect blueberry: Stem Blight of Blueberry.
Since these plants will not recover, regardless of the original cause, you can replace them with new plants if you want, though growing blueberries in the ground (if an option) will support better growth, larger harvests, and shield the plant from some stressors. While you don't need to sterilize these pots, using fresh potting mix would be best. If useful, we have two web pages about growing blueberries:
Miri
Occasionally opportunistic fungi infect plants under stress, even if there are no symptoms at the time. After the fungal growth obstructs or kills enough sapwood as the infection progresses, the plant reaches a tipping-point and cannot tolerate the reduced moisture transport in its tissues and the plant seems to die suddenly with only a little bit of added stress. Such infections generally do not bother healthy, vigorous plants that aren't under stress, and there can be no outward indication of their presence (or at least nothing very obvious) when an infection is in its early stages. Botryosphaeria is one example of a typical stem/branch-infecting pathogen that takes advantage of various shrub or tree species experiencing drought or heat stress. This fungus can infect blueberry: Stem Blight of Blueberry.
Since these plants will not recover, regardless of the original cause, you can replace them with new plants if you want, though growing blueberries in the ground (if an option) will support better growth, larger harvests, and shield the plant from some stressors. While you don't need to sterilize these pots, using fresh potting mix would be best. If useful, we have two web pages about growing blueberries:
Miri
