Blueberry trouble - Ask Extension
Hello! We have an established blueberry among very happy and productive neighboring plants. I don’t remember what variety this one is. I’ve never ...
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Blueberry trouble #931758
Asked May 15, 2026, 12:19 AM EDT
Hello! We have an established blueberry among very happy and productive neighboring plants. I don’t remember what variety this one is. I’ve never seen any of our plants do this. It has one branch that looks like it died before the flowers opened, one that has the brown leaves and blue dried berries, one Is this a renovate or replace situation?
Established blueberry among very happy and productive neighboring plants. I don’t remember what variety this one is. I’ve never seen any of our plants do this. It has one branch that looks like it died before the flowers opened, one that has the brown leaves and blue dried berries, one that has wilty leaves and drying blueberries, one that the berries still look ok but the leaves are gone and some lower branches that look pretty normal. one branch has wilting leaves and drying blueberries, one that the berries still look ok but the leaves are gone and some lower branches that look pretty normal.
Trying to decide whether to renovate or replace, and whether it’s putting our other plants at at risk. Is this Mummy Berry Fungus? Is a renovation now (mid-May) and fir sawdust refresh a good call?
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
Dear Stefanie,
Are there a lot of branches that are healthy? Or, is most of the bush looking like your description?
There are a number of reasons that the blueberry can react as you describe.
Winter injury is one. Do you have voles, moles or mice in the area. Gophers? They may have eaten some of the roots?
It could be a borer insect or a disease.
However, we have heard of a number of issues with other types of plants as well that may be caused by the cold, wet winter with the rain continuing intermittently with hot weather. This stress is causing various reactions among the plants.
I have attached a link from Cornell for you to review. Look at your plant canes and see if any of them look like the pictures.
https://blogs.cornell.edu/berrytool/blueberries/blueberries-plants-or-individual-canes-are-wilting-collapsing-dead-or-turning-brown/
Mummy berry disease is a fungal disease. If you had mummified berries on the ground over winter, in the spring they will produce spores and the rain splashes them onto the plant.
Whether this is mummy berry (I cannot see any powdery fungus on the picture you sent) or not. Prune out the dead and dying canes. Use a spray of 70% alcohol EVERY TIME YOU CUT on your pruners. This will help or hopefully completely prevent your pruners from transferring the disease. Cut down until you see green in the cane or cut it completely out - down to the ground.
Clean the area around the base of the bush and remove any dropped plant material - berries and leaves, bag and put in the trash. Take a rake and disturb the soil around the plant 2-3 inches. This breaks the fungal disease up.
Be careful not to break the roots of the bush. Blueberry bushes often have roots just below the surface of the soil.
Mulch heavily around the tree now and in the fall. If you have mummified berries pick them up in the fall before mulching. The thick mulch will keep the diseased berries, if there are any, from sprouting in the spring.
You want to improve the airflow through the bush. Cut out some central canes to allow air to flow into the center of the bush. Fungal diseases love low airflow or blocked flow.
There is an organic spray that can be used from early leaf tip to petal fall. This is an organic spray called Serenade. It actually is a bacteria that fights fungal growth.
With the lower branches still looking pretty normal, this may be winter damage or rodents eating roots.
If you decide to remove the bush, do not plant another blueberry in that location. Clean out the area and leave it bare for the year. Plant something else in the spring. The fungal spores can live for several years in the soil.
Here is another link showing pictures of mummy berries: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-46
Each fall I add a cup of powdered sulfur and gypsum (purchase in any garden store) around the base of the bush and then I add sawdust pretty thick 2-3 inches. The sulfur helps to lower the pH of the soil. Blueberries thrive in acidic soils of 4.5-5.5 pH. Do not add any calcium amendments other than gypsum which is calcium sulfate. This give the plant calcium but will not raise the pH of the soil.
If you have further questions, please contact us again.
Are there a lot of branches that are healthy? Or, is most of the bush looking like your description?
There are a number of reasons that the blueberry can react as you describe.
Winter injury is one. Do you have voles, moles or mice in the area. Gophers? They may have eaten some of the roots?
It could be a borer insect or a disease.
However, we have heard of a number of issues with other types of plants as well that may be caused by the cold, wet winter with the rain continuing intermittently with hot weather. This stress is causing various reactions among the plants.
I have attached a link from Cornell for you to review. Look at your plant canes and see if any of them look like the pictures.
https://blogs.cornell.edu/berrytool/blueberries/blueberries-plants-or-individual-canes-are-wilting-collapsing-dead-or-turning-brown/
Mummy berry disease is a fungal disease. If you had mummified berries on the ground over winter, in the spring they will produce spores and the rain splashes them onto the plant.
Whether this is mummy berry (I cannot see any powdery fungus on the picture you sent) or not. Prune out the dead and dying canes. Use a spray of 70% alcohol EVERY TIME YOU CUT on your pruners. This will help or hopefully completely prevent your pruners from transferring the disease. Cut down until you see green in the cane or cut it completely out - down to the ground.
Clean the area around the base of the bush and remove any dropped plant material - berries and leaves, bag and put in the trash. Take a rake and disturb the soil around the plant 2-3 inches. This breaks the fungal disease up.
Be careful not to break the roots of the bush. Blueberry bushes often have roots just below the surface of the soil.
Mulch heavily around the tree now and in the fall. If you have mummified berries pick them up in the fall before mulching. The thick mulch will keep the diseased berries, if there are any, from sprouting in the spring.
You want to improve the airflow through the bush. Cut out some central canes to allow air to flow into the center of the bush. Fungal diseases love low airflow or blocked flow.
There is an organic spray that can be used from early leaf tip to petal fall. This is an organic spray called Serenade. It actually is a bacteria that fights fungal growth.
With the lower branches still looking pretty normal, this may be winter damage or rodents eating roots.
If you decide to remove the bush, do not plant another blueberry in that location. Clean out the area and leave it bare for the year. Plant something else in the spring. The fungal spores can live for several years in the soil.
Here is another link showing pictures of mummy berries: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-46
Each fall I add a cup of powdered sulfur and gypsum (purchase in any garden store) around the base of the bush and then I add sawdust pretty thick 2-3 inches. The sulfur helps to lower the pH of the soil. Blueberries thrive in acidic soils of 4.5-5.5 pH. Do not add any calcium amendments other than gypsum which is calcium sulfate. This give the plant calcium but will not raise the pH of the soil.
If you have further questions, please contact us again.
