Topic: all the blueberries have fallen off the bush

[Cerebral Chasm]

Hi ya, 

Earlier this year I brought a blueberry bush.  I have planted it a large container, in a sheltered position and it looks very healthy with lots of new shoots.  The other month it had lots of bunches of flowers & then lots of blueberries.  However, over the last month or so all the blueberries have fallen off  :'(  The bush gets a mixture of full sun & shade and I have watered regularly.  I have noticed there are a few ants on the bush - could the naughty little blighter's be eating my berries?  Or have I done something wrong?  A friend also brought (from the same place) a bush & planted it in a container & her blueberries are fattening up nicely.

This is the first year I have had a garden - so I am a complete beginner.  My veg patch is doing really well.  And I have also planted raspberries, blackcurrants and a plum tree (with 2 whole plums on it  :D )

Thank you for any help.

Clare  :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

i wonder whether it's still too small to produce fruit. I haven't grown these, but I've seen similar patterns with other young fruit bushes or trees. Gve it a year or two, it will probably be fine.

[manicscousers]

hiya, cc, welcome to the site..our blueberries have done the same, I think it's as robert says, ours is too young to have fruit, also, the weather's been so erratic, I think it wonders where it is   :)

[cleo]

It could well be too young plus the very odd weather. Not the same crop but I was talking to my neighbour this morning and the combination of cold nights and strong winds has caused all of her apricots to drop.

Ruddy annoying as the tree is right next to the fence and I was rather looking forward to some ;)

[Georgie]

I agree with what others have said.  But I'd like to add that blueberries are lime haters so they need ericaceous soil and should be watered only with rain water or failing that tap water which has been boiled and cooled.  If they don't get this treatment they start dropping fruit and leaves and eventually die. 

G x

[hippydave]

you could go to your local coffee house and ask for the used coffee grinds and apply a much over the top of the soil i use it on all my ericaceous plants and my blueberry's are going great guns, you can also fill an old pair of tights with the grinds in and leave them overnight in a bucket or watering can and use it as a liquid feed.

[norfolklass]

hi cc
I have a blueberry bush (dwarf variety Top Hat) and I've had the same thing happen 3 years in a row.
I emailed the Dorset Blueberry company and they said that Top Hat was notoriously difficult to grow and recommended that I try another variety. I thought I'd give it one more chance but I checked over the weekend and the tiny blueberries have all fallen off again so I'm giving up and will be buying another variety.

I also asked a blueberry expert at Hampton Court last year and they said it could have been due to inconsistent watering during flower production and/or fruit setting. either way I've never had a single berry off it ::) the plant itself is very healthy though, I get lots of new shoots every spring and loads of flowers...

if yours is Top Hat I hope you have better luck than me!

[Cerebral Chasm]

Thank you all for your replies.

I belive it is Top Hat - ho hum.  I'll give the coffee grounds a go.  It has also have a fair bit of tap water - I wasn't aware this could hurt it.

Would dried out used tea leaves work as well as coffe grounds?

Once again Thank toy.

Clare  :)

[manicscousers]

I've mulched ours up with old leaf mould and then wood chippings, this worked on the raspberries so, thought I'd try it before starting again  :(

[Jeannine]

I grow quite a lot of blueberry bushes and have to admit this year they are suffering,I think the weather is tricking them.They flowered earlier than usual then started to fruit and wham the weather changed. I have 10 large bushes and one of mine looks very unhappy this year,the others are all ok but I know the harvest is going to be down this year.

I don't know Tophat, it is a shame, but Dorset are good folks to ask.

I have a large cranberry which seems sad too and I think it is the same reason.

My suggestion is you give the bush a fertiliser feed. I use Miracle Grow but  for acid plants not  the usual one. Usually I am not keen on fertilisers but the water here is exceptionally hard  so I have to rely on the the feed.

XX Jeannine

[weedin project]

We left ours to the elements this year and have suffered the same way.  Next year I think I'll have to give them a good coffee-grounds mulching and some regular feeding.
No home-grown organic blueberries for us this year!  :'( :'( :'(

[jennym]

Mine are in the ground rather than pots, with a decent crop on them (fingers crossed  ;D ). The soil here isn't very acid, but I dug large pits in the clay, (approx 3ft wide x 2 ft deep and filled them with both a little shop bought ericaceous compost and mostly home-made ericaceous compost. Mulched with pine needles and leaf mould. The soil stays nice and moist, as the pits in the clay act almost as a sump. Think that the moisture level is the key.