Blueberries are one of the most widely grown fruit plants in backyard gardens and are also the most valuable fruit crop in Georgia.
Given the proper soil conditions, they are relatively simple to grow and, in comparison to other fruits, have very few insect or plant disease issues. Mineral deficiency or pH issues are frequently to blame when issues do arise.
Blueberries thrive in acidic soils with a pH between 4 and 6, so they are very well adapted to Georgia. 5 and 5. 2. Perform a soil test before planting to make sure your soil has the right pH and low calcium levels. Some backyard gardens may have extremely high calcium and pH levels, which make the soil unsuitable for growing blueberries. Excessive organic amendments or limestone (calcium carbonate) applications, which are required for growing the majority of vegetables, lawns, and landscape shrubs, can raise soil pH and calcium levels. Blueberries and a few other acid-loving plants are the exception. Limestone should never be applied around acid-loving plants. To prevent soil pH conflicts, acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, gardenias, and camellias should be kept separate from other plants in your landscape or garden.
Almost always, when a customer calls about yellow leaves on their blueberry plants, it’s because of a nutrient shortage. More specifically, a nitrogen deficiency is most frequently the cause if both young and mature leaves are uniformly yellow.
The newest growth on blueberries, or their youngest leaves, can turn yellow due to an iron deficiency. The leaf veins will continue to be dark green and will be noticeable against the leaves’ yellow background. Iron deficiencies often occur when the pH is above 5. 3 or when the soil’s calcium or phosphorus levels are too high. If soil pH is greater than 5. 3, sulfur will be recommended to decrease soil pH. When they are only surviving on alkaline water during dry spells, plants that receive irrigation from deep wells in limestone rock may temporarily lack iron.
Georgia occasionally experiences a magnesium deficiency, which typically affects older leaves. The most typical sign of a magnesium deficiency on young rabbiteye blueberry plants is mature leaves that are pink around the edges and yellowish between the veins. According to a soil test, if magnesium levels are low, Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) can be added at a rate of 3 ounces per plant to make up for the deficiency. Having too much calcium in the soil will make a magnesium deficiency worse.
We frequently see blueberries and other acid-loving plants planted too close to a home’s foundation, a sidewalk, or a driveway. For these kinds of plants, the pH of the surrounding soil can be too high due to the leaching of calcium and limestone from concrete and other masonry work. Moving blueberries away from the masonry structure is the best course of action in these circumstances.
Blueberry varieties for home gardens should be chosen with care, and rabbiteye blueberries are the best option. Native to Georgia, rabbit-eye blueberries thrive throughout the entire state. It’s crucial to plant multiple bushes so that cross-pollination can take place. If you’re buying plants, make sure to choose the varieties that are suggested for Georgia. The UGA Extension Circular 946, “Home Garden Blueberries,” which can be found online at extension.uga.edu, provides a list of suggested rabbiteye varieties. uga. edu/publications/detail. cfm?number=C946.
The Georgia blueberry season lasts from mid-April in the south to the end of July in the north. The second or third year after transplanting, blueberry bushes with proper care will start to bear fruit. They can produce as much as 2 gallons per plant by the sixth year. As the plants get bigger, the yield will continue to rise for several years.
The University of Georgia Extension office’s agriculture and natural resources representative in Bartow County is Paul Pugliese. Authors:
How to test for iron deficiency in the soil
The first step to address this problem is to do a pH test. This simple, inexpensive pH test kit is perfect for this type of monitoring. Youll need to prepare a soil sample and the kit contains instructions, you can also watch a video of Tricia showing you how to prepare a soil sample. Once your sample is taken, dried, and crushed put a cap and a half full in in the test tube and 4ml of reagent, shake for 30 seconds and youre in business. 
The soil test for my Reka blueberry bush, which appears to be the least happy of my five bushes, is shown here. It looks like the pH is about a 5. 0 which is acceptable for blueberries, so it appears that my issue might be a wet spring.
What is causing those yellow leaves with dark green veins?
The fruit of the blueberry bush makes delicious, healthy shrubs for the landscape. Some of my blueberries have started to show classic signs of iron chlorosis, which is iron deficiency. They are simple to grow once you get the soil and water right, but if they have a problem, they let you know. The new growth of a blueberry with an iron deficiency has yellowing leaves with dark green veins; this is the first sign.
Before you rush off and bury iron nails next to your blueberry bushes, consider that one of the biggest causes of this issue isn’t a lack of iron in the soil, but rather plants’ inability to utilize the iron that is present. When the pH of the soil is too high, blueberries cannot utilize the iron in the soil. Blueberries like their soil pH to be between 5. 2 and 4. 0 with the optimum being 4. 5 to 4. 8. Too much water can also result in iron chlorosis; this can happen with irrigation systems that are set to produce the right amount of water during the summer heat but not during a cool spring.
Homegrown blueberries (Vaccinium spp. ) can beautify and provide food for your garden if they are healthy and productive. In many places, high-pH soils cause iron deficiencies that result in chlorotic, unproductive blueberries. Hardy in U. S. Zones 3 through 10 of the Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness scale, where blueberries require iron and a low pH of the soil, The right Miracle-Gro solution can assist in reviving chlorotic blueberries.
Jolene Hansen is a lifelong horticulture enthusiast and ex-professional. She is dedicated to changing how people view gardens and gardening. Hansen’s work frequently appears in trade and consumer publications, as well as a variety of online gardening and lifestyle channels.