Software
Houzz Logo Print
kara_anemone

Blueberry Bush Disaster!

19 years ago

Was this the wind? Others have said their plants have suffered wind damage...well I woke up this morning and one of my three newly planted blueberries was laying prostrate on the lawn, having been snapped at the base. My first thought was a possum or racoon, but now I think maybe the wind did the clean break. How is this possible??

My question is...since the entire root system is still in the ground, how long until I could grow another bush (I'm thinking three years), and also, how many have had sucess with cuttings from a Sunshine Blue? There are still some flowers and some very early fruits coming out...should I cut all that away and try to root these branches? What a disappointment...

Comments (5)

  • 19 years ago

    Doesn't sound like wind damage to me. Some animal - human or otherwise - is probably the culprit.

  • 19 years ago

    kara:

    It is possible for winds to snap off plants, depending on their strength and the wind exposure of the plants at their location. But only you know these facts. We do not. It is, however, surprising to find a very young blueberry bush broken by wind. You would not normally expect a young plant to be large enough to present much resistance to the wind.

    But whether or not the wind was culpable is irrelevant. What it relevant is whether or not the roots are likely to generate new canes, and my guess is they are not. I think that plant is toast.

    It is possible to start new blueberry plants from cuttings, and there is no reason why Sunshine Blue should be different from any other variety in this respect. But I have taken cuttings only when the plants are in full dormancy, then stored them in a cold location in moist peat moss until spring. This is necessary to allow the ends of the cuttings to callus, a precondition for rooting. At the point, I lined them out after rolling the ends in Rootone, a root stimulant hormone. You could take cuttings and try it anyway, but if the plants are leafing out I doubt there would be time for any root growth before they would dry up and die.

    If the location of your blueberry plants is very exposed to winds, and you expect this phenomenon to occur again, you might consider moving them to a more protected spot.

    Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

  • 19 years ago

    Well, we got that wind storm too, and I had lots of things snap, and my 4 year old standard tree rose got pulled out of the ground by this storm. SO my vote was wind. Keep your roots going and it should grow back (one of the positive things about blueberries!)
    Carla in Sac

  • 19 years ago

    Thanks for the responses...yes, it was definately wind. 45 MPH and up last night.
    I took the bush and made as many quality cuttings as I could. I took off the fruits/flowers, used rootone, and put them in a sunny spot. It's the best I can hope for.

    Should I put them inside, say in a south facing window, instead of outside? Or should I put them in shade to help reduce shock? I've rooted many cuttings, but never blueberry...

  • 19 years ago

    Old blueberry bushes are sometimes deliberately cut to the ground to regenerate more productive new growth. As long as the roots are healthy, new shoots should grow up and be ready to fruit next year. Be sure and don't let your cuttings dry out. Some sort of humidity tent or misting system is usually needed for rooting green or semi-green cuttings. I would also recommend not putting them in direct sun until they have developed roots.