Blueberries diseases and pests
The database lists 4 problems recorded on this crop. 3 of them can cost the whole harvest, and 2 survive in soil or debris into next season — those are the ones that decide your rotation. The largest number are active in June.
Pressure through the year
The number of problems listed as active in each month. Pick a month to see what to sow, plant and harvest then.
Start from what you can see
What actually prevents them
Water at the base of the plant in the morning, never over the leaves. Splashing soil onto foliage is the delivery route for every problem listed here, and morning watering lets anything that does land dry before nightfall.
Applies to: Phytophthora Root Rot, Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Mulch the soil surface. A physical barrier between last season's spores and this season's lowest leaves removes the first infection of the year, which is the one that seeds all the others.
Applies to: Phytophthora Root Rot, Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Give the plants their full spacing 120×180 cm and keep the centre of each one open. Air moving through the planting dries the leaves faster, and leaf wetness duration is what turns a spore landing into an infection.
Applies to: Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Rotate this bed and everything else in the same family on at least a three-year cycle. 2 of the problems below survive in soil or crop debris between seasons, so returning the same crop to the same ground hands them the host they were waiting for.
Applies to: Phytophthora Root Rot, Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Clear and remove the spent crop at the end of the season rather than digging it in. Debris left on the surface is where the persistent problems overwinter, and next spring they start from your own bed rather than from somewhere else.
Applies to: Phytophthora Root Rot, Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Keep watering and feeding even rather than generous. Several problems on this list are not infections at all: they are the plant reacting to a swing in water, temperature or nutrient supply, and consistency prevents them where no spray can.
Applies to: Iron Chlorosis
Keep affected material out of the compost heap — 2 of these survive a garden heap and come back with the finished compost. Bag it for municipal green waste, which is composted at temperatures a garden heap does not reach.
Applies to: Phytophthora Root Rot, Gray Mold (Botrytis)
Every listed problem
Ordered by how much they can cost you.
Fungal diseases(2)
- Phytophthora Root RotCritical
Leaves are small, pale and sparse, and the plant wilts in warm weather despite wet soil. Whole branches die back one at a time. Cut the bark at the base and the tissue underneath is brown or reddish instead of white-green, often with a sharp line between healthy and dead.
- How it spreads
- Rain and irrigation splash
- Compost
- Keep out of the compost
- Conditions
- 15–30°C · humidity ≥90% · wet leaves / rain
- First move
- Remove affected material now
Also at risk: Asparagus, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Sage, Lavender
- Gray Mold (Botrytis)Severe
Fuzzy grey-brown mould on flowers, fruit and stems; soft watery rot; tan spots with concentric zoning on leaves. Spores puff out in clouds when disturbed.
- How it spreads
- Rain and irrigation splash
- Compost
- Keep out of the compost
- Conditions
- 5–22°C · humidity ≥90% · wet leaves / rain
- First move
- Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Also at risk: Grapes, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Redcurrants, Gooseberries
Pests(1)
- Spotted Wing DrosophilaSevere
Fruit softens and collapses within a day or two of looking perfect, with a tiny puncture scar on the skin. Cut it open and there are small white maggots inside. Whole pickings of raspberries turn to mush overnight.
- How it spreads
- Carried by insects
- Compost
- Safe to compost
- Conditions
- 15–30°C · humidity ≥70%
- First move
- Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Also at risk: Cherries, Grapes, Raspberries, Blackberries
Nutrient deficiencies(1)
- Iron ChlorosisModerate
Yellowing between the veins of the youngest leaves while the veins stay green (interveinal chlorosis); in severe cases new leaves turn nearly white with browning margins.
- How it spreads
- Not contagious
- Compost
- Safe to compost
- Conditions
- Spread by handling, insects or soil — not weather-triggered
- First move
- Fix the cause, not the leaf
Also at risk: Hydrangeas
Why rotation matters here
2 of these overwinter in the soil or in crop debris rather than on the plant. Pulling the sick plant does not remove them: they wait for the same host to come back to the same ground.