Blueberries shriveling up and falling off bush - Ask Extension
The vast majority of my blueberry crop (homeowner) is not yielding healthy berries. They appear to turn pink, shrivel up and fall off the bush. I am t...
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Blueberries shriveling up and falling off bush #255670
Asked June 20, 2015, 12:37 PM EDT
The vast majority of my blueberry crop (homeowner) is not yielding healthy berries. They appear to turn pink, shrivel up and fall off the bush. I am thinking it may be "mummy berry", but I am not sure. We did have a late frost after some blossoms had appeared, but I am fairly certain that the issue is more severe than a frost. I am uploading pictures in hopes that it may be of assistance. Any help diagnosing and hopefully addressing the problem before this disease, if it is one, causes issues with next year's yield would be greatly appreciated. If more photos of the affected plants or samples from affected plants are needed, I will gladly supply. Thank you in advance,
Mark S.
Cherokee County Georgia
Expert Response
Mark
Thank you for contacting the Cherokee Co. UGA Extension Office and Master Gardeners concerning disease damage to your blueberries. From your photo I agree that the problem appears to be mummy disease. Our rainy and warm Springs have caused this disease to flourish in GA. I am fighting it in my berries. I have included links to several UGA publications, a good PowerPoint presentation on homegrown fruit, and a couple of blueberry blog sessions (you might want to sign up for the blog). The first line of defense against mummy disease is strict maintenance of debris around the plants. Removal of affected fruit that falls to the ground really helps stop the cycle. The common chemical control for virtually all of the blueberry fungal diseases is Captan 50WP. It is often hard to find this chemical without it being mixed with an insecticide. You DO NOT want to use this mix because it will harm your pollinators. The only place where I found the Captan 50WP without insecticide was at Pikes Nursery in a product called Bonide Captan made by Bonide. As you will read in the publications, treatment is done while the plant blooming is in progress. The pathogen is deposited in the bloom by the pollinators. Be sure to follow all directions when using any pesticides. Please contact us if you have additional questions.
Thank you for contacting the Cherokee Co. UGA Extension Office and Master Gardeners concerning disease damage to your blueberries. From your photo I agree that the problem appears to be mummy disease. Our rainy and warm Springs have caused this disease to flourish in GA. I am fighting it in my berries. I have included links to several UGA publications, a good PowerPoint presentation on homegrown fruit, and a couple of blueberry blog sessions (you might want to sign up for the blog). The first line of defense against mummy disease is strict maintenance of debris around the plants. Removal of affected fruit that falls to the ground really helps stop the cycle. The common chemical control for virtually all of the blueberry fungal diseases is Captan 50WP. It is often hard to find this chemical without it being mixed with an insecticide. You DO NOT want to use this mix because it will harm your pollinators. The only place where I found the Captan 50WP without insecticide was at Pikes Nursery in a product called Bonide Captan made by Bonide. As you will read in the publications, treatment is done while the plant blooming is in progress. The pathogen is deposited in the bloom by the pollinators. Be sure to follow all directions when using any pesticides. Please contact us if you have additional questions.
Mark Dady, UGA Master Gardener
http://blog.caes.uga.edu/blueberry/2015/02/mummy-berry-model-prediction/
http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/stephens/anr/documents/MummyBerryControlinBlueberries.pdf
http://www.ent.uga.edu/pest-management/Homeowner-Orchard.pdf
http://blog.caes.uga.edu/blueberry/2015/02/botrytis-management-after-the-cold-event/
