What is Wrong with My Blueberries?

Can you guess what this is?

We get a lot of great questions from our customers every year.

Some are, naturally, better or more global in scope than others.
This is a question we had last summer that warrants a 'shout out' to everyone,

since it's quite common and you should know what it is and how to manage it.

This irregular growth is called a "witches' broom

and this is what it looks like on a blueberry bush.

The year after infection, blueberry bushes afflicted with witches’ broom produce a multitude of swollen, spongy shoots with tiny leaves and reddish bark rather than the green found on healthy young branches. This malformation is called a “broom” and they continue to appear year after year.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Witches’ Broom In Blueberry: Treating Blueberry Bushes With Witches’ Broom https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blueberries/witches-broom-on-blueberry.htm

Caused by a fungus that affects both blueberries and fir trees, and spores from the fungus

will pass from balsam firs to blueberries, from blueberries to balsam firs.

Both hosts must be present to ensure the survival of this fungus.

There is certainly no shortage of blueberry bushes or balsam fir in our area.
This fungus will affect both wild/native blueberries as well as any cultivar from a garden center.

Although it's a fungus, it isn't a result of damp/cool conditions, but, rather,

is spread like a virus by spores in the spring. 

The year after infection, the bush will produce a bunch of swollen,

spongy shoots called a broom.  This condition affects the plant systemically, which 

means you can't prune off the witches' broom and save the plant.

It's doomed.

Common in northern Minnesota, the fungus can live in the plant for many years.

If your plant has one or more brooms, fruit production will soon cease, and spread to

other plants in your yard, so

remove the entire plant and replace it with a new bush.

Oftentimes, we see and talk to gardeners who want to know what it was that they did wrong.  

In this case, it is simply nature's way.  

Many mistakes are in direct relation to a gardener's skills or the care taken with the plant.  Those 

types of 'oopsy daisies' can be redeemed by composting and creating a batch of 

fertilizer for next year's garden.

However, in this case, it's best not to compost the infected plant, so tie it in a garbage bag

and dispose of it properly. 

The year after infection, blueberry bushes afflicted with witches’ broom produce a multitude of swollen, spongy shoots with tiny leaves and reddish bark rather than the green found on healthy young branches. This malformation is called a “broom” and they continue to appear year after year.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Witches’ Broom In Blueberry: Treating Blueberry Bushes With Witches’ Broom https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blueberries/witches-broom-on-blueberry.htm