Plant health diagnosis for blueberry
Case 1 Yellow young leaves near the drippers - 1
Use Advanced for doses, plans and diagnosis Tap the level next to the microphone. Core gives quick answers and weather checks. Advanced reasons more deeply for spray programs, disease diagnosis and fertilization plans, and can take a minute or two. Auto lets ORTH choose. Every answer in this course used Advanced. For blueberry A diagnosis weighs roots, water and nutrition together. Keep Advanced on, and say which leaves, where in the plot and since when. - 2
Describe what you see, and where We described young leaves at the shoot tips turning yellow between green veins, mostly near the drip lines, with normal older leaves. ORTH read it as iron the roots cannot take up, most likely because the root-zone pH under the drippers is too high or the roots lack oxygen. Nitrogen or magnesium are less likely, because they show on older leaves first. It said to apply no iron, nitrogen or acid yet. - 3
Check roots, wetting pattern and pH first ORTH gave an order of checks: the wetting pattern under the emitter and at the edge of the wet bulb, the fine roots (healthy tips are white to light tan and firm), then root-zone pH and EC on a yellow and a healthy plant, and only then a leaf test. It also moved the root and drainage check of the nutrition plan forward to now. - 4
Bring the readings back to ORTH We reported white, firm roots, pH 6.6 under the dripper and 5.3 at the edge of the wet bulb, and pH 5.4 under the dripper of a healthy plant. ORTH concluded local iron lockout from high pH in the dripper zone, with healthy roots. Next: compare the pH, EC and flow of the emitters at the yellow and the healthy plant, correct the dripper-zone pH gradually through the water, and judge recovery on the new leaves. ORTH rated it four stars. Case 2 One cane dying back after pruning - 5
Cane dieback from a pruning cut We described single canes wilting from the tip after old wood was cut out, with reddish-brown wood under the bark running down from the cut. ORTH named pruning-wound cane canker, most likely from the Botryosphaeriaceae group, with Phomopsis as the alternative. Cut below the brown streak until the wood is clean and pale, keep the plant if the crown is healthy, take the wood out of the tunnel and clean the tools between plants. A spray will not save wood that is already colonised.
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