Lingonberry disease?

[Werewoof]

I can't find much information on this, if any. Lingonberries aren't the most exciting thing ever. :r

Anyway, hello, I am Jon! I am in zone 6B where the summers and the winters hate you and your garden. Fun times!

Earlier this year in March, I planted two Koralle lingonberry bushes in a little hanging planter with some Strawberry mint (probably not the best idea, spatially), and to my dismay, one bush is starting to turn yellow, and the second, healthier one looks to be going down the same route.

Dumb bush


Not yet dumb bush



I'm growing them in Miracle Gro moisture control soil, but if I remember correctly, I might have better luck in acidic, lower-grade soils. Don't quote me on that, I might wrong, but I know they like acidic soil, so I added some sulfur granules.

This is the second time I've tried growing lingonberries, away from mowers, after first trying with the Ida and Balsgard varieties. Any advice is welcome, including adding more acid to the soil if that's what it takes!

Cheers,

-Jon

[applestar]

I'm growing them in Miracle Gro moisture control soil

I think this is your problem, right there.

If I remember correctly, lingonberries require well drained soil. This potting mix is OPPOSITE of well draining, holding on to moisture with the blended in water retaining polymers and keeping the potting mix soggy all the time. MG Moisture control has such a bad rep -- it's often the cause of problems for even plants that will grow in average soil.

[HoneyBerry]

Lingonberries are not very common where I am located. A few years ago, I decided to buy a few unusual berry plants, including 1 Lingonberry bush. I paid a hefty price for it because it is unusual. I can't very well troubleshoot your problem, however, as I am still learning about Lingonberries myself.
I can tell you that my Lingonberry bush is thriving. It is planted in the ground rather than in a pot. I have not tested the soil, but soil here tends to be naturally acidic. My garden soil is organic compost mixed with volcanic river bed valley soil. No fertilizer additives other than the organic compost.
I know that Lingonberries do not like rich soil. It can burn the roots.
I have read both pros and cons about that particular potting soil. While that water retaining soil may be good for other plants, I suspect that it may not be good for Lingonberries. Moisture is important for this plant, but at the same time it needs good drainage.
I agree with Applestar.

[Werewoof]

I keep trying to post replies but I keep losing them. Oh well, here goes again.

Thank you both immensely for your input. Quite a few of my plants seem to like the Miracle Gro soil, but I will trust that lingonberries don't so much. Come to think of it, when I had lingonberries last time, I transplanted the surviving bush (pre-mower) into the naturally sandy-loam soil my area has, and it started to put on new growth. I will take extra precautions and maybe some warning cones and try that again to see what happens, maybe prepare the soil with some sulfur and organic fertilizer before hand. It's gotta be better than where they are at.

Thank you both a ton, this gives me hope for these dumb bushes!

-Jon

[HoneyBerry]

Sometimes my posts don't take either. I lost a few long ones. It can be so frustrating to lose all that effort. I think it must happen when somebody else sends as the same time. Now what I do - if I have a long post - I type it out as a notes.doc and then save it temporarily in that format and then cut and paste it into the blog. If it doesn't take, I don't have to retype it.

Happy Lingonberry-ing!

[Algida]

Like blueberries (required ph 4.5-5), I found it almost impossible to grow them in a natural alkaline soil, no matter the effort. I couldn't keep an acidic patch in an alkaline area. Sooner, or later the ph raises above the recommended level. My advice: move them in a container/pot with drainage holes and put the container in the ground. This way, you should be able to maintain the acidity of the soil in the container.
Tomorrow, I will try to post two pictures: one with a blueberry planted directly in the ground (using acidic soil, of course), one year after planted, and one with a blueberry planted in a pot/container, 2 years after.

[HoneyBerry]

Here's a picture of my Lingonberry plant. It was tiny when I planted it a few years ago. It is about 4 times the size that it was.

my thriving Lingonberry

[Werewoof]

Birdlover: Thanks for more replies, I'll keep the notes.doc idea in mind! Also, humongous thanks for the picture, very spiriting to know they can get that big. Any chance you remember the name of the variety, and if it puts on fruit each year?

Algida: Interesting idea, if I can't get them to grow with my current method, I will definitely give that a go! And thanks, but if you forget to post the pictures, no worries in advance.

Just a quick update, I recently removed the bushes from the hanging planter, and I noticed a crucial situational difference between the bushes and their corresponding color. It was akin to brotherly soldiers, both brave 16th century knights, and one was speared through the heart by a foreigner's cold and unfeeling steel: the yellowed lingonberry bush was like that, except with a giant strawberry mint root going through it. This was not nearly as present in the other lingonberry bush, but only to some extent, further down the rootball. There was mourning nonetheless.

I also discovered that I hate mint!

I transplanted both bushes to the sandy-loam/cheap french-press coffee soil I prepared, protected by a weed barrier, and mulched over the top for appeal, but hopefully not to any serious water-retaining detriment. I will try to remember to post some updates in the future, but I may forget. I'm available for messaging if anyone's curious and I had indeed forgotten.

Thanks again guys, hope to keep you posted!

-Jon

[HoneyBerry]

I don't recall the name for the particular Lingonberry that I have.
I have a Honeyberry-Lingonberry 'connection'. He has a rare plants nursery and lives just down the road from me. I need to talk to him about my Honeyberries and I can ask him some Lingonberry questions while I'm there. He is the Honeyberry-Lingonberry go-to person for this area. I almost bought a Kiwi tree from him, but I was afraid that I would be getting in over my head. I have better results if I do some research before I buy plants.

[Werewoof]

If you do decide to get a kiwi plant, you might try the variety I've got, Issai hardy. It's a winner, even in zone 6B (zones 5 - 9, I think). I imagine it'll do well in zone 8A.

I never had any real luck with honeyberry bushes. I might be too far south for proper growth, but I think the better guess would be that I need to plant them in the fall, not spring. Gonna keep trying, though!

[HoneyBerry]

I hope that your Lingonberries recover. This is not the best time to be transplanting but it was your only option.

Honeyberries take some time to establish themselves. I have soft riverbed soil, so I have had good results with berries so far.

[Werewoof]

Yeah, it was a do or die operation. :r I think I dug up enough of their root balls to minimize damage, but I'll probably know by tomorrow or in two days.

Also, good to know your honeyberries are doing okay! I'm a little surprised you're able to grow them in zone 8A, but maybe your climate is better-suited to their liking than mine, regardless of zone. I've tried before, and while they were dormant the first year, they came back the next spring... then I think both of them pretty much kicked the bucket come summer. Probably was my soil pH, but it could've been a mixture of things.

Like the first time, I have varieties that grow best in zones 2 - 7, but I think after a nice cold spell this autumn / winter and a fairly shady location, they'll start coming out of dormancy and start putting on growth next year. Hopefully.

Thanks for even more handy information!

-Jon

[HoneyBerry]

I saw lingonberries at the health food store today.
$7.49 for an 8 ounce bag frozen.
That's nearly $15 per pound.

[Werewoof]

I saw lingonberries at the health food store today.
$7.49 for an 8 ounce bag frozen.
That's nearly $15 per pound.

Ouchihuahua.

By the way, here is an update from last week's relocating. The greener lingonberry has bounced back. The other one continued to be incredibly dumb.

Pictures:

Dumb


Not dumb


Thanks for the help and tips, guys, hopefully the dumb bush will get undumb next year!