When is the best time to trim blueberry bushes?
Late winter or early spring is the best time to prune them. This article may be helpful as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blueberries/blueberry-plant-pruning.htm
I live in the Reno, NV area and just wanted to know if there was anything I could do for the blueberry leaves, which are turning brown.
This happens normally when the plant is not getting enough water. Try increasing the water to the plant. It may also be a fungus or the roots are damaged. As a precaution, treat the plant with a fungicide and check the roots for damage.
I just purchased a blueberry plant here in southern California. I planted it in good soil (with worm casings, bat guano, etc. ). I water it well every 3-4 days; however, the leaves at the top are drying out. Do I need to cut the plant back? What is causing the dried leaves? Am I over watering, not watering enough, etc. ? There are no bugs on the plant and it's very leafy. . . just seems that the leaves on the ends are drying out and turning brown and crispy.
You may need to increase watering, at least for the first season. Newly planted plants need large amounts of water to establish themselves well. Their roots were either restricted or cut to be able to be in the pot, so are not large enough to support themselves well yet. Watering more will help those roots grow. With shrubs, it takes about 3-4 months minimum of good watering to get them well established.
Increase watering and make sure that you are watering deeply, so the water gets to all the roots.
I would like to know when to prune older blueberry bushes in NC.
Late winter would be the right time for blueberry pruning in your area.
If I reduce the height of my plant, how will it affect berry growth? Do they grow from new shoots?
Severe pruning will not kill the plant and normally results in bigger but fewer berries. The best time to prune is when the plants are dormant, which is late fall through very early spring. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blueberries/blueberry-plant-pruning.htm
Do blueberry bushes drop their leaves in the fall? Some of the leaves on my bush are starting to brown around the edges. Is this because the bush is deciduous or is it too dry? It is a fairly young bush, although it did bear some fruit this year.
It depends on the variety as to whether they lose their leaves or not. But even the ones that do lose their leaves should not brown on the edges, so it is likely caused by a lack of water.
I have a 4 year old blueberry bush about 1 metre tall, which fruits well (except that I forget to cover it and the birds get the berries before me!). When is it the best time to dig it out and plant it into a container so that I can cover it with a net and enjoy the berries next year? Should I cut it back hard? Thank you.
I would wait until spring to do this, but I will warn you that digging out a 4 year old plant will cause it great stress. You are most certainly guaranteed not to get fruit from it the year you dig it out and, if it does not die from the stress, you may not get fruit from it the following year either. Choose carefully before you do this.
If you decide to go ahead and place it in a pot, yes, pruning it back will be helpful in reducing stress. This article will also help with preventing transplant shock:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/learn-how-to-avoid-and-repair-transplant-shock-in-plants.htm