By Clint Thompson
Georgia blueberries are feeling the impact of Tropical Storm Debby this week. The storm, which was classified as a Category 1 Hurricane when it made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend coast, has drenched excessive amounts of water on blueberry bushes in the southeast part of the state.
It has left Russ Goodman, co-owner of Cogdell Berry Farm in Homerville, Georgia, concerned about his crop moving forward.
“We’ve had about 10 inches of rain,” said Goodman on Tuesday. “We’ve got a lot of blueberry plants that are under water. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for the water to get out, but it’s not good. I’m really concerned about plants drowning and root rot. We have one farm that’s had 30 inches of rain in the last month, since July 1.”
As dire as the situation looks right now for Georgia blueberry farmers, the impact won’t be fully realized for another couple of weeks.
“I think it’ll take a week or two before we really start seeing the root rot problems,” Goodman said. “We’ve been spraying for root rot for the last 30 days, but a fungicide can only do so much, if the plants are under water and the soil isn’t getting any oxygen.”
According to the University of Georgia, Georgia ranks third nationally in blueberry production. That could change next year following this week’s excessive rainfall. It could also have ramifications for years to come.
“I think the crop’s going to be impacted for next year no matter what, but yeah, you could lose those plants. Blueberries can’t stay under water for so long,” Goodman said.