Florida blueberry management is a year-round job for the state’s growers. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) provides producers with reminders about what management options they need to remember for September.
Producers should be actively scouting for algal stem blotch as well as monitor and manage leaf diseases. On farms where there is active management for bacterial wilt, producers should continue monthly through-irrigation or banded bed applications of a phosphorous acid product.
Blueberry growers should be scouting for flea beetles, larval citrus root weevil (pull out dead or dying plants and examine the roots and surrounding soil/bark), larval flatheaded borer, chilli thrips and spider mites. They should apply appropriate control measures if the insects are present.
As for weed control, farmers should apply a pre-emergent herbicide for cool season weeds (tank mix with a post-emergent herbicide if weeds are at a density that hinders bush growth).