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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Florida blueberries”
By Clint Thompson Let the harvests begin! While Florida blueberry producer Ryan Atwood began harvesting his crop last week for mature berries, next week should see an influx of harvest action. “After this cold front moves through, we’ll be hot and heavy next week,” said Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another …
By Clint Thompson Florida’s blueberry crop appears to have dodged the proverbial bullet that was the Jan. 30 freeze event. That’s the outlook shared by Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, following weeks of conversing with farmers. “Of all the growers I’ve talked to across the state, almost all of them, …
By Clint Thompson Florida’s blueberry growers survived the worst freeze in recent memory. According to Brittany Lee, executive director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association, producers were “lucky” following the sub-freezing temperatures on the morning of Jan. 30. “I think in Florida the damage was minimal, luckily. We had a lot of ice. But at least from my operation and …
By Clint Thompson Low temperatures in the forecast this weekend means Florida blueberry producers need to apply freeze protection to their crops, says Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator. “It’ll definitely get low enough to where folks will be freeze protecting. I know in central Florida, depending on the site because …
By Clint Thompson Timely harvests and sanitation practices are two ways blueberry growers can avoid yeast rot becoming a major problem in 2022. The disease devastated South Georgia’s rabbiteye blueberries in 2020. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida, says there’s not a viable chemical option for farmers to implement. Management will have to involve …
By Doug Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson Blueberries have specific nutrient requirements that differ from other horticultural crops. They have shallow root systems and no root hairs, which limits the ability to take up nutrients. Blueberries grow best in acidic soils (ideal pH range of 4.5 to 5.5) with at least 3% organic matter and prefer the ammonium form of …
By Clint Thompson Florida’s blueberry crop is starting to bloom across the state. Harvests will commence in just a few months. Growers need to be mindful of multiple pests and diseases that could impact this year’s production, says Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences blueberry Extension coordinator. “The things that growers are concerned about or …
By Tripti Vashisth Unlike citrus, peaches are deciduous fruit trees. Deciduous trees shed their leaves during the late fall and early winter and undergo dormancy. During this dormant stage, a certain amount of cold weather (measured by an accumulation of chill units) is needed to resume normal growth in the spring. When the cold weather requirement for dormancy is fulfilled, …
By Clint Thompson Biological applications may be Florida blueberry growers’ best management strategy for long-lasting control of mites. Oscar Liburd, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Professor and Fruit and Vegetable IPM Program leader, said resistance concerns are forcing researchers to consider alternative control measures. “One of the problems is that if we continue using the …
By Clint Thompson The increased marketing and promotion effort from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) has helped offset some of the lost market share by Florida growers due to increased trade from Mexico. “The Florida blueberry industry has been through the ups and downs that the rest of agriculture in the U.S. has been through. One of the most …
