Blueberries

Evergreen Production System for Southern Highbush Blueberries in Florida

Douglas A. Phillips, Jeffrey G. Williamson, and Patricio R. Munoz

Pruning Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

Douglas A. Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson

Establishment and Production Costs for Southern Highbush Blueberry Orchards in Florida: Enterprise Budget and Profitability Analysis

Ariel Singerman, Marina Burani-Arouca, Jeffrey G. Williamson, and Gary K. England

Reproductive Growth and Development of Blueberry

J. G. Williamson, D. A. Phillips, J. W. Olmstead, and P. M. Lyrene

Blueberry Gardener's Guide

J. G. Williamson, P. M. Lyrene, and J. W. Olmstead

Home gardeners: Use this guide to successfully grow blueberries in Florida.

Nutrition and Fertilization Practices for Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

Doug Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson

Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida

Douglas A. Phillips, Jeffrey G. Williamson, Philip F. Harmon, Oscar E. Liburd, and Peter J. Dittmar

Crop Insurance Policies Available to Blueberry Growers in Florida

Ariel Singerman and Robert Ranieri

Blueberry Frost Protection Practices in Florida and Georgia

Tatiana Borisova, Elizabeth Conlan, Erick Smith, Mercy Olmstead, and Jeffrey Williamson

Introduction to Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivation in Containers

Gerardo H. Nunez, Martin Zapien, and Douglas A. Phillips

Blueberry bushes prefer well drained, acidic soils with high organic matter content. These soil characteristics are not common in many parts of the world. Thus, blueberries are traditionally grown in soils amended with pine bark and elemental sulfur. The need to create optimum conditions for the roots of blueberry bushes has recently led to blueberry cultivation in containers filled with soilless substrates. The intended audience for this publication is commercial blueberry growers. The purpose of this publication is to complement existing information sources by introducing the materials and practices used for blueberry cultivation on container-based farms.

How to Calculate Fertigation Injection Rates for Commercial Blueberry Production

Guodong Liu, Jeffrey Williamson, Gary England, and Alicia Whidden

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s).

An Overview of the Mexican Blueberry Industry

Feng Wu and Zhengfei Guan

Blueberries are a healthy source of antioxidants and vitamins. Global demand and production have been increasing rapidly over the last decade. This publication provides an overview of the Mexican blueberry industry in terms of production, price, trade, and cultural practices. It also sheds light on factors that have contributed to the fast growth of the blueberry industry in Mexico.   

Pollination Best Practices in Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

Rachel E. Mallinger and Douglas A. Phillips

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Integrated Pest Management

Preparing a Southern Highbush Blueberry Field for Machine Harvesting

Jeffrey G. Williamson and Douglas A. Phillips

Blueberries are grown commercially in Florida for the early-season fresh fruit market. The majority of Florida’s blueberry crop is currently harvested by hand to ensure high quality standards for fresh fruit production. However, hand harvesting is the single greatest annual production cost for Florida blueberry growers, and mechanization of berry harvests could greatly reduce production costs. This is particularly important when considering the volume of fruit imported into the United States from countries where labor rates are significantly lower. Also, at times the availability of harvest labor when needed may be an issue for Florida growers; mechanization could help address that issue. This publication provides information for commercial blueberry growers interested in adopting machine harvesting.

Impacts of Hurricane Damage on Southern Highbush Blueberries

Douglas A. Phillips, Jeffrey G. Williamson, and Philip F. Harmon

This publication discusses the types of hurricane damage that can be incurred in blueberry production operations, the impacts of these damages, preparations to make before the storm arrives, and suggestions on best management practices in the aftermath of a storm.

Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars from the University of Florida

D. A. Phillips, J. G. Williamson, P. M. Lyrene, and P. R. Munoz

Cultivar selection involves weighing the advantages and disadvantages of a cultivar relative to the grower’s needs. Unfortunately, there are no perfect cultivars suited for every location and management system. The following discussion categorizes southern highbush cultivars into three groups: (1) new cultivars; (2) established cultivars; and (3) secondary and obsolete cultivars.

Government Agency Resources for Florida Blueberry Growers

Douglas A. Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson

Several federal, state, and local government offices and agencies offer assistance and resources to Florida blueberry growers. These include the University of Florida and IFAS Extension, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and various Florida water management districts. This publication summarizes some of the resources and assistance available from each of these agencies, along with website links as a starting point for growers to use in learning more about and accessing that assistance.

Organic Blueberry Production in Florida

Douglas A. Phillips, Peter J. Dittmar, Philip F. Harmon, Oscar E. Liburd, Danielle D. Treadwell, and Jeffrey G. Williamson

A UF/IFAS numbered peer reviewed Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s). Published by Plant Systems

Florida’s Commercial Blueberry Industry

J. G. Williamson and D. A. Phillips

This publication provides background, statistics, and other information about the commercial blueberry industry in Florida.

Irrigation Practices for Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

Douglas A. Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson

This new 4-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department provides guidance on irrigation requirements and practices to Florida Southern highbush blueberry growers. Written by Douglas A. Phillips and Jeffrey G. Williamson.

Protecting Blueberries from Freezes in Florida

J. G. Williamson and D. A. Phillips

Blueberries bloom in late winter or early spring in Florida, making the flowers and young fruit highly susceptible to freeze and frost injury. Killing freezes can occur as late as mid to late March throughout much of Florida, long after the initiation of bloom, especially for early-ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivars. This publication describes conditions that often occur in commercial blueberry fields during and after bloom when the potential for freeze damage exists. Practices that growers can use to minimize freeze damage are also discussed.

The Wonderful Native Sparkleberry

Beth Bolles

UF IFAS Extension Escambia County was recently able to offer a native tree and shrub giveaway to our community. A county partner had some grant funding remaining and chose a nice selection of plants grown by a local native nursery.  After seeing the plant selection, I was really excited that a few participating homeowners had […]

Blueberry Root Flush Research

IFAS Communications Video

UF/IFAS researchers are continuously searching for ways to support the Florida blueberry industry. One example of research has been by UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences researcher Dr. Gerardo Nunez and Lauren Goldsby, a graduate student in the Small Fruit Horticulture Lab. Their research project was to improve the nitrogen-use efficiency in blueberry farms in the Southeast. Nitrogen […]

Florida’s blueberry season means yummy fruit, courtesy of UF/IFAS and growers

Brad Buck

Ready to pick your own blueberries or buy them at the grocery store? Florida’s blueberry season is here, so you’ll likely find a University of Florida variety near you. When you go to the supermarket, you won’t find blueberries labeled as UF/IFAS varieties. But several types of the fruit come in the same packages, so […]