I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Kyle Straughn, and I am a fifth-generation Florida farmer. My partners and I have close to 750 acres of blueberries planted in Alachua County. We also have partners farming approximately 250 acres in southern Georgia. Our four largest farms are fully vertically integrated, from propagating our own bare-root plants to picking and packing out of centrally located packing houses on each farm. I say all this to explain we are heavily invested and therefore dedicated to the success of the Florida blueberry industry. I would like to personally invite anyone to come visit our farms to look at research plots and varieties, and I hope to get the opportunity to visit yours as well.

Dear Florida blueberry growers,

Blueberry Management

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for December. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.u.edu/publication/HS1363). Specic disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2024 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.u.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specic publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each. Remember to take a look at the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide phone app (available in both English and Spanish) for eld scouting tools, as well as information on all of the UF southern highbush blueberry cultivars (https://tosto.re/blueberryuf).

Virtually all blueberry fields in Florida are subject to late winter or early spring freezes, which can cause serious reductions in yield. This is a list of activities for freeze preparation. The list was originally published by Mike Mainland in the North Carolina Blueberry News, Vol. 7, No. 1and has been modified by IFAS faculty and FBGA board members. 

National Blueberry Month Success

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for October – January. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2024 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specific publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each.

Check Out the Latest in Prevention and Management Practices

Cross and Self-Pollination in Blueberries

As I write this, all eyes are glued to the weather forecasts as Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Helene forms. Like most storms that make their way through the Gulf of Mexico, her path is not set in stone. But then again, that’s something those of us in agriculture know about all too well: Very little is set in stone, and how we fare is measured by how we adapt.

Wednesday, Oct. 23
Bonnet Springs Park, Lakeland
Reception: 6 p.m. / Dinner 7 p.m.

The UF/IFAS Blueberry Breeding program previously announced the upcoming release of two new southern highbush blueberry cultivars — Falcon and FL19-006. These new cultivars will be 

Changes in Leaves Offer Insight Into Plant Health, Fruit Quality 

Florida is a large multi-climate state so our widely dispersed Blueberry growers experience quite different growing conditions. One should not generalize how any single farm’s growing season progressed to that of most other farms. However, at Frogmore, our operation in Central Florida, it’s been a bit of a tough growing season so far. June started out hot and dry and stayed that way on into July. To keep our initial leaf flushes going, we had to employ extraordinary effort to protect tender leaves and stay on schedule. Then the rains came with only sporadic respite up till now in mid-September. We have rich soils undergirded by impervious clay, so although it grows berries well, it stays wet with ponding water that retreats ever so slowly. In seasons like this I envy the growers whose sandy soil seems to suck excess water away in a day or two. 

Healthy Leaves in Fall Are Important for Flower Bud Initiation and Development 

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for July - September. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2022 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specific publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each.

Growers Report High Yields but Steep Price Drop

The 2024 Florida blueberry season was marked by two factors — strong yield and late-season price drop. We spoke with growers around the state to put our finger on the pulse of the Florida blueberry industry. 

Management Tactics for Chilli Thrips, Diaprepes, and Flea Beetle

Chilli Thrips