Integrated Weed Management Program, Multiple Methods of Control a Must

“Grass,” “grasses,” or specific grass species are common answers to the problematic weed question that appears in the UF-IFAS End of the Blueberry Season questionnaire that is distributed by Doug Phillips. The grass botanical family, Poaceae, is a broad family that can be difficult to control because there is a species for every situation. Perennial and Annual. Summer annual and Winter annual. Wet and Dry. Propagation through seeds, stolons, and rhizomes. Multiple control methods are required to control such a broad species.

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.

Irrigation and Fertilization Essentials Set the Tone for the Season 

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for January - March. 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.

FBGA Spring Meeting and Field Tour

When U.S. lawmakers passed a stopgap measure — the American Relief Act of 2025 — late last month to avoid a government shutdown, they also dealt a saving grace to the country’s farmers and other ag producers by extending the 2018 farm bill. 

Not All Leaves Have the Same Exposure to Light 

Disease Detection and Management Strategies for Evergreen Production Systems

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).

Check Out the Latest in Prevention and Management Practices

National Blueberry Month Success

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. 

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

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.

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