This past fall I finally got serious about my blueberries and built a netted covering for them. It was a lot of work but hopefully will pay off. (around here the birds will get every single blueberry if not protected). I am located in CT and was wondering if anyone had any advice for a spray schedule for blueberries in the northeast. I would prefer not to have to spray anything for my berries but perhaps one or two well timed sprays would be helpful, seeing as I have gone to the trouble and investment of the netting. I don’t want to see a patch loaded up with blueberries all go down with mummy rot etc.
2 Likes
I hold off on using any sprays…unless or until a problem happens.
It seldom does here in my zone 6b area. I’ve used fungicide a time or 2 over the years, insecticides never on blueberries.
1 Like
Are you referring to mummy berry disease that affects blueberries in wet climates? Mummy Berry
Here in wet maritime NW, in some years, blueberry growers can expect a loss of 90% unless certain cultural practices and fungicides are used. If I didn’t take precautions, I would see (and have seen!) a pile of mummy berries underneath my plants.
1 Like
Blueberries in NY never sprayed in 20+ years and I never had a fungus problem and only once had minor spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD was last year so I need to watch for it.
1 Like
That’s interesting.I’ve never sprayed my plants with anything and haven’t seen problems.
3 Likes
You may want to contact your local county extension agent to determine if there are common pests or infections in your geographic area. I have never had to treat mine here. Or you may use the members map to see if any members nearby can offer advice that might be more applicable to your area.
Dennis
Kent, wa
2 Likes
Fungal paradise here. Surrounded by water!
hmmm… I live in NJ and have had blueberries for only ~ half of a decade so I certainly have not experienced the entire compendium of problems one can have. Looking back I think I have not sprayed the blueberries for pests much at all. Once I had an aphid issue and took care of that with hort. oil / neem oil. This last year a couple of plants were on the wrong end of a defoliating caterpillar infestation. They got a single pyrethrin spray. Most of the spraying that I have done has been because I am without the foresight (aka too lazy) to prepare an acidified plant site they year before I put them in. As a result I have had to spray all of them with chelated iron the first year to combat chlorosis.
1 Like