Blueberries
New York State has a little more than 700 acres of blueberries in production yielding about 2 million pounds of blueberries annually making it the 9th most important blueberry production state in the nation. Increased consumer interest in dark colored fruit containing high amounts of healthful antioxidants has resulted in many more acres being planted over the past several years. This is despite the soil pH requirement of 4.5 that blueberries, a member of the acid-loving Ericaceae family require.It takes nearly 8 years for blueberries to reach their mature production, but a well maintained planting can remain economically viable for up to 40 years or more yielding in excess of 10,000 lbs/acre. Ninety-five percent of this production is hand-picked and sold as fresh fruit with the remaining 5% going to value added products.
Highbush blueberries are grown throughout the majority of the state, but in northern NY and the Adirondacks, cultivars that are crosses between the Maine low-bush and northern high-bush blueberries result in a smaller bush that is much more winter hardy. The threat from late spring frosts remains a challenge to blueberry growers throughout the state. Blueberries have a relatively small pest complex making it a favorite berry for organic production.
For more information about blueberry production, visit the Cornell Berry website.
Relevant Events
Blueberry Pruning Workshop
March 26, 2025
Altona, NY
Champlain Valley Apple Pest Management Refresher
March 27, 2025
Chazy, NY
Blind Industry White Wine Tasting Workshop
April 1, 2025 : Blind Industry White Wine Tasting Workshop
Germantown, NY
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in NY Berry Crops
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Updated May 2024
2023 Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in NY Berries
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
May 2023 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Irrigation for Berry Production
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
SWD Insecticides Quick Guide 2020
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
June 2020 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
June 2018 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Cranberry Fruitworms - a significant pest in blueberries.
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Fruitworms overwinter as larvae and pupate in the spring, emerging as adult moths after the start of bloom and usually before early fruit set. Moths move into blueberry plantings when fruit is small and lay eggs directly on the fruit. The larvae hatch and tunnel into the fruit and begin feeding. Find out how to control these pests here!
Managing Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Blueberries
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Anthracnose is a serious pre- and post-harvest fruit rot in most blueberry growing regions. The flowers are infected early in the spring. The fruit rot appears on ripe fruit with orange spore masses. Find out how to manage this disease here.
Early Season Weed Control in Berry Crops
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2018 Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference Small Fruit Presentations
Presentations from the 2018 ENYCHP Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference held February 20th and 21st for the small fruit section.
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berries
A Quick Guide to Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops
Compiled by Greg Loeb, Laura McDermott, Peter Jentsch, Tess Grasswitz, & Juliet Carroll, Cornell University. Updated regularly.
Insecticides to Control Spotted Wing Drosophila
Current 2016 SWD Insecticides and Rates
2016 SWD Exclusion Study- SARE Project Report
Abigail Henderson, Senior Administrative Assistant
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The use of insect netting on existing bird netting support systems to exclude spotted-wing Drosophila from a mature small-scale commercial highbush blueberry planting
2016 Berry School - Disease Diagnosis Talk
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2016 Berry School - Disease Management Talk
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Berry School 2016- Blueberry Pruning and Rejuvination
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Berry School 2016- Small Fruit Resources
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
The information contained in this preliminary version of HB-66 has been assembled from information prepared by nearly 100 authors from around the world. The version posted here is a revised copy of a Draft made available online in November 2002 for author and public review and comment.
Blueberry Specific Insecticides for SWD
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Cranberry and Cherry Fruit Worm
A number of growers have been calling with a question about blueberry clusters strung together with webbing or frass or both. Most people cannot find a larvae (although they are there!), but are alarmed with picker complaints. The pest in question is fruit worm either cranberry or cherry. Both insects have very similar life cycles and the damage is similar, but the chemical control materials differ slightly, so it will be important to be able to differentiate.
The adult moths lay their eggs in late May and early June at the base of the newly set fruit. Larvae of both
species attack green fruit. There are sex pheromones available for both pests and monitoring should begin in late April to optimize spray timing. Usually two sprays are necessary the first at petal fall and the second 10 days later. Organically approved materials include Entrust and Dipel DF. Other materials include Azasol, or Molt-X, Sevin, Malathion, Imidan, Esteem and Delegate, among others.
Check the Guidelines for more control information and visit this site for fact sheets about fruitworms: http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/ipm/ipmpdfs/bbfruitworm.pdf
Effects of Fruit Cooling on Spotted Wing Drosophila
Spotted Winged Drosophila found locally and throughout New York and New England
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
In light of these findings, blueberry, summer and fall raspberry and day-neutral strawberry growers are urged to be vigilant about this pest.
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Upcoming Events
Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Prep Course
March 10, 2025
March 13, 2025
: Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Prep Course
Highland, NY
Join ENYCHP specialists and NYSIPM for an in-depth review of topics covered on the NYS DEC pesticide applicator certification exam. This two-day course includes explanation of key concepts on the core exam, test-taking tips for the core and category exam, practice questions, and Q&A with instructors.
Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
January 17, 2025
January 31, 2025
February 14, 2025
February 28, 2025
March 14, 2025
: Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
Week 1: Digging Into Pruning and Soil Health
Week 2: Cider Apples - Mechanized Harvesting and Patulin Food Safety
Week 3: The Value of "Eco-Friendly" Marketing - OMRI, Red Tomato, EcoApple, NYS Grown and Certified
Week 4: Biopesticides and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for Berries
Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day - Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management
Blueberry Pruning Workshop
March 26, 2025
Altona, NY
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
10 am - noon
Irona Berry Haven
1897 Alder Bend Rd, Altona, NY 12910
$10 per farm
1 DEC credit requested in categories 1A, 10, and 22
Join us at Jeffrey Guerin's berry farm for a morning of pruning demonstrations, pest and disease identification, and more. Bring your own pruners so that you can learn by doing! Dress warmly for our workshop, which will be held outdoors. In the case of severe weather on the 26th, the workshop will be held at the same time on the 27th. Light refreshments will be provided.