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Kathryn Fontenot, Singh, Raghuwinder, Picha, David H., Polozola, Michael, Armentor, Mandy, Gauthier, Stuart, Kirk-Ballard, Heather
Download Publication ID: 3935
What are blueberries?
Blueberry shrubs are members of the Vaccinium genus. The shrubs bear small delicate bell-shaped pink and white flowers from spring through summer that turn into tiny dark blue fruit that also emerge spring through summer. The harvest time is very species and cultivar dependent. The plants are native to North America ranging from the tip of Florida, west through Texas, and northward along the east coast. The simple fact that these shrubs are native should not convince any commercial producer to think that this plant will grow well in every condition throughout the state. Blueberry plants require acidic, well-drained soil. Like many temperate fruits, blueberry plants also require a certain degree of chill hours in the winter to break flower dormancy. These specificities will be discussed in this manual. Traditionally, Louisiana growers have produced Rabbiteye blueberries. Today, many types of blueberries exist. This publication will specifically focus on the production of Southern Highbush blueberries.
Blueberry shrubs bear small fruits that emerge spring through summer.
What’s the difference between Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberries?
Rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium ashei) are considered resistant to many diseases and are typically harvested in the late Spring through Summer season (May to July).
Southern Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrid) are crosses of Northern Highbush cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum) with native blueberry plants found in Florida and the southeastern United States. They were specifically bred for a reduced need for chilling requirements. Based on recent Louisiana extension demonstrations, Table 1 compares the major differences between Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberries growing in Louisiana.
Table 1. Notable differences in LSU AgCenter Extension demonstration plantings of Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberries.
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Rabbiteye Blueberries |
Southern Highbush Blueberries |
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More disease tolerant* |
Less disease tolerant* |
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Once established, plants will continue to produce fruit in a range of soils with a high preference towards acidic soils. Fruit production and vegetative growth will slow in neutral soils. |
Plants need acidic soils to maintain fruit production and shrub vigor throughout their life span. |
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Plants are typically harvested May through July. |
Plants can be harvested as early as March and typically finish bearing in June. |
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Plants can grow directly in the field or in containers. |
Plants are typically but not always produced in containers. If grown directly in the field, the grower is advised to heavily amend the soil with organic matter. |
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The foliage naturally defoliates in the fall and winter. Before complete defoliation, the delicate, blue-green foliage typically turns red and orange in the late fall and bears white, umbrella-shaped flowers in the spring. |
Plants maintain foliage longer into the fall. If a mild winter persists, the foliage will often turn deep red and purple and will fall off as the new growth emerges in the spring. Thus, some years these plants will have foliage year-round. Foliage is sparser in the fall and winter months. Plants also bear white, umbrella-shaped flowers in the late winter and early spring through mid-summer depending on the cultivar. |
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Named Rabbiteye because of the appearance of the fruit. The fruit displays a pink color prior to ripening into its characteristic blue, resembling the eye color of an albino rabbit. |
Fruit ripens from a hard green color into a soft blue powder color and finally into a dark blue softer stage. |
*Disease resistance notation is based on a study occurring in 2018-2023 where container-grown Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberry plantings were grown in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. More Southern Highbush plants were lost to disease, specifically phytophthora, than Rabbiteye plants.
If the winter is mild, the foliage on some varieties of blueberries will turn purple.
Why grow blueberries?
Blueberries are easy to grow and one of the most nutritionally dense foods on Earth. They are a significant source of vitamins and secondary metabolites that are widely studied for pharmaceutical interests. Blueberry fruit is one of the richest sources of ascorbic acid and is an excellent source of antioxidants. Blueberries contain natural compounds called anthocyanins, procyanidins, chlorogenic acid and flavonoid compounds. Anthocyanin is the main antioxidant found in blueberries. All of these natural compounds can provide us with cancer-fighting power, help with cataracts and macular degeneration, have anti-diabetic properties, and have been shown to decrease both blood pressure and cholesterol, thereby reducing the incidence of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease risk. These benefits of course have the most effect if they are consumed on a regular basis.
United States production
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, blueberries rank as the United States' second-most produced berry, trailing only strawberries. Over the last decade, the availability of fresh blueberries for American consumers has surged, increasing fivefold and growing faster than that of strawberries. This rise is attributed to both heightened U.S. production and increased imports, fueled by year-round consumer demand. Initially, New Jersey, Georgia and Michigan led in fresh-market blueberry production in 2010, but by 2019, Georgia, California and Oregon became the top producers, each contributing around 17% to U.S. output. The U.S. blueberry production season has notably extended, beginning as early as March in Florida, and extending into October in states like Washington, Michigan and Oregon, thanks to newer cultivars and favorable growing conditions. Despite this domestic growth, there remains a lower supply from fall to early spring, encouraging increased production during these months both domestically and overseas (Kramer, 2020).
Louisiana farms
According to the 2022 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Louisiana reported 103 blueberry producers with 430 harvested acres at a gross farm value of $9.1 million which is a small share of what is grown nationwide. Blueberry cultivation primarily takes place in the northern part of the state with Caddo, DeSoto and Morehouse parishes leading production.
Unlike many fruit crops that require hand harvesting, blueberries offer the flexibility of being harvested either by hand or through mechanical means. In Louisiana, the preference leans towards hand harvesting, although mechanically harvested blueberries are often directed to processing for the creation of value-added products. Like strawberries, blueberries can be field packed, cooled and shipped. Larger operations might harvest into big containers and employ assembly lines for sorting based on marketability. Most of Louisiana’s farms sell direct market and are open to the public as you-pick operations.
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P3935_SouthernHighbush_Blueberries_AS723pdf / 8.06MB