Highbush blueberry is one of the most rewarding shrubs for the home garden — small white bell flowers in spring feed early pollinators, berries ripen in succession from July through September depending on cultivar, and the fall foliage turns brilliant scarlet and orange. Plant two or more cultivars for cross-pollination and a longer harvest window.
In Zone 6b, early cultivars (Duke, Hannah's Choice, Patriot) ripen from late June into July; mid-season (Bluecrop, Blueray, Bluegold) through August; late season (Herbert, Liberty, Aurora) into September. Half-high hybrids (Chippewa, Polaris, Northcountry) are more compact and very cold-hardy. Soil pH is the single most important factor: blueberries will not thrive above pH 5.5 — test and amend with sulphur before planting.
Growing blueberries? Read the blueberry guide — acid soil, feeding, keeping the birds off, and which cultivars ripen when, timed to your frost dates.Botrytis (grey mould)
Grey fuzzy mould on petals and stems, worst in cool wet conditions.
Remove affected parts immediately. Improve air circulation. Avoid overhead watering. Apply copper fungicide if severe.
Mummy Berry
New shoots and leaves wilt, blacken, and die in spring. Infected berries turn tan or pink, shrivel into hard 'mummies', and drop to the ground.
Remove and destroy mummified berries and blighted shoots. Rake and dispose of fallen fruit and leaves. Apply 2 inches of fresh mulch in early spring to bury overwintering spores, and prune for airflow.
Blueberry Stem Blight
Sudden wilting and browning of leaves on individual canes, with reddish-brown discoloration in the wood beneath the bark. Affected canes die back, often spreading downward from a wound.
Prune out infected canes 6–8 inches below visible discoloration and destroy them. Disinfect tools between cuts. Avoid wounding plants and keep them vigorous with proper water and acidic soil.
Spotted Wing Drosophila
Drosophila suzukii →Soft, collapsing berries with small puncture marks; white larvae inside ripening or ripe fruit.
Harvest fruit promptly and frequently. Remove and dispose of overripe or fallen berries. Use fine-mesh netting or traps. Refrigerate harvested fruit immediately.
Japanese Beetle
Popillia japonica →Adults skeletonize leaves and devour petals and buds; aggregations escalate rapidly. Grubs destroy turf in late summer and fall.
Hand-pick adults in early morning into soapy water — beetles are sluggish when cool. Neem oil applied to foliage deters feeding but must be reapplied after rain. For grubs, apply milky spore (Bacillus popilliae) to turf — it takes 1–3 seasons to establish but provides long-term biological control. Beneficial nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) applied in late August when grubs are young and near the surface offer faster results. Never use pheromone traps.