this year, as it can become a vicious cycle.
“Light crops result in excessive growth, which results in poor bud set and light crops again the following year,” says Sweeney. These growers may benefit from
testing their soil and tissue to get an accurate read on nitrogen levels so they can manage accordingly. “One of challenges that we have is
if you’re on a peat-based or organic soil, they tend to release a lot of natural nitrogen,” says Sweeney. “The warmer the temperatures are in the fall, the more nitrogen is released. Growers can’t really control that.” Should this year end up in a similar pattern of warm, dry weather, growers can help mitigate the effects by avoiding excessive pruning and other activities that create excessive plant vigour. “This has not been a historical problem for us, except for in Bluecrop,” says Sweeney. “Last year, there was an issue with Duke in some fields. Going into this fall things could be really different.”
A healthy amount of blueberry bloom after bud-break.
British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2013 17
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