To maintain bush vigor with the continued production of high-quality fruit, renewal pruning must be practiced. Begin the renewal process when the bushes are about 6 years old. First, remove any weak or diseased canes entirely. Among the remaining canes starting with the older ones, cut back about two per year either to strong lateral branches or to within 1 foot of the ground. New strong lateral branches will usually develop below the cut.
Birds also harvest blueberries, often the complete crop from a small planting.
Plastic or cloth netting draped over the bushes or supported on a framework is the only practical control. Southern highbush blueberries have the best quality when picked every five to seven days depending on temperature. Rabbiteye flavor improves if berries are picked less often, about every 10 days, which allows for maximum flavor with few soft overripe fruit. Both flower and vegetative buds for the next season are often easily recognized on vegetative shoots at the time fruit ripens. Excerpted from the South Carolina Master Gardener Training Manual , EC 678.