Mulch keeps soil temperatures cooler during summer, reduces weeds, and maintains soil moisture more uniformly. Although mulch helps save moisture, it does not eliminate the need for irrigation. Blueberries are very sensitive to drought and irrigation is essential in most areas. Trickle irrigation offers the advantage of being more efficient, but it does not allow for the frost protection that overhead systems can provide. In areas where late spring frosts are of little concern, trickle irrigation is normally chosen because of its increased efficiency.
Irrigation then occurs without interrupting spraying or harvesting.
Crop Management Bird depredation can be the biggest problem of small-scale producers, sometimes causing crop losses of over 70 percent. Scare devices and exclusion by netting are commonly used to reduce losses. Insect and disease problems may be small in areas of few blueberry plantings. The CES can provide information on weed, insect, and disease control. The principal small-scale market may be consumers in local communities.