If weeds grown through the mulch, remove them by had or with grass-selective contact herbicides. The volume of water should correspond to season, plant size and soil texture. Initial spring watering should be relatively light. Increase the rate to 1 gallon the second year, adding a gallon per year per plant to a maximum of 5 gallons per day, or 35 gallons per week. Water once per week rather than daily.
Water is especially important during the long fruit-ripening period.
Pruning Rabbiteye blueberries require little pruning. Lower limbs can be thinned out to keep the fruit from touching the soil, and excessively vigorous upright shoots can be thinned out several feet from the ground to keep the center of the bush open and to keep the bearing surface within reach. Spindly, weak, or dead branches should be thinned out annually during the dormant season. Harvest Rabbiteye blueberries are a non-climacteric fruit and should be allowed to ripen on the bush. The fruit of most varieties will ripen over a 4 to 6 week period.