Growing Blueberries

Blueberries are a native fruit of North America. The species comes under the genus Vaccinium which includes around 450 evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Three varieties of blueberry species have been identified; Highbush, Lowbush (wild) and Rabbiteye. Highbush varieties can be broken down into either Southern Highbush or Northern Highbush. Lowbush blueberries are not generally found in Australia.

Numerous cultivars have been bred from these varieties such as Misty (Southern Highbush), Denise (Northern Highbush) and Powder Blue (Rabbiteye). These cultivars all have different characteristics, growing requirements and seasonal timing.

Blueberries were first introduced into Australia in the early 1970s. By 1978 it was recognised that the warmer climate Southern Highbush and Rabbiteye varieties (originally grown in the southern states of America) would grow on the NSW North Coast and produce high value, early season fruit. These varieties are harvested from June to February.

In southern Australia, most of the blueberry production is based in Victoria (mainly in the Yarra Valley) and in Tasmania. The season starts in December and ends in April. As new varieties are released, a consistent supply of blueberries will be available throughout the season.

The History of Australian Blueberries

Australian blueberries were first grown commercially in Victoria in 1974. Plantings began a decade later on the North Coast of New South Wales. In 2004, the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, from Coffs Harbour to the Queensland border, produced over 75% of Australia’s blueberries on three major farms. The Oz Group, a cooperative of over 100 growers in this region, has now become a significant blueberry producer.

Production in southern Australia and Tasmania is also increasing. With a growing interest in organic produce from consumers, a significant percentage of members are now certified as Organic or Bio-Dynamic; particularly in Victoria.

Blueberry production has increased from 5,500 tonnes in the year ending 2014 to 17,000 tonnes in the financial year ending June 2018.

The majority of blueberries grown in Australia are for the domestic market. At present, according to the Hort Innovation Horticulture Statistics Handbook (2016/17), approximately 356 tonnes of blueberries were exported from Australia, with 47% of this fruit being sent to Hong Kong and the remainder being sent to markets including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, Canada and more recently India.

Blueberry Production

From a picker’s bucket, fruit is transferred in crates to the packing shed. Here, quality assurance programs are adopted to ensure the quality and freshness of the berries. In packing sheds the fruit will be quickly chilled using force fans.

Different methods of fruit sorting are used throughout Australia. In recent times, machine packing has been used successfully, but the majority of Australian blueberries are packed through human sorting chains. All blueberries travel in refrigerated trucks to ensure they arrive fresh to their destination.

Australian blueberries are supplied to wholesalers, independent fruit shops, supermarkets and international markets such as Asia and Europe. Cooperative marketing groups have been created to allow small growers to efficiently supply both the domestic and export market. Retailers can have blueberries on their shelves within 24 hours of picking to enable consumers to buy, and enjoy, the freshest blueberries.

Marketing

The Australian blueberry industry requires firm guidelines about fruit maturity at harvest; growers need to continually enforce this quality control during picking. In the present market environment, all blueberries produced in Australia can be sold for the greatest returns on the domestic market.

There are still many Australians yet to try a blueberry. In 2017/18, only 52% of households purchased blueberries. ‘Point of sale’ promotions, trade shows and farmer’s markets have provided a valuable opportunity for recruiting new consumers. Fresh blueberries compete with processed snack foods along with other fresh fruit. This is a concern as blueberries often command a premium price over most other fresh berries and other processed fruit.

In a recent survey of consumers, 79% of those interviewed indicated that price was a major influence on their purchasing decision. Many commented that while they enjoyed eating blueberries, they were too expensive to eat regularly.  Luckily for consumers, as the production continues to grow, prices are likley to stabilise making blueberries a more affordable weekly staple purchase.

There are three main berry industries in Australia. The strawberry industry is the most significant, blueberry intermediate and the various Rubus species smaller. Production and sales of these fruit are steadily increasing, reflecting global trends in berry crops (also known as soft fruit) and the interest in their benefits to human health. Within the blueberry industry, ‘Pick Your Own’ and organic operations are trending.

Blueberry establishment and production costs

Blueberry production is capital intensive with high development and labour costs. However, the short time interval between establishment and first returns coupled with high demand and reasonable prices will offset the high costs.

Challenging conditions that Australian blueberry growers face include drought, severe storms, water restrictions and extreme heat and fires. Availability and costs of harvest labour are becoming an increasing problem in all regions.

Growers redevelop blueberry beds when they are reaching the end of their lives. This varies for different varieties and can be determined based on the productivity of the plants.

As a new industry, growers are keen to adopt industry best management practice. All fruit for the fresh market is hand-picked to maintain the highest quality. Developing varieties suitable for mechanical harvesters and varieties that are well suited to Australian climatic conditions are ongoing goals.

Pollination

Pollination is the act of transferring pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma. This produces the seeds necessary to increase the quantity of fruit set on blueberry bushes. While some blueberry varieties have both the male and female organs on the same plant, not all are self-pollinating.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) managed by commercial beekeepers are currently the most suitable insect for commercial blueberry pollination in Australia. Blueberry growers have found that the more bees, the better the pollination of their crop and the larger their harvest. This is due to adequate pollination ensuring that early flowers set seed, therefore creating an early harvest and allowing the fruit the maximum amount of time to ripen.

Blueberry Cultivation

Blueberries belong to the Azalea family and require similar growing conditions. The spineless shrubs can be either evergreen or deciduous, vary from 1 to 3 metres in height and are long lived (up to 30 years for certain varieties).

The development of blueberry bushes is a continuous process that includes using parent plants to provide material to cultivate new plants. To begin this process branches are taken from established bushes and cut into five centimetre stalks called cuttings. The cuttings are struck into trays and placed in fog houses.

Once cuttings have sufficient roots, they are transferred into pots. Potted plants are grown out in full sun and require daily watering and fertilizing once a week. After five months, they are ready to be planted in the field. From planting, it takes approximately 15 months the bush to begin producing fruit.

The fruit has a waxy bloom and is borne in bunches on the end of branches. Blueberries ripen from early summer to autumn depending on the location and variety. The majority of Australian blueberries are hand-picked. Workers carefully select ripe berries, picking a bush up to six times throughout a season. This is because the individual berries on a bush ripen at different stages. A mature bush can yield between 4-7kg depending on the variety.

Preparation and Planting

Soil must be acidic (with a pH of between 4.5 to 5.5), well drained and have high organic matter. Plants should be grown in full sun with protection from strong winds. It is best to plant larger varieties with 1.2m between plants and 3 to 4m between rows. When planting, tease out the roots over a handful of sphagnum moss placed in the planting position and plant at the same depth as it was potted. An application of 30gms (max) per plant of a slow release fertilizer at planting is advantageous. As the plants are surface rooted they respond well to a deep mulch of straw or chip.

Maintenance

Remove flowers in the first years to encourage bush growth. Irrigation is necessary, particularly in summer. Applications of fish and seaweed fertilisers will assist with root health and will encourage strong growth during spring and post-harvest. Prune out weak wood ensuring the centre of the plant is kept open.