Native Blueberry Bushes in Florida

Southern Highbush

• Southern highbush blueberries were originally created by crossing a native wild blueberry found in Florida with a northern highbush variety found in Michigan and New Jersey. The University of Florida released the first varieties of southern highbush plants in the 1970s and several newer versions have been released since. Growing the southern highbush variety requires several considerations such as soil preparation and freeze protection and can be quite expensive to begin. This variety is very susceptible to natural elements such as spring freezes and moisture levels as well as to a variety of diseases. Southern highbush blueberries have an early ripening season, making them appealing for farmers looking to market their berries because they can bring higher prices and the market is not as competitive during their ripening time. Early ripening also makes the berries appealing for birds who can be detrimental to crop production. Several sub-varieties fall under the major southern highbush variety, such as the bluecrisp, emerald and jewel varieties.

Rabbiteye

• Rabbiteye blueberry bushes are grown well in north and north central areas of Florida. They tend to thrive better than southern highbush varieties because they are more vigorous and can withstand natural elements better. Rabbiteye berries, especially the early season variety, like most crops are susceptible to late spring freezes. There are several sub-varieties of rabbiteye blueberries that are categorized as either early season ripeners or mid-to-late season ripeners according to their harvesting time.

Differences Between Varieties

• The two varieties of blueberries are very similar, however rabbiteye fruit is slightly firmer than southern highbush berries. This difference is so subtle that most consumers and casual gardeners cannot distinguish between the two unless they know for certain the type of bush the berries originated from.

Choosing a Variety

• The variety of blueberry bushes you choose to plant in Florida depends largely on the specific area of Florida in which you plan to plant the berries. Rabbiteye varieties tolerate northern and central areas of Florida well, while southern highbush varieites are more suited for southern regions as their name implies. Another consideration when choosing plants is exactly how you plan to utilize the crop. The University of Florida Agricultural Extension website recommends that rabbiteye berries are best for casual gardening, u-pick farms and local farmer's market sales, while southern highbush berries are best for those wishing to produce crops for a larger commercial business.