Blueberries
Bluecrop

Description of Growth Stages 

Dormant

No swelling of the fruit buds

Bud Swell

Fruit Buds become swollen. This bud stage can tolerate 15 - 20 F temperatures.

Leaf Bud Break

Leaf buds begin to swell and leaves emerge from the tip.

Early
Green Tip

Green leaf tissue is visible as  leaves begin to emerge from the leaf buds.   This is when I fertilize.

Bud Burst

The fruit buds pop open and the individual flowers can be seen between the bud scales.

0.25" Green

A 1/4 inch of leave tissue is visible, this often is at about the time of bud burst. The flower bud stage shown is often called tight cluster. This bud stage can tolerate 18 to 25 F.

Early Pink Bud

The partly formed flowers are readily visible and the flowers have seperated. This bud stage can tolerate 25 to 28 F.

Late Pink Bud

Most of the flowers on the bush are nearly fully developed. This will overlap into first bloom.

25% Bloom

25 % of the flowers on the bush or in the field are open.

Full Bloom

Most of the flowers on the bush have opened. The bloom stages can tolerate 28 to 31 F.

Petal Fall

The Corolla tubes or petals are falling off the flowers, revealing small green fruit. This is the most vulnerable stage to frost damage. It can be damaged at 31 F.

Early
Green Fruit

Early in fruit growth when the fruit are growing by cell division.

Late
Green Fruit

Late in fruit growth when the fruit are growing by cell expansion.  This is when I typically fertilize for the 2nd time.

Fruit Coloring

The fruit are changing color from green to blue.

First Harvest

The first fruit are ripe and ready to be harvested from the cluster.

Harvest

Blueberries are picked several times as the fruit ripens.   There may be 2 to 5 pickings. Often the first harvest is by hand picking and then later harvests are by machines that shake the berries off the bush.