Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries

5.20.15 Mummy Berry Infection Report, May 20

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Hancock and Washington Counties

There were conditions for mummy berry infection throughout this area overnight.  Please see the chart below for times when infection periods started.  Some start times are a bit uncertain due to some interrupted reports in cellular signal for the weather stations, but I am certain infection periods did occur in those areas.  We are likely near the end of the mummy berry cups and I expect the fungus to be finished by the end of this week.

Before you spray, you should consider that if your plants are in bloom you may affect pollinators.  Frank Drummond has found applying fungicides can make bees avoid flowers for a couple of days after spraying. You should avoid applying fungicides during bloom if at all possible to protect pollinators and avoid affecting your pollination.

Rotate your fungicides if you are applying a second or third application of fungicide.  It would be good to rotate to a fungicide with a different mode of action or at least a different chemical to avoid fungicide resistance developing in your field.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about their mummy berry plots. Please continue to let me know what your mummy berry plot is doing since we are coming close to the end of the season.

Contact info: sannis@maine.edu or the Blueberry Hotline 800.897.0757 (in Maine)

Thank you, Seanna Annis