Hello everyone,
The wild blueberry bloom and pollination season has
arrived across the province, bringing one of the most vibrant and exciting
times of the year in our crop fields as pollinators return in full activity. The
month began with cool, wet conditions, shifted quickly into a period of hot and
dry weather in mid-May, and is now ending with a prolonged stretch of rain and
soggy field conditions.
At this point, moisture is welcome in many areas of
the province; however, over the next two to three weeks, maintaining a balance
between adequate soil moisture and favourable flying conditions for bees will
become increasingly important for successful pollination. Frequent temperature
swings and rapidly changing weather patterns have also accelerated crop
development in some regions, with noticeable changes in blueberry growth stages
occurring within only a few days.
The combination of rapid crop development and highly
variable weather has created challenges for field operations and management
scheduling this spring. Careful monitoring of bloom progression, pollinator
activity, and field conditions will remain essential during this critical
production window.
Wishing everyone a productive and successful
pollination season. Take a moment to enjoy the colours, activity, and sounds of
the bloom season in your fields.
Hugh Lyu
Wild Blueberry Specialist, Perennia
hlyu@perennia.ca; 902-890-0472.
May 29, 2026
Table
of Contents:
May Wild
Blueberry Production Highlights
Weather Updates
Upcoming
Events
May Wild Blueberry
Production Highlights
After a slow start to crop development in April,
improved moisture and warmer temperatures accelerated wild blueberry growth
throughout May. Over the last two months, much of the attention across the
province has focused on assessing the impacts of last year’s drought on the
2026 crop, managing Monilinia Blight, and completing herbicide applications in
sprout fields.
Crop stage development continues to serve as the
foundation for field management planning. While the 2026 season initially
appeared delayed, current observations suggest crop development is running
approximately 1 to 1.5 weeks behind the 2025 season. For many growers, this
timing is more consistent with traditional production schedules. However, one
notable trend this spring has been the relatively uniform crop development
across production regions. Unlike in previous years, when crop stages often
varied significantly across regions, many areas are now reaching critical
management stages in a much shorter timeframe, increasing pressure on
scheduling field operations.
Drought Impacts on the 2026 Crop
Assessment of drought impacts on the 2026 crop began
in late March through stem sampling in major wild blueberry production regions.
Evaluations focused on stem height, fruit bud number and size, crop health, and
overall yield potential.
Key observations include:
- Drought
conditions during the 2025 sprout year, particularly from July through
September, significantly affected wild blueberry growth and fruit bud
development. This period is critical for fruit bud initiation and
development.
- Drought
severity varied considerably depending on precipitation levels, soil
moisture availability, and soil properties. Areas with sandy soils and low
organic matter experienced the greatest impacts, including reduced stem
growth, fewer fruit buds, and smaller bud sizes, indicating lower nutrient
reserves available for spring development.
- Uneven
crop development is now being observed both within fields and among
regions. Fields that received more rainfall and retained soil moisture
more effectively generally show average to normal crop development.
However, even in otherwise healthy fields, isolated drought-stressed
patches remain visible and continue to resemble conditions seen in more
severely affected areas.
- The
drought created substantial regional variability in crop potential across
the province, making overall yield predictions more difficult at this
stage of the season.
- While
many areas currently show average crop appearance and bloom progression,
some severely impacted fields continue to face management challenges and
concerns regarding input decisions for the remainder of the season.
Crop Field and Management Updates
- Spring
bud break progressed slowly early in the season. However, several
consecutive days of warm temperatures combined with adequate rainfall in
early May rapidly accelerated crop development. In some areas, fields
advanced from F1 to early F2 stages (30–40% F2) within only two days.
- Dry
and warm weather conditions during the Monilinia Blight infection period
resulted in a relatively short infection window of approximately one week
in most Mainland areas. Based on weather conditions and field
observations, a single fungicide application appeared sufficient in many
areas this season.
- Following the warm mid-May period, several frost events occurred between May 22 and 24. Minor frost injury was reported in some early flowering fields, particularly in the Oxford, Debert/Belmont, and parts of the Pictou regions. Overall damage levels appeared limited, although affected fields may still experience localized bloom injury and some yield reduction.
Sprout Field and Management Updates
- Sprout
field emergence followed a similar pattern to crop fields, with rapid
plant emergence occurring after the early May rainfall and warmer
temperatures. This created additional scheduling challenges as herbicide
applications overlapped with blight management activities in crop fields.
- Most
growers were able to complete pre-emergence herbicide applications before
widespread plant emergence occurred.
- Current
sprout field emergence appears normal across most production regions,
helping reduce earlier concerns regarding potential drought impacts on
sprout development. At present, most areas are reporting greater than 50%
plant emergence.
Weather
Updates
In this section, we provide regular weather updates to
help growers track seasonal progress and support field management decisions.
Key parameters reviewed include growing degree day (GDD) accumulation, seasonal
precipitation trends, and current drought conditions across Nova Scotia.
1.
Wild
Blueberry Weather Station GDD Summary (April 1- May 28)
Figure 1 summarizes the growing degree days
accumulated between April 1 and May 28 from selected wild blueberry weather
stations across the province. Over the last two months, most mainland
production regions have accumulated close to or more than 400 GDDs. This
accumulation level is an important seasonal benchmark in both crop and sprout
fields, as it is typically associated with mid- to full-bloom stages in crop
fields and more than 50% plant emergence in sprout fields for next year’s crop.
As we move into June and the warmer summer months,
daily GDD accumulation rates are expected to increase significantly, often
reaching 20-25 GDDs or more per day. As a result, growers should expect rapid progression
through crop stages and accelerated plant development over the coming weeks.
Figure
1. Wild Blueberry Weather Station GDD Summary (April 1- May 28)
2. Seasonal Perception
Trends
Precipitation patterns and soil moisture levels remain
a major focus during the 2026 production season in Nova Scotia. Since the
beginning of the year, much of the province has experienced persistent dry
conditions, ranging from Abnormally Dry to Moderate and Severe Drought
classifications.
Although March precipitation was above normal in
several areas and provided some temporary relief, many regions still received
below-average precipitation overall in April (Figure 2). Data from the
Kentville Research Weather Station compares current-year precipitation levels
to long-term regional averages. As illustrated in the graph, April
precipitation remained below average, indicating limited improvement in soil
moisture recovery heading into the growing season.
May weather conditions have been more variable, with
alternating rainy and dry periods throughout the month. Overall, conditions
have become noticeably wetter, particularly during the final week of May.
Additional precipitation during this period has been beneficial for improving
soil moisture conditions and reducing dryness concerns across many production
regions. A more complete seasonal assessment will be available once final May
precipitation data are compiled.
Figure
2. 2026 Precipitation vs. Regional Historical Averages from the Kentville
Research Weather Station.
3. Current Drought
Conditions
The latest Canadian Drought Monitor update (April 30,
2026) reported that many regions across Canada received normal to
well-above-normal precipitation during April. However, in Nova Scotia,
below-normal precipitation in parts of the province contributed to the
continued expansion of drought in several areas.
Despite March and April precipitation events,
significant drought improvement was limited across much of the province. The
encouraging development is that early May rainfall, combined with the
widespread precipitation in the final week of May, has improved soil moisture
and reduced some drought-stress concerns.
According to the April
2026 Canadian Drought Assessment Report:
“Across Nova Scotia, drought changes were mixed, with
central areas seeing improvement and the reduction of Abnormally Dry (D0)
conditions. Southern and northern regions experienced an expansion of Moderate
Drought (D1), consistent with below normal precipitation.”
Figure
3. Canadian Drought Monitor, Conditions as of April 30, 2026.
Upcoming Events
1. Wild
Blueberry Virtual Grower Meetings- June and July
o
June 3 and June 17 Event page and
registration link: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/wild-blueberries-virtual-grower-meetings-2026/edate/2026-04-08/.
§ June
3, 2026. 8:30 AM- 9:30 AM
§ June
17, 2026. 8:30 AM- 9:30 AM
o
Wednesday, July 8, 8:30 AM- 9:30
AM. This event and its registration will be available soon. Please save this
time. We will feature 2 guest speakers on two important topics:
§ SWD
Talk by Matthew Peill, Integrated Pest Management Specialist, Perennia
§ Sprout
Year Nutrient Input by Jessica D'Entremont, NutriAg
2. WBPANS
Field Day- June 24, 2026, Upper Onslow, NS
This year’s wild
blueberry field day will be at the River Breeze Farm, 699 Onslow Road, Upper
Onslow, NS.
