Blueberries – Not Shipped to Georgia

Q: Do you know what’s happened in the last year or so regarding blueberry bushes being shipped to Georgia? I have never had an issue in the past but recently web sites are indicating that their blueberry plants cannot be shipped here. What’s up with that?

A: Blueberries are the number one fruit crop in Georgia, so it makes sense that we’d try to protect the plants from imported disease. Blueberry scorch virus devastates blueberries but fortunately is not known to be established in the state yet. Mike Evans at the State Plant Protection Division says any company that wishes to ship plants into Georgia is required to test for blueberry scorch virus. Your noted denial could be a situation where the company has made the business choice to not test their stock.