US: Cold weather takes bloom off some citrus

If there is one thing that is consistent about citrus groves, it is that there is nothing consistent about citrus groves.

There might be a deep pocket in one part of a grove where the air temperature on frosty evenings like those of the past several nights is 12 degrees colder than one on adjacent and higher ground. Growers around Southwest Florida are seeing freeze-burned "flush," the citrus industry term for the tiny blossoms that are the beginnings of new oranges and grapefruits.

The generally warm winter fooled the trees into pushing out blooms ahead of time, so there are two crops on many of the trees.

At SMR Farms' East Manatee groves, where thousands of citrus trees are planted, managers estimated that as much as 15 percent of the new bloom was damaged by the weekend's freezing temperatures. Figuring out just how much damage was done by the temperatures that ranged from 27 degrees to 32 degrees at SMR's expansive property will take the better part of two weeks.

"I wouldn't call it good news. But it is better than it could have been," said Mac Carraway, SMR Farms' vice president. "We still certainly have to watch how the trees and bloom develop from now on."

Flush was likely hit harder in places north of Southwest Florida where temperatures were slightly colder. The danger number for citrus trees is 28 degrees: that temperature or lower for more than four hours will start to damage oranges and grapefruits. Growers have only 72 hours to process any freeze-damaged fruit before it rots. Moderate bloom damage was reported at some inland farms in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

"There was some minor damage to some fairly young crops and some that were in early bloom. But any damage of this would be on next year's crop," said Jay Clark, of Wachula's Clark Farms in Hardee County.

Hardee, DeSoto and Charlotte County had some of the coldest relative temperatures and likely will have the most bloom damage, said Barbara Carlton, executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association, which represents DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota and portions of Charlotte County. "It all depends on the area. Every area has their own dynamics," Carlton said.

At Manatee County's Mixon Fruit Farms, the warming presence of high tide protected Dean Mixon's grove. "There was just a light frost, and the tide was up when it got the coldest," Mixon said. "Inland, there's nothing to warm it up. That's where there's more damage." Bob Spencer, manager of Palmetto's West Coast Tomatoes, said his farms were largely spared, but other growers he visited on Monday were not so lucky. "Farms I saw this morning were significantly cold-damaged," Spencer said.

Vegetable growers in South Florida, in particular, took a wallop. "The sweet corn, the green beans and the squash took a pretty hard hit," said Lisa Lochridge, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Southwest Florida's ornamental growers seemed to get the jump on the chilly nights. At Florida Quality Trees in East Manatee County, owner Linda Corbin spent most of Friday getting ready for cold weather by covering plants. She and her crew carted cold-sensitive plants, mostly palm trees in containers, into the barn or the greenhouse. By Monday, she was glad she went to all that effort.

Corbin has $2 million in inventory on her seven-acre spread, and a good chunk of it would have gotten freeze-burned. On Monday, she reversed the process, uncovering the plants that were carefully blanketed with freeze cloth, and dragging the palms back out into the open.

At Wayne Hibbs Farm and Garden, a Sarasota plant nursery, temperatures did not get as cold as farther inland. "We did absolutely fantastic," said manager Debbie Nave. "We got 34 here." It will take a week or more of warmer weather to determine any damage, Nave said. "Today is uncovering day and watering very deep."

Source: heraldtribune.com