From the Grove: Mother Nature’s Weather Woes
Organic citrus farming is not for those who prefer predictability and stability. No growing season year to year is ever the same, but there are seasonal trends we’ve grown to expect. But we’ve also come to expect the unexpected when our weather expectations don’t come to fruition. Luckily, we have a dedicated team who is eager to react to Mother Nature’s never ceasing curve balls.
If you don’t live in Central Florida, you might not be aware that our weather from late winter to early spring has been nothing short of abnormal. Historically, from early February to late March our crops will have already received about 6.5-7” of rain. This year, we’ve had less than half an inch of rain in this timeframe. What’s more, temperatures have been fluctuating dramatically. While we’re used to warm, humid weather as Floridians, we’re not so used to the lack of humidity and the constant ping pong of hot and frigid temps week over week. It’s just as confusing to our citrus crops.
While residents are seeing the weather impacts in their own yards, we’re making adjustments at a much larger scale within our organic groves. We’re running our irrigation system much more than normal. This increase in irrigation has also resulted in additional maintenance on the system that we don’t usually have to account for. It’s still unknown what kind of impact the weather cycle will have on this year’s citrus crop.
While we wait to find out what else the weather has in store, there’s no shortage of activity! In March, local beekeepers brought their hives to the groves. All month, we had access to these native pollinators that contributed to a beautiful and fragrant citrus bloom. Coupled with some of the cooler temperatures we saw earlier this year, one big bloom blossomed in the grove mid- March. In past years, blooms have occurred in waves, but this year, it was one very concise full flower bloom. It was a bonus hosting the bees in our groves; this benefitted them by bolstering bee populations and honey production as well!
Once the trees bloom and petals begin to fall, that signals it’s time for an organically approved nutritional spray. This spray consists of products that contain liquid fish-based fertilizers and yeast extracts. It’s not as gross as it sounds, but it actually brings much needed nutrients to the trees. The liquid fish provides nutrients to both the foliage and the soil while the yeast extracts help activate the plants natural defense mechanism. This combination of health and nutrition support helps the trees combat Citrus Greening Disease going into summer.
We never know year-to-year what the weather will bring, but we can always do our best to be prepared. In March, we worked with a few organically approved companies on research trials within a section of our grove. The goal in using these organic products is to reduce stress on the trees and increase water intake when weather conditions aren’t favorable. These organic product applications from the Redox and Nuvia companies are designed to help build carbon and calcium supplies within the soil and increase Silica in the tree’s foliage, or canopy. With some of the weather extremes we’ve seen, it turned out to be a perfect time to evaluate these products, so we’re even more prepared in the future.
Looking ahead to April and the rest of our spring growing season, we have one goal in mind: decreasing stress on our trees. When trees are under stress, they can drop their leaves and drop small fruit prematurely. In April, we’ll be continuing to irrigate, applying more nutritional support to the soil, organically weeding the groves and of course, crossing our fingers for some much-needed rain!