From the Grove: The Grinch of Citrus Season
What do the Grinch and citrus greening have in common? Aside from being green, of course, both are out to steal during Christmas season. Similar to the Grinch taking Christmas presents from the Whos of Whoville, citrus greening disease also wreaks havoc on citrus groves. From turning our orange fruit green and bitter to premature fruit drop, the full effects of the “Greening Grinch” during harvest season are evident, which coincidentally aligns with the holidays.
Unfortunately, citrus greening is still a devastating disease throughout Florida. The disease has made a significant dent in overall citrus production for the Sunshine State. The USDA is estimating 25 million boxes, which is a historical low. For comparison, 20 years ago the state of Florida produced 242 million boxes of citrus. While these low figures aren’t solely attributed to the ‘greening Grinch’ due to two hurricanes last year and below average rainfall during spring and summer, these conditions put citrus groves in a weaker position for the greening Grinch to thrive.
It doesn’t all stink, stank, stunk when it comes to the state of citrus greening and our beloved citrus groves. Just as the Grinch’s small heart grows larger, our dedicated research, trials and efforts to combat greening have grown, too! Uncle Matt’s Organic Research and Development team has made strides in finding long-term solutions for the disease.
During 2023, our team focused heavily on planting seasonal cover crops and laying organic compost to nourish our groves. We learned from instruments like the Soil Talker Machine that our efforts are increasing soil respirations and capturing more carbon dioxide in the soil. We have also continued our nutritional organic spray programs and partnership with the University of Florida in releasing tamarixia wasps to help control psyllid populations. These activities have led to increased biodiversity of insects in the soil and throughout the citrus trees.
While these aren’t solutions for the ‘greening Grinch,’ these are positive milestones in cultivating healthy trees that are more resistant to the disease. By intervening early, especially in new citrus plantings, we’re continuing to analyze how our organic approaches are able to deter greening and prolong each tree’s bearing years. What’s more, we’ve been lucky with a quiet hurricane season, sufficient rainfall in November and December and above freezing temperatures. These are all favorable conditions for healthy citrus trees to flourish.
In the short-term, the ‘greening Grinch’ is likely here to stay. However, with more cooperative weather from Mother Nature and the positive learnings from our ongoing research trials, the outlook is much more positive for next year’s citrus haul. Our ongoing mission is to continue producing high quality, nutrient dense, high brix organic citrus. Alongside our organic field studies, we’re sticking true to our mission to grow healthier generations as we share our findings with the larger citrus industry so together, we might overcome this horrible disease.