Fruit
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Weather conditions this year have resulted in a smaller peach crop than usual. The drought has led to fewer problems with diseases but the peaches are smaller than usual and so producers are using micro-irrigation to try to increase their sizing. They also noticed delayed problems with the cold weather that occurred on March 16,…
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According to a recent news story published by the Miami Herald, “With farmers caught shorthanded and with crops not ready for harvesting, a pair of winter storms at the beginning and end of January potentially inflicted more than $3.17 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural industry.” The story goes on to note that winter…
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I have been seeing many pictures of the damage inflicted on the crops in Florida from the cold outbreaks we have experienced in the past few weeks on Facebook. Areas that are usually free from freezing conditions were busy growing vegetables, strawberries, sweet corn, and citrus until the cold slammed into them. Some freeze protection…
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With the early freeze we had this year, citrus growers in the Southeast are concerned about damage to their trees and crops. This is even more likely this year due to the very weak La Nina and the prospect of more cold outbreaks over the next few weeks. Here is a recent Extension bulletin from…
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Here is an interesting story from UF/IFAS Extension on improving cold hardiness of plants like citrus using seaweed extract that I read last week at https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2025/11/21/boosting-citrus-cold-hardiness-with-seaweed-extract-biostimulants/. The seaweed extract does not just protect the plants but also helps enhance cold hardiness, reduce freeze damage, and improve root vigor and plant growth. I do not know…
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The Arctic air that invaded the Southeast early this week dropped temperatures to levels that broke daily temperature records in many parts of the region on Monday and Tuesday. This led to a first fall frost event that only happens about once every ten years or even less often in southern parts of the region.…
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UGA Pecan Specialist Lenny Wells wrote a blog post earlier this week describing the impacts of this summer and fall’s weather on the current pecan crop. According to his post, “The issues we are facing are the result of three different factors–1) excessive summer rain, leading to scab in some places and conditioning trees to…