How Will the Cold Snap Affect the Citrus & Peach Harvest?
Recently, our farms in Monticello, Florida, and Fort Valley, Georgia, faced significant cold snaps. On Tuesday, January 20th, the temperature in Monticello dropped to 33 degrees, and in Fort Valley, 30 degrees. Many people have wondered, will this have a negative effect on the crops? Rest assured, these farms are no strangers to cold weather. There are many methods to ensure the crop will be protected.
1. Frost & Freeze Irrigation
One of the most effective methods for citrus and strawberries is overhead irrigation. As water freezes, it releases latent heat, which keeps the plant’s temperature just above freezing. This creates an insulating layer of ice around the plant. It’s crucial to continue irrigation until all ice has melted and temperatures rise above freezing.
Tree-Ripe just got a chance to visit Wish Farms in Plant City, Florida, where the strawberries are grown. This year they used technique multiple times to keep the crop safe.
2. Wind Machines
For over a decade, Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, Georgia has been using wind machines to protect their 40+ varieties of peaches. This technology can raise the temperature 2–6 degrees. It might not seem like much, but it can make a vital difference in saving the peaches.
3. Preventative Care
There are also many ways farmers can prepare before the cold weather even begins. Such as covering the smaller crops, choosing their site carefully, keeping the soil moist, and only pruning the trees after the cold has passed.
So, Should I be Worried?
A frost is most damaging when the buds of the tree are flowering. For peaches, this time is in the spring. In late January, the trees are in their dormant state, bare and woody with no leaves. Actually, this time for peaches is very beneficial. They need to experience about 800 “chill hours” to mature and sweeten. Currently, we are at 940! This means we can anticipate the peaches will be very sweet this summer. To learn more, we have another blog post that dives deeper into peach chill hours.
On the other hand, at this time, citrus trees are leafy and ready for harvest, but the measures mentioned above keep them protected. So there is no need to worry. We can’t wait to bring more fresh citrus this spring, and delicious Georgia peaches in the summer!
