By Christopher Vincent
Hurricane Helene’s path spared most of the citrus industry the kind of trouble that Hurricane Ian brought back in 2022, but Ian taught us some important lessons you can use if your trees were hit by high winds.
WIND SPEED MATTERS
Trees impacted by Category 3 winds were mostly defoliated, with major limbs broken and near 100% fruit drop. Trees hit by Category 1 winds kept most of their leaves, had sparse limb damage and much lower fruit drop. But the Category 1 trees were not in the clear! The branches of Category 1 trees had less capacity to move water than the branches that remained on Category 3 trees. Because of this, Category 1 trees suffered through the entire dry season and didn’t recover their capacity for photosynthesis until the following summer. Meanwhile, 15 months after the storm, the Category 3 trees still had not fully recovered their canopies.
WATER MANAGEMENT
A storm’s impact on tree water-movement capacity means that for the best recovery, the focus should be on water status. Keeping a constant water supply by frequent small-dose irrigation (two times per day is recommended where possible) can help wind-damaged trees because they can only move small amounts of water at a time. Additionally, shading the trees using a particle film can reduce the demand for water during warm sunny periods. Keeping the supply of water high and the demand low can help trees avoid stress and grow faster during the recovery months.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
Some storm damage can be prevented by planting windbreaks. For Category 1 storms, gibberellic acid applications during the months before the storm help the trees retain canopy. Avoiding damage is always better than recovering from it, but recovery can be enhanced by extra attention to water supply and demand during the months after a tropical storm.
Christopher Vincent is an associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.
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