(Photo by Doug Mayo)
Cold weather is in the forecast with the potential for freezing temperatures in the coming days. That means citrus growers should be thinking about their plans for cold protection.
Chris Oswalt, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus Extension agent for Polk and Hillsborough counties, recently joined the All In For Citrus podcast to provide details on grower resources to monitor the forecast and how to develop cold protection plans.
He also discussed the La Niña pattern that is expected to develop this winter and its potential influence on the weather. A La Niña usually coincides with warmer and drier weather overall. It is conducive to high-pressure systems sitting over Florida, which translates to clear skies and less chance of rain.
“This La Niña is predicted to be a weak one, which is historically important,” Oswalt said. “If you look back at past freezes in Florida, there is a tendency for those (bigger) freezes to occur in near neutral winters.”
Oswalt added that if this La Niña is weak and near neutral, there could be a greater chance for an impactful freeze. Some of the major freezes, like those in 1980s, occurred under similar conditions.
Setting weather patterns aside, he said it’s going to get cold in the winter and could freeze, so having a plan in place before the weather arrives is important. Having a consistent and reliable source of weather data and forecasts is critical, he advised.
One such platform is the UF/IFAS Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN). FAWN can help growers prepare for different types of freezes.
“Once we have information about what type of freeze it is going to be, that is instructive in helping to prepare actions to cold-protect trees,” Oswalt said.
To hear more about how to prepare a cold protection plan, don’t miss the December 2024 episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.
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