Cold-Hardy Citrus Producers Should Prepare for Potential Freeze

Cold-hardy citrus producers need to be prepared for a potential freeze event next week.

Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, cautioned growers on the UGA Citrus Blog that temperatures are expected to drop in the low 30s across the region next Monday and Tuesday, and perhaps in the upper 20s in some areas. The drop in temperature should prompt citrus growers to be proactive in implementing freeze-protection measures.

“I definitely want to make sure that people have checked that their irrigation is ready to go for freeze protection. If they were wanting to try out any other freeze protection methods, it’s better to get that ready now,” Sutton said. “Honestly, I’m hoping that the forecast is a bit pessimistic, and it’s not going to get as cold as projected, but I’d rather everybody be prepared.”

Sutton directed growers to UGA’s Extension publication on freeze injury for information on the impact of cold weather on citrus trees and how to protect them. Irrigation applications are effective and the most common way for growers to protect their trees.

“That’s our go-to method because it does do a pretty good job of protecting the graft union,” Sutton said. “There are a lot of other methods that homeowners can implement that commercial growers usually can’t just because it involves wrapping up the tree and providing extra heat. That’s hard to do when you’ve got several hundred trees.”

The timing of the first possible freeze event of the season could occur as citrus producers are starting to harvest this year’s crop. That adds an extra layer of concern for the industry.

“It’s really going to depend on how cold it gets. The fruit will definitely be vulnerable, if it gets cold enough for long enough,” Sutton said. “It’s definitely a cause for concern if we do start seeing some really low temperatures. There’s always a possibility it can cause freeze damage to the fruit. On the optimistic side, the cold weather should also help color the fruit up. I’m hoping it’s cool enough to color things up and not cold enough to cause any damage.”