Micronutrients Mandatory to HLB Recovery

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Question: Now that we have ReMedium TI^® as a therapy to treat HLB, what else can a grower do to speed recovery?

Answer: Feed the trees. I know that answer is an oversimplification, but it is the correct answer. Your groves have been struggling for years because of the root damage from HLB. While growers can’t make up for past nutrition lags by simply putting on excessive fertilizer now, they can be strategic about what nutrients they apply.

I have been in the fertilizer and soil fertility business for most of my life, and there are two very important dynamics that must be grasped about getting nutrition into a crop:

1. The root can only intake nutrition from the root tip.
2. The nutrients must be in the soil solution to be accessible to the plant. Nutrients can intake through the leaves, but root intake is the most efficient method.

Micronutrients cannot be optional in your fertilizer program. Micronutrients — like iron, copper, zinc, manganese and boron — are absolutely essential to the recovery of your groves. Essential micronutrients are key to root and vascular tissue repair.

The major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) and the secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium and sulfur) are needed to produce the crop yield, but the micronutrients are the catalysts that allow plants to carry out certain functions. This includes development of enzymes, hormonal balance, amino acids, etc.

A balance of major, secondary and micronutrients will allow for root branching. The increased branching produces more root tips and therefore increased nutrient intake.

There are agronomists within the TJ BioTech dealer network that are skilled in helping you develop a total fertility program that can help you speed grove recovery. I would encourage you to have a conversation with your agronomist or fertilizer dealer that places emphasis on these essential micronutrients. This strategy is likely to help you get the best return from your fertilizer dollar.

ReMedium TI^® is the proper therapy for treating HLB, and recovery can be enhanced with a strategic fertilizer program.