The Florida Flower Bud Advisories, which started November 15th, now include gibberellic acid recommendations for Florida citrus growers.
The Florida Flower Bud Advisories started November 15, and they will now also include gibberellic acid recommendations for Florida citrus growers, according to the UF/IFAS Tip of the Week. See the details of the new addition below.
Bud Advisories and Gibberellic Acid Recommendations
According to the article, “The goals of flower bud advisories are to inform growers about the status of the tree in respect to floral bud induction and to predict bloom. This is critical information since the horticultural practices to manipulate flowering, when applied at the right time, can improve the crop.”
The article also shared that “Flower bud advisories are driven by the Citrus Flowering Monitor, which predicts dates when citrus trees will bloom based on observed and predicted weather patterns and other parameters (cultivar, expected yield, tree age and soil type).” Growers can input information for the area of their operations and get predicted bloom dates and advice for managing blooms.
In the past, mimicking drought conditions for orange groves was used to control growth and blooms, and thus harvests, but “with vulnerable root systems associated with HLB, growers shouldn’t risk heavier preharvest fruit drop of the current crop by using water stress to prevent unwanted early vegetative growth and enhance induction of flowers.” Growers can utilize GA to control growth. So, “Starting this year, each advisory will carry additional recommendations regarding use of GA to manipulate flowering.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions -or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.