Explore your options for helping trees recover from high wind damage in citrus.

Florida is no stranger to high winds with annual hurricanes, daily thunderstorms during the summer wet season, and the occasional tornado. While there isn’t much that Florida citrus growers can do to control the weather, there are some steps that growers can take to help mitigate high wind damage in citrus, according to the UF/IFAS Tip of the Week article. See your options below.

Irrigation and High Wind Damage in Citrus

Obviously, the higher the wind speed, the greater the damage to citrus trees, and the longer it will take for the trees to recover. According to the article, high wind damage in citrus, even when minimal, usually affects a tree’s capacity to move water. This means that “a storm’s impact on tree water-movement capacity means that for the best recovery, the focus should be on water status.”

Options for helping trees with a reduced capacity to move water due to high wind damage include:

  • Keep “a constant water supply by frequent small-dose irrigation (two times per day is recommended where possible)” as trees “can only move small amounts of water at a time.”
  • “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.“

Preventing High Wind Damage

The article adds that, “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.”

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.