See the last two of the five areas—the 5Rs of citrus production for sustainability—that help citrus stay productive in the HLB era.
We shared the first three of five strategies that are a part of the 5Rs of sustainable citrus production in our last blog. These strategies come from Davie Kadyampakeni, a UF/IFAS associate professor, during a seminar at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. According to a Citrus Industry article, Kadyampakeni shared that these 5Rs of citrus production for sustainability are “needed to keep HLB-infected trees productive.” Explore the remaining two strategies—the right and the right—from Kadyampakeni’s below.
4 and 5 in the 5Rs of Citrus Production for Sustainability
These are the remaining two strategies from the 5Rs of Citrus Production for Sustainability:
4. Right Fertilizer Source
-“Improved fertilizer blends resulted in better root growth efficiency and higher fruit yields. A blend of 9-1-14, 11 calcium, 7.6 sulfur, 2 magnesium, .08 zinc, .04 manganese and .025 boron, applied with 180 pounds nitrogen per acre annually, resulted in two times greater root density compared to a blend of 16-2-16 with other nutrients applied separately.
5. Right Timing
“Kadyampakeni recommended the following timing for fertilizer applications:
- Fertigation: Apply weekly, biweekly or monthlySlow-release or controlled-release fertilizer – Apply two to three times per year (February, May and September)Conventional granular fertilizer – Apply in four splits per year (February, April, May and September)
- Foliar fertilizer – Apply three to four times per year in February/March, April/May and August/September”
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.