Minimizing Hurricane Damage to Citrus Trees
Notes by Tim Spann and other CREC Staff.
Post-Hurricane considerations
- Establish drainage
- Assess damage
- Reset, clear and re-establish irrigation
- Fertilizer practices
- Fruit handling
- Pests
What we learned from Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne during the fall of 2004.
- Tree health: Well maintained trees that were healthy before the storm weathered the winds better than weak trees and branches. Deeply rooted trees suffered less damage than shallow rooted trees. Small young trees were less damaged than larger older trees.
Hurricane Preparedness For Citrus Groves , Robert E. Rouse (EDIS Document HS804/CH178)
Hurricane Preparedness List for Nurseries , Thomas H. Yeager (EDIS Document ENH155/EP076)
- Tree size control: Trees that were recently hedged and topped suffered less damage than tall overgrown trees. Regular hedging programs may be good insurance against hurricane damage ( Crane et al. 1994 ).
- Planning for hazards and emergencies. Fill liquid tanks ( Rouse 2001 ) Have some kind of insurance. Catastrophic insurance has limited coverage but inexpensive.
