![]() ![]() Thus, foliar sprays of micronutrients (copper, zinc, manganese and boron) will be beneficial to new growth. Nutrient deficiency symptoms may be intensified in freeze-damaged trees due to the drain entailed by the large amount of growth necessary to replace lost foliage. Trees suffering 50 to 60 percent wood loss most likely will not produce fruit that year, and the nutritional program should be reduced according to the damage. Growers and production managers should make wise decisions based upon their local situation.įor example, trees suffering 10 to 15 percent wood loss should receive a regular nutritional program as fruit will be produced that year. Fertilizer should be applied more frequently, but rates should be reduced in proportion to the amount of tree damage and to the expected crop load. It is advisable to remove heavy brush from the grove immediately following the pruning operation.įertilization of freeze-damaged trees should be reduced until the trees are back to their original canopy size and foliage density. Pruning cuts should be made into living wood and, where possible, at crotches, leaving no stubs or uneven surfaces. Sufficient time should be given for the dying back to cease and for the new healthy growth to take place and fully expand.Įxperience has shown that early pruning does not promote recovery and that delaying pruning to the proper time will save money. In early spring, freeze-damaged trees often produce new growth that soon dies back. This delay is desirable since it is difficult to determine the actual extent of freeze injury until new growth commences and fully develops. Therefore, no pruning should be done until late in the spring or the summer after a freeze. No attempt should be made to prune or even assess freeze damage until the new spring flush gets fully expanded and mature. Twigs and branches may continue to die for a period of several months to a couple of years following a severe freeze. The natural reaction after a freeze is to do something right away, although there is very little that can be done at that time, as it is impossible to determine the full extent of injury. These factors will influence the type of approach to use for recovery of freeze-damaged trees. Juice loss occurs over a period of several weeks with the extent of loss being dependent on damage severity and weather conditions following the freeze.Ĭare of citrus trees that have been freeze-injured must be dependent on factors such as time of year at which the freeze occurs, condition of the trees at time of injury and weather conditions immediately following injury. The frozen area will eventually dry out, leaving the injured fruit partially hollow and lighter in weight than sound fruit of comparable size. The deeper the ice is formed, the greater is the severity of injury. Shortly after the freeze, cutting the fruit progressively from the outside to the inside (starting at the stem end) will show the amount of ice formed and its location. The first evidence of freeze injury is the presence of water-soaked areas on the segment membranes with the juice sacs or vesicles in injured areas subsequently becoming dry and collapsed (see Figure 6). This freeze-damaged fruit has extensive internal injury. ![]()
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