Citrus growers try to protect oranges from cold blast

It has been a tough season for citrus growers and these bone-chilling days are the last thing these growers need. That is because a lot of them, including Showcase of Citrus, off U.S. 27 in Clermont, Florida, lost a third to a half of their citrus this season because of Hurricane Irma. Workers at the Showcase of Citrus have been working overnight to make sure their crop does not freeze and the rain is also not helping. “It really does hurt us because what we’re trying to do is keep the center of the tree warm, and what the rain is doing is basically adding a layer of moisture to the outside of the tree, and what that’s going to do is basically frost over so it could kill potentially our fruit for next year as well,” said Jackson Arnold, who works at the Showcase of Citrus. Jackson’s father, John Arnold, the owner of Showcase of Citrus, says the main concern will be Wednesday night and Thursday morning when even colder weather arrives. “A lot of it’s praying that tomorrow morning is not going to unfold into a disastrous situation than it already looks like it could potentially be,” said John Arnold. This season’s crop is already down due to other weather events in Central Florida. “We are already short citrus right now because of the hurricanes that we’ve had,” said John Arnold. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2016 destroyed about 30 percent of their citrus crop. That’s why they are doing everything they can to protect the citrus that are still hanging on trees. Now they are trying to save whatever they have left. At the Showcase of Citrus, workers are continually checking their irrigation pumps to make sure they are working. They want to freeze he trees in order to protect them. That blanket of ice keeps the tree at 32 degrees, helping keep it warm so-to-speak if temperatures drop into the 20s, when trees are at risk of dying. There are tens of thousands of citrus trees out and these oranges are their bread and butter. - Story courtesy of Spectrum 13 News out of Florida