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Florida Freeze: Protecting citrus farms
The race is on to protect crops from freezing temperatures. Sensitive vegetables have been wrapped in plastic. Water will be sprayed on citrus to create a shell of protective ice.
UMATILLA, Fla. - This weekend’s cold weather is setting up a battle for citrus farmers in Central Florida. They are taking extra steps to protect their livelihoods from the cold.
At Sunsational Farms in Umatilla, employees have wrapped some of the vegetable greenhouses in plastic and will be misting well water inside all night to raise the temperature in the enclosed space. They say peppers and tomatoes are sensitive to the cold.
Saturday night, when it’s expected to drop below freezing, they’ll be turning their attention to the orange trees.
Co-owner Bill Baker says they’ve raised up their sprinklers to coat the trees in water.
"On the citrus tree, we actually put it on the tree to try and freeze the tree at 32 degrees. Citrus trees can go to about 28 degrees, and it won’t hurt them – but not below that," Baker explained.
The farmers say it’s been several years since they’ve had to run water on the citrus trees overnight to protect them from the cold. If they die, it will take years for the trees to grow back.
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