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How Florida hard freeze could impact farmers' crops
After days of cold weather in Florida, more cold weather in on the way with dangerously low temperatures. A rare "extreme cold watch" has been issued for nearly all of Central Florida, as well as a frost advisory for the Ocala area. FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie visited Southern Hill Farms to see how they're preparing for the cold weather to protect their plants.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida is preparing for at least a three-day stretch of dangerously cold weather, where overnight temperatures will dip into the 20s and 30s. Add in the wind chill – and those temperatures will feel even colder, potentially as frigid as the single digits, forecasters say.
That's dangerously cold for people, as the risk for hypothermia and frost bite increases. It's also potentially damaging to plants.
SOUTHERN HILL FARMS
David and Lisa Hill – of Southern Hill Farms – said freeze protection protocol is underway at their 120-acre farm in Clermont, Florida. That includes spraying their sunflower, blueberry, and strawberry fields with water, intentionally freezing them, using the ice as a barrier to hopefully protect the plants.
"These crops are not meant for this kind of cold weather," said David Hill.
He said that ice though, it also risky.
"You’ll have 40-50 lbs. of ice on each plant… you’ll be breaking branches, which means no production off the branch of course, and the worst part the plant will just fall over," he said. "We can stake them back later on, but you’ll never get the production out of that plant – its’ been stressed out and compromised."
The Hills said they would have to sacrifice some of their crops to save the rest.
"It’s very stressful, it’s very hard," said Lisa Hill. "It’s hard on the farmers, hard on the plants – it’s just a challenge."
SOD DEPOT
At Sod Depot in Clermont, a business that grows and sells grass turf, teams there are using water to protect their products from the dangerous cold.
"Moist soil will retain heat a lot better than dry soil," said Lou Silva, president of Sod Depot and Nursery.
For anyone who has recently put down sod or has grass, he shared some recommendations on how to protect both during the cold:
- If you have fresh sod, cover it with a breathable fabric.
- For those with established grass, water it 12-24 hours before the freeze. That's how his teams are preparing to protect their 300 acres of grass.
What grass is most impacted by cold weather?
According to Silva, he said all the most popular grass types in Florida will likely be impacted by the hard freeze. Though he warns homeowners not to panic.
"It’s going to turn brown, do not fret," Silva said. "Do not worry about it – it’ll come back. Don’t overdo it, don’t overthink it."
And don’t fertilize immediately after… or scalp it, said Silva. Patience is key when it comes to letting your lawn grow back and recover naturally.
FAMILY ORCHID
Over at Family Orchid in Sorrento, Chad Lee usually keeps the nursery around 65 degrees – it’s prime growing temperature, he said.
According to Lee, he will be monitoring the dropping temperatures with his Wi-Fi thermostat. Lee, who said he’s been growing orchids in Florida for two decades, said he’s prepared.
"We have heaters and insulation curtains and side door curtains also, so in the evening we close everything," Lee said.
If temps drop too low, lee said he will also turn to water.
Lee waters the soil below the orchids to create steam. It’s a Korean technique, he said, to keep the plants at the optimal temperature so they don’t go into shock and die.
The Source: FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie visited Southern Hill Farms, Sod Depot, and Family Orchid on Thursday to see how they're preparing for the cold weather and the weekend's freezing temperatures.