Selecting Fruit Crops for Small Acreage Ryan Atwood, Lake County Extension

Introduction A wide variety of fruit can be grown in Central Florida Need to be aware of limitations Varieties Diseases Insects Climate Soil

Things to consider before planting How much time do you want to devote? What type of marketing opportunities exist? Start up cost. Production cost-Agricultural Inputs. Agricultural outputs. Tax exemption requirements.

Agricultural Inputs Pesticides Irrigation Fertilizer Tree training Pruning Fruit thinning Farm equipment and machinery

Agricultural Outputs Yield Fruit Quality Amount of labor required Gross and Net Profit

Small acreage opportunities Organic-growing at % 20 a year. Road side sales U-Pick operation Farmers market

Some fruits that can be grown successfully in Central Florida Citrus Blueberries Stone Fruits- Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines Muscadine Grapes Pecans Persimmons Blackberries

Citrus Industry 600,000 acres in citrus On tree crop worth 1 billion dollars 90% of crop is for orange juice Grown from Ocala to Homestead Florida leading producer of citrus in U.S.

Pros for Citrus Long successful history in Florida. No need for chilling hours. Large market place, easy to sell fruit. Relatively easy to grow.

Pros for Citrus Adapted to a wide variety of soils Stores on the tree Has been profitable High level of expertise in the area.

Cons for Citrus Sensitive to cold weather. In the past low fruit prices. Current problems getting trees from the nurserymen. Citrus Greening potential devastating disease.

Varieties Navel Orange Season: Oct. – Jan. Seeds per fruit: seedless Average diameter: 3-3.5 inches Gift fruit Use: fresh

Hamlin Orange Season: Oct.-Jan. Seeds per fruit: 0-6 Average diameter: 2.75-3 inches Peel texture: somewhat smooth Use: fresh and processing

Valencia Orange Season: Mar.- June Seeds per fruit: 0-6 Average diameter: 2.75-3 inches Most widely planted citrus variety in FL Use: fresh and processing

Red Grapefruit Selections

Tangerines Murcott (Honey Tangerine) Season: Jan. - March Seeds: 10 - 20 Size: 2.75 inches in diameter Use: fresh Comments: use Cleopatra mandarin as rootstock, susceptible to scab and Alternaria brown spot

Tangerines - Fallglo Season: Oct. – Nov. Seeds: 20-40 Size: 2.75 – 3.25 inches in diameter Use: fresh Comment: does not store well on tree, does not require cross-pollination

Tangerines Season: Nov. – Dec. Seeds: 1-20 Size: 2.5 – 3 inches in diameter Use: Fresh Comments: self-incompatible and must be cross pollinated, green internal seed color

Specialty varieties In near future new varieties will present new opportunities for niche markets.

Citrus Nursery Business Short supply coupled with high demand Good tree prices New regulations has everyone is on learning curve

Things to consider 5 acres to qualify for tax exemption in Brevard County Strongest industry in Florida No fruit for the first 3 years (no income) Cold protection. Indian River marketing

Deciduous Fruits Require chilling hours-number of hours under 45 degrees. Only cultivars that have been developed for Florida’s mild winters should be used. Still can have cold weather problems with deciduous fruit trees Cold damage to young trees Frost damage to bloom and young fruit

Chilling Requirement Hours of 32-45 deg. F during dormant period http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG374

Blueberries Florida is a major producer of early season blueberries April 1st thru May 15th Fifth in commercial acreage for blueberry producing states Production has more than doubled since 1990.

Blueberry Industry Florida statistics a. 1,600 Acres 2002 b. $25 Million in 2004 Fresh Market (Early) 80% U-Pick 20%

Pros for Blueberries High market value-last decade blueberry prices averaged roughly $4 lb before May 25th Wide consumer acceptance Health benefits Available marketing channels

Cons for Blueberries Freeze hazard to flowering. Exact cultural requirements to maintain good plant health. Expensive start up costs ~$15,000 acre Perishable commodity.

Blueberry Cultivars Southern Highbush- Emerald, Jewel, Sapphire

Blueberries Soil chemistry Well drained (including air) -Pine bark often used as growing media. a. pH 4.0 – 5.5 b. Organic matter 3-4% Fruit should be removed during 1st growing season.

Nutrition Nutrition Young plants first year: - 1 oz. 12-4-8-2 every 3 wks. 3/15-11/1 - 1 oz. 12-4-8-2 every 6 wks. 11/1-3/15 Age 2 2 oz 4 times a year April, June, August, & October Age 3+ 3 oz Foliar feeding & micronutrients “blueberry special” Tissue analysis

Blueberry Pests Diseases- Phytophtora, Leafspot, flower blight, stem die back. Insects- Flower thrips, Cranberry fruit worm, Bud mites, Blueberry gall midge Weeds Birds- Cedar waxwing

Things to consider Lots of new plantings, future price of fruit? Very successful breeding program, new varieties released often. Agricultural tax exemption for 2 acres or more for specialty crops in Brevard County. Cold protection important.

Muscadine Grapes Muscadine grapes are native to Florida and are the most adapted for our climate. Bunch grape planting were killed off by Pierce’s disease. Bronze grape cultivar-Fry Purple grape cultivars-Alachua, Nobel, and Southern Home

Muscadine Grapes Grapes require pruning every year Easy to grow Harvested in September and October Grapes require 1.5lb of 10-10-10 for each year with a maximum of 5lbs applied in February.

Things to consider Value added potential-make your own wine. Potentially grow for a winery. Small profit margin Need to trellis

Persimmions Consumer demand relatively high. Good for local marketing efforts. Fungal diseases are problematic. Insect pests such as borers and psylla require chemical control.

Persimmon Cultivars -Izu (early) -Matsumoto Wase Fuyu (mid) -Fuyu (late) Culture -Plant in well drained site Dec-Feb. 20 ft. -Fairly drought tollerant

Persimmon Culture cont. -Fertilize March, June & late August -Prune mid winter first 3 years -Pollinator variety required -Scale insects

Blackberries Easy to grow and widely adapted. Thornless varieties grown in Central Florida should have trellising. Pollinators required.

Blackberries Floragrand, Okalawaha, and Brazo cultivars are recommended. After you harvest can mow them to the ground. Harvest mid-March thru May

Pecans Central Florida pecans varieties- Moreland, Curtis, Desirable Tend to be alternate bearing one good year one bad year. Tendency for nuts to be poorly filled in good years.

Pecans Requires good fertilization program. Scab can be a major problem. Pruning not required. Mature from October to January

Fertilization Recommendations for Pecans Pecans require 1 lb 10-10-10 in May of 1st season. After the first season apply 10-10-10 fertilizer in February at the rate of 2 lbs for each year of the tree. The maximum rate is 50 lbs 10-10-10 per tree, which is achieved at 25 years of age.

Pros of Stone Fruit Florida is early season for fruit production should translate into $. New varieties. In my opinion under developed market. Potential to direct market to local produce stores??

Cons Stone Fruits Require frequent use of insecticides and fungicides for production. Fruit fly damage can be problematic. Nursery stock is limited.

Stone Fruits Make sure you have a variety adapt for Florida (low chill). Thinning of fruit for proper sizing. Irrigation important as stone fruits have shallow root systems. 2 inches of water every 10-14 days.

Stone Fruits Use a “nemaguard” or “flordaguard” rootstock. These are rootknot-nematode-resistance rootstocks. Pruning required. Open center is typical. Protection of flowers from frost.

Peaches and Nectarines Varieties Plums Gulf ruby Gulf blaze Gulf gold Peaches Florida prince Floridaglo Tropic sweet Rayon Nectarines Sunracer Sunmist

Peach Crop-Pest Phenology Russ Mizell, UF-IFAS, Quincy Peach Crop-Pest Phenology Dormant Period: November-Feb. 15 Scales Bloom – Harvest Caribfly Plum curculio Stink and plant bugs Mites Post harvest Borers Miscellaneous June bugs, Weevils, Grasshoppers

Pruning and/or Training Benefits Aid in the establishment of newly planted trees Promote development of a strong framework Enhance early productivity Aid in the development and maintenance of desirable tree size and shape

Pruning and/or Training Benefits Continued Increase fruit size and enhance fruit quality Promote flower bud development throughout the tree canopy Increase tree vigor and promote development of new fruiting wood needed to maintain productivity Reduce the tendency for biennial bearing

Pruning and/or Training Benefits Continued Reduce incidence and spread of certain diseases Facilitate other horticultural practices, such as spraying, thinning and harvesting

When to prune Generally during the dormant period Late winter or early spring past chance of freezing temperatures Summer pruning usually minor

Training Systems Modified Central Leader

Training Systems Open-Center (Vase)

Properly Planting Your Trees

General Considerations for Good Plantings Space for growth -depends on type of tree Irrigation -important for proper establishment and growth Soil drainage Tree Quality-Bigger not necessarily better

Site Selection Performance of fruit and nut trees in best in full sunlight and well drained soils Avoid low lying areas which are prone to colder temperatures causing frost damage in the spring.

Planting Preparation Have irrigation system in place and ready to be used. Layout trees in their proper locations. Remove all weeds and debris.

Planting Site Preparation If planting in site where old tree was located, remove all old roots Dig hole wide and deep enough to accommodate root system Inspect roots for pot binding or J rooting

Planting your tree Water your tree before and after planting Make sure to keep bud union above soil line Remove air pockets

Heading Nursery Trees At Planting When planting typically some of the roots are cut off or disturbed. Some removal of foliage is necessary to help correct the root/shoot ratio. Training the plant at this time is appropriate. Try to leave 3 to 4 branches in a whirled pattern to promote proper canopy development.

Conclusion Many types of fruit can be grown in Central Florida Select crops that will fruit Utilize recommended varieties Be aware of climatic limitations Be aware of site requirements

Thank You For more information visit the Small Farms web at http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu Take a virtual field day tour by visiting the Virtual Field Day web at http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu This presentation brought to you by the Small Farms/Alternative Enterprises Focus Team.