Peach trees produce more flowers than the tree can bring to full size fruit. Only about 5% of flowers are required to set for a commercial crop. Flower or young fruit thinning is required to get larger fruit. Fruit number is reduced, but the ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Fruit trees are usually a grafted combination of rootstock and top, or scion, that provides the fruit quality desired on a rootstock that will grow well in specific environments and provide certain qualities to the total plant. In citrus, rootstocks ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Citrus greening disease is devastating Florida citrus. This disease is spread by an insect, the Asian Citrus Psyllid. Growers are faced with expensive decisions about spraying pesticides to control the psyllid to reduce the spread of the disease. ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Blueberries prefer a low soil pH between 4.5 and 5.5. Growers add pine bark fines to the soil to reduce soil pH and increase organic matter, but how else can you reduce soil pH? You can add elemental sulfur to the soil before planting, or irrigation ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Chilling hours are the number of cold hours that are needed for a deciduous crop to break winter dormancy. Lack of adequate chilling can result in poor bud break, extended flowering season, poor bloom overlap with pollenizers, flower bud death, ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Thornless blackberry is a potential alternative crop for Central Florida. There are several pest problems a potential grower will encounter, especially diseases because of the warm, wet, humid conditions we experience. Profitable yields will ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Interested in trying to grow thornless blackberries? Are they a good crop here? The Arkansas breeding program with Dr. John Clark is the source for the majority of new blackberry cultivars on the market. Arkansas conditions are not the same ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
Persimmons, Diospyros virginiana, are a native fruit that are greatly underutilized by modern Americans. The plants make a nice small to medium sized tree with great fall color for the landscape and they provide delicious fruit. The fruit look ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
By Juanita Popenoe, Commercial Fruit Extension Agent Blueberries like growing in soil with high organic matter and a low pH. Growers in Florida typically use pine-bark incorporated into the planting bed and as mulch to provide these characteristics ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture
By: Juanita Popenoe, Commercial Fruit Extension Agent Citrus trees affected with Citrus Greening (HLB) decline in growth, resulting in reduced yields. Root growth is greatly reduced and branch dieback is typical as the infection spreads. ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Horticulture