“March in the Park,” the annual fundraiser of the Garden Club of Cape Coral, is coming up at Rotary Park in Cape Coral.
By JANE BARGMANN
news@breezenewspapers.com
A few recent days have been cooler than normal in Florida. Most of us who have lived here a while are not used to it and we are often the ones with heavy coats, long pants, hats and gloves. But in gardening this cooler weather plays an important role in the growing of fruit trees.
Many factors weigh into successful gardening in Southwest Florida – plant selection, soil type, placement in sun/shade, water requirements, etc. Like most people who move to Florida, I wanted fruit trees. I had apple, cherry, pear in Illinois but realized once I arrived in Southwest Florida, those trees do not produce this far south. The trees that do well in the tropical or subtropical climates are citrus — orange, lemon, lime to name a few. Unfortunately, citrus “greening” has destroyed many orchards and caused bans on planting in an attempt to stop the spread of this disease. But there are other fruit trees like mango, avocado, pomegranate and fig that do grow here. What I didn’t understand until recently was the need these trees have for “chill hours” in order to produce fruit.
Going to my trusted UF/IFAS resource, chill hours are defined as the number of hours spent by fruit trees and other plants in temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F during winter dormancy. What does this “chill” requirement do for the fruit tree? It acts as a reset button to alert the tree that a new growth period is about to begin. If the appropriate chill hours are not met, the tree may not follow the normal reset time which can cause weak buds, delayed blooms or smaller crops.
What happens if there are more chill hours that are required? Fortunately, the trees stay dormant until warmth promotes growth. Of course, unseasonable cold snaps that occur after the tree begins the new growing season can also affect the production of fruit.
Do all fruit trees require chill hours? Some tropical and sub-tropical trees like avocado, mango, papaya, guava and citrus require little or no chill hours. Other trees have high chill hour requirements: apple, pear, cherry and some plum varieties often require 700-1,200 chill hours for proper fruit development and set.
Calculators can be found at Agroclimate.org to determine the number of chill hours in your area. Growables.org provides maps with chill hours for sections of Florida. Assistance with plant selection, choosing the best suited variety for your growing area and planting requirements are available at the Extension office in your county or through various online EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source of UF/IFAS Extension) publications.
Living in Florida, I hope you enjoy one of the many tropical fruits that grow in Southwest Florida. Happy planting.
Remember, that next month, March 14, is our annual big Fundraiser — March in the Park, which takes place at Rotary Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to our own plant stall, where we sell plants raised by our members at very reasonable prices, there will be lots of other vendors, a free kids booth, music and food vendors. All Garden Club proceeds are used to fund the annual merit awards that we make to local high school students.
Jan Bargmann is a Master Gardener, and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Like us on Facebook and Instagram!
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