Bigger fruit and healthier citrus trees. Those are the two upsides for organic citrus following the deluge of rain California has seen. “Because of the heat we had last fall, the size structure of citrus was affected so this rain helps us regain some of that. It’s a good thing for everybody because the fruit will grow to more desirable sizes,” says Craig Morris, citrus category director for Homegrown Organic Farms, noting that organic fruit also tends to run smaller because of less nitrogen for the trees.
Indeed, organic growers of citrus particularly have gotten a boost when it comes to nitrogen. “Rain really provides nitrogen to our trees and that’s very difficult for us to provide organically. There are a lot of conventional methods to do that but organically we use compost and manure and the buds do the work for us,” says Morris. “However the results are not immediate--this is for one to three years away. For this season however, we don’t have quick fixes so the rain provides us with a lot of natural nitrogen we need to set our crops.”
Morris says Homegrown is only 35-40 percent through the crop.
Additionally, given the recent years of drought that the state has seen, these rains will also help increase the ground aquifer levels.
However, in the short term, the storms have made things challenging. “The fields are saturated so we’re harvesting because the trees are too wet and the ground is too messy so it’s difficult to move equipment,” says Morris.
Pausing harvest
At the same time, citrus shouldn’t really be picked when it’s wet. “The fruit is covered with oil cells and when it absorbs the rain, if you pick it in that wet condition, you actually rupture the cells. You would notice it three or four days later when the fruit is on the shelf,” says Morris, adding Homegrown is only 35-40 percent through a crop that he says has exceptional flavor this season. Instead, the fruit needs to dry on the tree before harvest. Homegrown Organic had hoped to pick Thursday, Friday and possibly Saturday, and pick enough to meet its needs for the next week.
Of the crops, the most adversely affected would be citrus with “nooks and crannies” i.e. Gold Nugget Mandarin, Dekopon and specialty citrus. “In the short term there will be more give to the fruit because it’s absorbed that moisture,” says Morris.
Homegrown Organic Farms is working with its retailers and hoping there will be promotions to help move through the crop.
Many growers and shippers are also trying to recover some key marketing time--namely the weeks over the Christmas break and into January. “It’s difficult to get that time back. You put more and more fruit on the market on a weekly basis so we’re working with our retailers and hoping there will be promotions to help move through the crop. We’ll need it.”
Since the industry has largely moved past day-to-day markets and is more program-based, Morris doesn’t anticipate increases in the short term on price.
For more information:
Elise Smith
Homegrown Organic Farms
Tel: +1 (559) 306-1777
marketing@hgofarms.com
https://www.hgofarms.com/