Welcome to the Manatee County Rare Fruit Council Website.

You don't hear that said very often nowadays, but the work IFAS is doing on the exotic laurel wilt disease that threatens our avocado trees is worth its weight in gold.  Laurel wilt disease, carried by the imported Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, is deadly to redbay trees, a common forest tree in Florida, and threatens all members of the laurel family, including avocados.

Much work remains to be done, and for now there are more questions than answers, but framing the relevant questions is where the job begins.  Here are some of the areas being looked into:

Alternate methods of transmission.  The disease moves with frightful efficiency through redbay forests all over the state.  But the spread is worsened by transporting diseased wood for firewook from affected areas to clean areas.  The investigators are looking into whether it can also be spread by cutting tools, and if so, what sterilization methods will be effective.  Also, can it spread by root grafts forming naturally between closely spaced trees in forests and avocado groves.

Biocontrol of the pathogen.  Investigators are studying the few redbay trees that survive in devastated forests to try to discover what, besides luck, enabled them to survive.  It is suspected the survivors may carry a fungus that is deadly to the laurel wilt fungus.

Resistant trees.  There may be some redbay trees that possess genetic resistance to the pathogen, and, more importantly, some avocado trees.  Very preliminary results suggest that some avocado cultivars may be less susceptible than others.  If there is widespread destruction of avocado plantings, we need to know what varieties can be replanted with hope they can resist the disease.

Of course, the first question is whether any fungicide might be effective in treating diseased trees.

As answers to these questions come out, we can better plan for the future of avocados, in groves and dooryards.

Query:  What would you put under a healthy tree if you wanted to provide it with every nutrient it could possibly need?

Answer:  Branches, leaves, and fruit of that very tree.

So, when you're sure how much of your tree is really dead from the freeze, cut it back, but don't burn or otherwise dispose of the cuttings;  put them back under the tree to decay and, over time, nourish the tree.  Of course, you'll also be encouraging that world of microorganisms that make the difference between dirt and living soil.  Further, you'll enhance the ability of the soil to retain moisture and resist drought.

There's a bit of good news/bad news here.  The decaying cuttings will benefit the tree over a period of many months.  Put another way, it's going to take a while for the benefits to be realized.  But our trees wounded by the unprecedented freezes of January need a jump start to kick off vigorous growth and start repairing the damage as quickly as possible.  We're in February now, and the fifteen day forecast shows nothing resembling another freeze.  So, it's unlikely that rapid growth resulting from fertilizing now would be damaged by another freeze.  So, go for it!  MRFC members can call fertilizer chairman Al Semago to purchase our special Fruitilizer.  Arrange for pickup, or Al may be able to bring it to the meeting for pickup.

It was the longest, though not the coldest weather period I've ever seen.  Twelve days with a high below 60, five freeze nights, lowest temp at my place was 24.5 degrees.  There was damage aplenty to leaves and especially to blooms, but I think very few trees are actually dead. If you see dead leaves falling, that can mean that new growth is emerging to push them off.  It's best to delay pruning until new growth begins to emerge, so as not to cut back live branches.  At my place, lychee blossoms had not fully emerged, so there's a chance of some bloom.  Emerged mango blossoms were killed, but mangos may rebloom.  It was pretty early for avocado blooms, so there's a chance of some bloom.  My annonas were badly damaged, and will be a long time recovering.  I expect no  fruit this season from them.

Citrus industry folklore has it that if you get past the full moon of February, the danger of freezes is over.  Long-range forecasts out to Feb. 1 call for no lows anywhere near freezing.  Let's hope we don't get a replay of the January bad news.

Pete Ray

OurFebruary 2010 Newsletter is available (in pdf format) online. members receive printed versions as well. Find out what went on at the last MRFC meeting, and what events we have in store this year.
 

MRFC is getting a new website design, including fresh content, and features. Keeping our club connected and sharing current information is paramount. Please send your website comments and suggestions to us by Clicking Here.

* Please note: During this transition time some features may be unavailable.

Annual Tree Sale — May 17th 2009

Manatee Civic Center
Haben Blvd. and US 41/301 Palmetto
click here for more details

Manatee County IFAS now has a website. Click here to view. This website is a rich resource for news, and articles pertaining to our tropical fruit tree hobby.

New Membership Form: We have updated our membership form, please note the dues changes. Click here.

Past years newsletters are now available for online reading. Please take a moment to browse this wealth of information. Click here.

Notice: Fruitilizer for Sale!
Contact Al Semago at (941) 725-3273 to arrange to pick it up.