Post-Storm Tree and Palm Considerations

Green industry professionals are dealing with the aftermath of last week’s tropical storm force winds.  Here are some tips for responding to customer concerns over wind-damaged trees:

Palm fronds that are damaged or hanging should remain on the palm.  This will help the palm to maintain critical nutrition as it recovers and could make the difference between a palm surviving or not.  It may be 6 months or more until you can make a determination whether severely damaged palms will survive.  Water is critical right now – irrigate as needed.

Trees should generally be saved and restored when: Some major limb(s) are broken but intact lower limbs are available to cut back to, the canopy is only defoliated, only some large limbs are broken, trees which are in reasonably healthy condition and have relatively  SMALL (<6” diameter) trunk diameters are fallen or leaning, and when major anchoring roots have not been fractured.

Trees should generally be removed when: a large co-dominant leader has split out of the lower trunk (such as in the photo above), the lower trunk is cracked or broken, major roots are severed or broken, the tree is leaning towards a target, the remaining tree structure is highly susceptible to breakage, the tree is a nuisance tree or in poor health.

Click here to download a printer-friendly version of this post with further detail and more references: Hurricanes Deciding What to Do.

Following a Flood: Protective Fungicides for Nursery Production

Bill Schall, Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent

Palm Beach County Extension

Email: bschall@pbcgov.org / Office: 561.233.1725

 

Protective fungicides for nursery crops following a flood are mostly that, protective. Without accurately identifying what pathogens you are dealing with, the best bet is to go with a broadspectrum tank mix that will specifically go after the water molds like Phytophthora and Pythium spp.  The best strategy for container plants is to first apply a soil drench followed one week later with a foliar treatment. In-ground field nurseries can also utilize soil drenches, but may find foliar treatments more cost effective and practical.

Your agri-chemical supplier will also no doubt have additional recommendations for you, so you may want to contact them. Pesticide recommendations here are not at the exclusion of other comparable products of similar composition, nor do they signify endorsement by the University of Florida, or Palm Beach County.

Container Soil Drench: Subdue Maxx and/or Adorn

Follow Up Foliar Treatment: Mancozeb or Copper Fungicide Products

Download a pdf of this fact sheet.  For more information, refer to the UF Professional Disease Management Guide.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available in Florida Following Secretary of Agriculture Disaster Declaration for Drought

UF / IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension received the attached SBA Economic Injury notice relative to the 2012 drought.   Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of the drought. With the exception of aquacultural enterprises, agricultural producers, farmers and ranchers are not eligible to apply to SBA.  Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

Federal economic injury disaster loans are available to qualified small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes located in Florida as a result of the drought that began on January 1, 2012.  Businesses who wish to pursue this opportunity are advised to apply in accordance with the instructions contained in the release.

Wind-Resilient, Florida-Friendly Landscape Design and Management (presentations in English and Spanish attached!)

South Florida sustained a lot of damage in the landscape in recent hurricanes.  We may be half a year away from hurricane season, but it is important to always design with year-round weather in mind.  Your clients may want to know what they should plant and how they should design landscapes with an emphasis on wind-resilience.  Appropriate landscape design can reduce damage sustained in a hurricane, while poor design and plant selection can contribute to the extent of the damage.

In 2002, a small coastal village in India planted over 80,000 trees to break a Guiness book world record.  About two years later, when the Tsunami ravaged parts of India, this village sustained very minimal damage, thanks to the buffering of the trees.  This is a great example of how landscape can be used to increase storm resistance in the landscape.

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Last year, your UF / IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service offered a Paisaje, Arboles, y Huracanes / Landscape, Trees, & Hurricanes workshop.  If you missed it, you can check out this presentation that was given:  

• Click to see the Wind-Resilient, Florida-Friendly Urban Design presentation.

El año pasado, UF / IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service ofreció un taller  sobre Paisaje, Arboles, y Huracanes / Landscape, Trees, & Hurricanes workshop. Si te lo perdiste, aquí puedes ver la presentación.

• Haga clic aquí para ver la presentación Diseño Resistente al Viento de Acuerdo al Programa de Diseño Urbano de Florida.

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Certain factors in landscape design contribute to wind resilience.  These include: