Why Florida Oranges Had The Worst Harvest Since World War II | Big Business | Insider Business

[@1Clearwords]

The problem isn't the pest, necessarily, it's monoculture farming.

[@microska2656]

Exactly, disasters like these are inevitable.

[@johnl.7754]

Well without monoculture farming you will get higher prices of Orange and OJ.

[@nunya2814]

If you think monoculture farming is the only farming that experiences pest problems, do more research.

[@CoopMauKona]

@@johnl.7754 So? Artificially low prices in 1 generation of people while destroying otherwise healthy eco systems is selfish. Same destructive agriculture is now being done to support low prices for Avocados, palm oil, bananas, etc. High prices drive innovation.

[@bluey3575]

But people love certain fruits and not the others, and thus farmer grow what the market demands....

[@billmoyer3254]

I've lived in Florida over 65 years. I remember when Orange County actually had orange groves.

[@lindaobryan3175]

Wait .. is that why it's called orange county? Wow

[@preciadoalex123]

@@lindaobryan3175 hope that was sarcasm

[@Gkuljian]

Huh, I've lived in California for over 65 years. I remember when Orange County here had orange groves! Smudge pots in the winter.

[@Hyperlingualism]

@@preciadoalex123 To be fair, the "Orange County" in New York, Virginia, and North Carolina are named after Prince Williams III, IV, and V respectively, not after orange the fruit. The Principality of Orange was a sovereign state up until the 1700s and those counties borrow from the title "Prince of Orange". I moved from Orange County, NY and Orange County, FL and I honestly thought the Florida one had the same etymology.

[@preciadoalex123]

@@Hyperlingualism you're right, found that out when I visited a historical train station in Bakersfield

[@thedwightguy]

We lost our large Valencia orange tree three years ago, almost 100 years old. Probably planted in 1934 when the house was built in the San Gabriel valley, Calif. Just packed it in; never had an issue with it, just passed on. A great juice tree.

[@dergluckliche4973]

I grew up with a backyard full of citrus trees so reading your comment makes me sad.

[@rottenpotato4399]

@@dergluckliche4973 We had a 20 acre citurs farm here in Gaza, I grew up going to it every day. Until 2014, messiles from airplanes caused most of it to burn. It was heartbreaking really. War sucks

[@dergluckliche4973]

@@rottenpotato4399 It does suck. I'm sorry. I bet it was beautiful. Can imagine the smell and the bees when it was in bloom.

[@thedwightguy]

@@dergluckliche4973 the good news is the small lemon tree (a replacement) and a nice navel orange tree were opened to a lot more direct sunlight, so it was all good. Mom likes the orange juice fresh, and we have neighbors over to take bags of lemons away almost year around. But we had two really humid years (unusual for Los Angeles) and the tree just saw it's time to go, I guess. Doves used to overnight in the deep leaves and then leave for the day to forage. (mourning doves).

[@deepspire]

Should have cloned it by rooting branches.

[@jorgeconj]

Here in Puerto Rico we had the same problem. It wasn’t untill a category 5 hurricane hit the island that we started to see imprvement in the citrus growth. It was also happening to avocados. Hurricane took care of that also.

[@femininechaos4931]

Damn let’s pray for a hurricane then. Oranges are so good for our bodies.

[@whiteprivilege7961]

Crazy

[@ez5319]

lol "hurricane took care of that also"🤣

[@theuglykwan]

Could you not just simulate this and burn them all down and start from scratch?

[@xiscanicolas6009]

What do you mean? No tree, no disease?

[@yeetusonix9795]

As someone who used to live in Florida - yeah it's a problem and a lot of the orange groves I saw growing up looked a whole lot healthier then what I saw leaving the state.

[@antoniomartinez6722]

Meanwhile the stupid governor is more worried about gay people

[@MichaelMulin]

why did you leave if you dont mind sharing?

[@yeetusonix9795]

@@MichaelMulin property taxes too damn high and South Carolina houses (the one I bought) was bigger than my place in FL (and also cost much less to buy) And I pay 95 dollars a year in property taxes in SC. Also too much overpopulation without road construction made it really difficult to travel without hitting traffic where I was on the west coast in FL.

[@AnthonyRBlacker]

Tragedy.. I lived in SouthWest Florida for years many years ago and we had the sweetest most delicious oranges I ever could remember.. it's a shame this has happened.. Really sad

[@nicolasbertin8552]

This didn't "happen" by accident. It's the farmers' fault for growing weak trees. Insects only attack weak trees. NEVER healthy ones. In Florida, most of the trees are unhealthy because the planting density is too high, because they use pesticides and herbicides that destroy soil life and kill plant biodiversity. For a healthy grove of trees, you need them far appart, with native vegetation growing everywhere. That's how you get trees that don't attract psyllids. Any time you get insect damage, you need to think "what did I do wrong here ?". It can be a number of things : compacted soil, naked soil, too dense plantating, excess fertilizing, any pesticide, not enough water, too much water, etc... You can detect plant health with a refractometer, analyzing the sugar content of the leaf. If it's below 12 you're in trouble. When you get sucking insects like psyllid, you're around 6. A few farmers in Florida are above 12 coz they let the wild plants grow, no naked soil, no pesticides, and space their trees properly.

[@AnthonyRBlacker]

@Senior Shakingmyhead. I agree and it's unfortunate.. I moved to the Ft. Myers areaish after the 2008 debacle and seriously the amount of farmland that was partially build upon - especially on 41 between Punta Gorda and Ft. Myers.. it's terrible.. life will continue though

[@raymondkidwell7135]

Not true. It has wiped out trees everywhere. In backyards etc. Wild trees grown from seed are pretty healthy but the fruit is sour.

[@Madison.Rutherford]

@@nicolasbertin8552 straight up science. They obviously only care about profit.

[@addysidhu5669]

Again that disgusting china send that virus, I wouldn’t be surprised if china grown that virus in their lab to send the world so other country orange 🍊 farm vanish and they become a monopoly in oranges and the Pestiside which can control that virus, just like covid 19, there is not a single good thing about that country , not a single , they just make money after spreading diseases to other country, I wouldn’t be surprised if they grown that virus or insect in their lab to become monopoly in orange farming, so they send that insect to other country, and they make money on those plastic bags or pesticides , just like covid 19

[@CryptoHedge]

As a Florida native it’s nearly impossible to grow a citrus tree, as I have tried for years. 20 years ago was a different story. Try finding a sack of FL grown oranges at a local Florida supermarket. Most are imported from California.

[@elderberryjamz3654]

I grew up in a house in south/central FL with a lemon, 2 tangerines, and a ruby red grapefruit trees. My next door neighbor had 2 navel orange trees and a massive lime bush. All of them perished between citrus canker and greening. I do spot healthy limes in random backyards every once in awhile so I wonder if they just haven’t been infected yet or if they’re resistant.

[@ronniefnd]

last time I looked in Publix the oranges were from Mexico.

[@stankythecat6735]

My front yard in Palm Springs has the most incredible tangerines , oranges , blood oranges , pink and white grapefruit . I had to fire my Gardners because they weren’t sterilizing their tools between pruning other peoples trees… its important

[@saudaldoraee8943]

صلوا على النبي

[@apollo5751]

Actually, it's about 50/50 Florida/California. If this situation were REAL orange juice would cost $10/half gallon.

[@stifledvoice]

In the 1970s we had acreage near a south Florida grove. In the cool months when the trees were flowering the air was so redolent with that orange blossom perfume you'd think you were in heaven.

[@DarthVader-ou2vv]

That scent is indeed from heaven and you can add the beauty of the glowing flowers and bee's buzzing and you're already in heaven.

[@handymack5324]

If you were living in Florida before 2000 you had the chance of experiencing the citrus state beautiful side of life. All over central Florida you found citrus groves that stretched miles along housing developments. At the perimeters of new housing subdivisions you found Valencia oranges dotted the landscape and nobody seemed to pay attention to them, and they just existed alongside weeds on the road. In your neighborhood you found citrus trees that bear so many fruits many homeowners actually advertised in local publications inviting locals to pick them for free to deter critters from congregating in their backyard at night. Floridians in those days took the state's abundant production for granted. Now everyone is facing the real danger of the extinction of the Florida orange and realizes how important the food crop is to the state. Its heartbreaking.

[@nutterinherbutter5080]

I remember when my dad started to live in Haines city in 1996, he said you could drive for miles on US 27 seeing nothing but orange groves, nowadays it's either housing developments or commercial property, I miss the old Florida.

[@hoihoipoipoi]

not really. prior to y2k the huge "problem" [that was never a problem at all] was the fear of citrus canker. from the keys up to orlando they mass murdered EVERYONES citrus trees, coming into ppls yards, even fenced yards an dhacking down any and all citrus. award winning key limes, lemons, oranges, all killed. so these oranges now that they are whining abt that are dying to a bacteria are NOT the same trees from the 90s. theyre entirely new trees, and are all clones and therefore much weaker. I feel like if you were rly from my state you'd know this.

[@stephaniemcpherson2558]

I was born in FL and mom still lives there. SOOO much of FL has died☹️ The only industry thriving now is drugs. The county I grew up in (Jackson) had numerous factories & farms. We farmed just about everything: melons, peanuts, cotton, soybeans, beef, vegetables, canola etc… Our factories made everything from furniture to washing machines and teeshirts to bed linens. Now there’s a few farms, a few prisons and meth! 😒

[@hoihoipoipoi]

@@stephaniemcpherson2558 that's not true at all, idk what you're huffing but from orlando and tampa down FL is in grezat shape. the entire west coast up to tampa is pristine, not a single plastic bag blows on the ground in naples, even miami beach has been thoroughly cleaned up since the huge investment in the 90s. we still have the everglades and it has made a tremendous comeback since the 90s infrastructure that happened after hurricane andrew flattened the state. if you want all the benefits of miami like the cuban food and culture, without the traffic, then naples/ft myers is the place for you. I'm a FL native and I watched us go from critically endangered animals to booming populations. We even have made huge strides in saving the critically endangered key deer AND kemps ridley sea turtles. you must be smoking the strongest drugs to think FL is a nightmare. Maybe you just live in one of the nastier high-crime areas. Even miami with its million dollar homes has nasty crime areas (like FL city, perrine, cutler ridge) but the vast majority of places are very wealthy and very *nice*

[@hoihoipoipoi]

@@stephaniemcpherson2558 googling it, this makes sense. you're in the most northern part of FL ruined by inbreds from alabama. if you were smart you'd just leave that area. any part of FL touching the filth of alabama and GA is a cesspool. just look at jacksonville. absolute pit of garbage.

[@theuglykwan]

The problem is monoculture, growing so many of the exact same clone. If one is vulnerable then they all fall like dominoes, same with bananas and many other crops. Plant some oak trees around the orange orchards and interplant them with guavas. Home gardeners have found that citrus grown like that tend to evade HLB. It might not work on large scale. But even if it does it raises prices. I'd consider diversifying my crops in that case. There's many other fruits that can be grown in FL that fetch decent prices.

[@charlessmith3940]

Wonder how long that will take. Notice they said the crop dropped 71% between 2020 and 2021. Growing other trees and diversifying crops isn’t going to fix their immediate issue. Their is also a reason they use monoculture and only produce one fruit.

[@thiccityd9773]

@@charlessmith3940 The reason is that it’s cheaper, because the individual farmers aren’t held accountable for their negative externalities. The intermediate solution is to just accept having fewer oranges for a while, we can’t let static friction keep destroying our ecosystems.

[@curto201]

Yes youre a professional. Why arent you working on this situation?

[@Qce-i6d]

Yep, in a way, the pests are doing their job: removing the unnatural clones. Farming needs more diversity anyway. Why only one variety at the grocery store of citrus? Why not many more?

[@charlessmith3940]

@@Qce-i6d it’s all about cost and efficiency. What you just said is the equivalent to why a specific factory doesn’t produce 500 different types of cotton towels. Vs one. Factories make shit at the cheapest cost to them. They make what they have contracts or a likely hood of selling. Farming is no different. Majority of CERTAIN fruits and vegetables go unpicked cause they aren’t pretty enough for Walmart. Growing different varieties would produce an even greater variance, they could have different harvest times, could be vulnerable to other pest and diseases etc. Majority are fed through machines at some point and this is where size and shape is extremely important. I’m not saying I support mono culture but farming is a tough business and asking them to diversify on a large scale isn’t realistic. As is, they can barely produce a profit

[@carlagarrett3244]

i had no idea this happened- what a true shame, i imagine a totally different crop of fruits will need to be planted now so that as the orange trees go, the new will be able to grow in between

[@SunshineCountryChickens]

Theyve sold 40% of the land for housing what do they care about food. Import more people!

[@erikwilliams8610]

The logical solution is to breed the bacteria to be symbiotic if possible. That strain would likely out compete the original one and it would be faster and cheaper than breeding trees.

[@StevenStGelais]

@@erikwilliams8610 the bugs would have to be modified to modify the bacteria likely

[@erikwilliams8610]

@@StevenStGelais If the bugs are required to transfer the bacteria you'd need to insure that the new bacteria could out compete the original at infecting the bugs. It is likely the bugs are not required but they would be useful especially for wild environments. Bugs are still much easier to breed than trees however if the new bacteria yields results it's likely the bugs will evolve naturally to host it as the trees will be healthier and therefore give those bugs an advantage when feeding on uninfected trees.

[@haggielady]

No new crops will be planted, unless you count homes.

[@minavanderleest9493]

Farmers have been saying for decades that modern farming has very real choke points and disease has ALWAYS been a real concern. Big is not necessarily better. Also stop looking at farming as a free market system. It's the most over regulated, subsidized, and corporate controlled industry in the world. It doesn't follow supply and demand.

[@hithere5553]

And if it wasn’t, say hello to the Dust Bowl disaster on a continental scale, as well as mass starvation.

[@minavanderleest9493]

@@hithere5553 Starvation today will happen because of government. Not because there wasn't enough rain or poor farming practices in the field because majority of farmers are not screwing up the soil. If you look at corporations and government THAT is where the problems are growing. Not with farmers.

[@joebobjenkins7837]

BINGO

[@joebobjenkins7837]

@@hithere5553 dustbowl was the direct result of gov intervention. They promoted the crap out of corn, which is an exhaustive plant if not done correctly. They ruined 15ft thick soil in a few decades and viola, the dustbowl.

[@kevinmclarkey621]

Complaining about regulation lmao. no regulations = dust bowl every 10 years

[@theblondesiouxsiesioux]

When I was a kid (so like 21 years ago) we had a key lime tree in our back yard. The tree produced so many limes that we never lacked for key limeade. Anyway, move on some years, this perfectly healthy, full grown tree starts to look like the trees they're showing here. My family ended up leaving FL. and eventually, the tree died. I'm sad to see this. 70 percent seems pretty wiped out to me.

[@omokaroojiire]

I wonder if all the fires we hear about, destroying food processing factories worldwide are linked 🤔

[@mehere8038]

limes really aren't a problem, finger limes are an easy replacement plant for them. It's the oranges that are harder

[@violetviolet888]

Siouxsie Sioux: When in doubt, always focus on soil health. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@theblondesiouxsiesioux]

@@violetviolet888 Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. I wish we used more organic farming. I've been adding back to my current backyard for going on 15 years now. I can see how much the soil has improved. I'm also working on putting in more native plants and trees. As well as dry scaping, since I live in the desert now.

[@jetfire245]

As a Florida resident - I truly hope one day we can regain our citrus pride. It's made me sad to grow up with citrus greening, basically watching the very oranges I ate as a child now tasting like garbage.

[@LIZZIE-lizzie]

@ Greg It's a shame for Floridians. As a kid, my moms' brother sent us lemons, from his tree, that looked like oranges, oranges that looked like grapefruit and grapefruit - all of them were awesome, I mean how could yo forget something like that? But the Florida oranges we get up North, are acidic beyond belief! I can't squeeze a glassful of juice from a Florida orange and drink it. We all want our Florida citrus back!!

[@rishabhs4956]

We can call it Greenange then!

[@stevenpreston5943]

Nah sadly if this continues, farmers will be forced to sell their land and we will be flooded with more developments :/ (as a fl resident as well)

[@odinata]

Thats Big Ag for you.

[@User-gfys-0icu81]

@@odinata naw, it’s the fact that nobody wants Florida garbage anymore.

[@guifdcanalli]

man who would ever thought that planting just one genetically identical plant would create problems? what a crazy thing

[@aidankeller1717]

Yup. As long as the scions throughout the country are all genetically identical, then this bacteria will continue to ravage the orange industry.

[@carfish]

This is the kind of stuff that should freak people out…maybe it sounds strange, but even as a home gardener, I’ve noticed an unprecedented wave of insects and pests in the garden this year. Coupled with little rain (so far) this could be a very bad year for crops. Kinda seems like the bedrock of our country is crumbling.

[@clashtwo5066]

When Federal Irregulation destroys the farmlands, that’s when the 2nd Amendment becomes the most important. Do not let these dictators convince you to ruin your food supply.

[@paulbraga4460]

@@clashtwo5066 wherever it comes from, federal or state, bad regulation is bad regulation. the solutions to problems like this is clearly outside the paradigm or model or the scientists shown here working on the problem. i am wondering now if any of the farm owners have consulted outfits like AEA - Advancing Eco Agriculture of John Kempf. something is amiss with the nutrition of these plants and part of it goes to the functionality of the soils over there. blessings to all

[@Falcodrin]

Plus nitrogen fertilizers are hitting all time highs on cost

[@defeatSpace]

Russian environmental warfare.

[@server1ok]

Insects are on the way to extinction. The Trees need Mycorrhiza.

[@PacesIII]

You have to go further than 15 years to see what citrus "once was." 30 years ago, old farmers were dying off and the families started selling off acreage. What's left is overpriced gated communities and corporate owned groves.

[@fasx56]

Nunya You have brought to light a problem that is happening all over the country.Millions of people have moved to Florida to Retire and they needed homes to live in so the selling of valuable farm land started thirty years ago and continues. Diseases from other parts of the World are brought in because of International Trade. The Asian Beetle and this Orange Tree Disease are only two imports that are damaging our crops.

[@PacesIII]

@@fasx56 It's a shame that "Indian River" citrus is no longer Indian River citrus. They extended the area that encompasses Indian River fruit because the old area was dwindling to make cheaply built, expensive housing for retirees.

[@kinsmart7294]

Unfortunately americans in that era(and to this day) seemed to forget the value of land, especially producing land.

[@psyoperator]

Yep... and this is little more than BS marketing gibberish for the outrages prices they are about to charge like all the other fake "shortages". Word to the wise for cattle who may fall for this type of propaganda. "Business insider" dont care about you or your family. This is paid for info meant for cattle consumption. I wonder if its as bad as they claim, AND who is paying for this "research"? This sounds like pre curser propaganda to price gauging scheme... IMO.

[@PacesIII]

@@psyoperator Conspiracy much?

[@marjake3147]

Here in Minnesota, I have noticed two varieties of trees (not orange trees, of course) that have been decimated by insects have survived on our property. First, elm trees that are highly susceptible to Dutch Elm disease and second, we are now losing our ash trees to the Emerald Ash Borer. But I have both of these trees growing on my property and are healthy. I believe the reason for this is that they are in with pine trees. Pine trees give off a powerful scent that I believe is camouflaging those trees. I wonder if something like this would help with the orange trees? They have smudge pots, what if they loaded up the smudge pots with pine oil? It would be worth a try, and if it works I think it would be less expensive?

[@FridayDies]

Ty

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

Actually, citrus grows just fine under the drip of a live oak. There's no conclusion as to why. Citrus is naturally an understory tree, but growing them like that is not commercially viable so it will never be thoroughly researched.

[@PD-we8vf]

Emerald ash boer. Also from China.

[@nicolasbertin8552]

Actually it's probably because of plant diversity.For citrus, it's the farmers' fault for growing weak trees. Insects only attack weak trees. NEVER healthy ones. In Florida, most of the trees are unhealthy because the planting density is too high, because they use pesticides and herbicides that destroy soil life and kill plant biodiversity. For a healthy grove of trees, you need them far appart, with native vegetation growing everywhere. That's how you get trees that don't attract psyllids. Any time you get insect damage, you need to think "what did I do wrong here ?". It can be a number of things : compacted soil, naked soil, too dense plantating, excess fertilizing, any pesticide, not enough water, too much water, monoculture all the time etc... You can detect plant health with a refractometer, analyzing the sugar content of the leaf. If it's below 12 you're in trouble. When you get sucking insects like psyllid, you're around 6. A few farmers in Florida are above 12 coz they let the wild plants grow, no naked soil, no pesticides, and space their trees properly. In your case, if elm trees are surrounded by many other families of trees, they'll get stronger. Plants exchange nutrients and water through the rhizosphere, and the soil life diversity participates immensely in plant health.

[@marjake3147]

In the case of Dutch Elm disease, no amount of "diversity" in tree planting makes a difference. I had to clear a lot that had pine trees and elm trees, and as soon as they were "uncovered" they were attacked and dead within a month.

[@QAsession]

I still remember when we could get 12 oranges for $1 a couple of decades ago. We faced citrus canker a while back and the state came in and paid us 100 bucks for each of our citrus trees and made us knock them down ( we had limes and sour oranges). Florida is riddled with agricultural issues.

[@Mario-re2qp]

still remember food was still somewhat affordable until the deep state Bi-den regime was installed

[@mushieslushie]

I remember when everything was cheaper decades ago.

[@Yora21]

Every time I'm on vacation to southern Europe, I keep getting amazed at how orange juice can taste. Both the juice and fresh oranges we get in Germany are a far cry from it. I imagine these growth inhibited oranges taste just as disappointing.

[@QAsession]

@@Yora21 According to the video, the plague originated in China and moved West...so you might be correct in concluding that the German oranges and the Florida oranges share similar tastes. Disappointing is an understatement.

[@farishope6540]

Arabs introduced orange tree to southern Europe, the word for orange in Arabic is pretty similar in pronunciation to the name of the country Portugal.

[@drpk6514]

As a scientist with a PhD in the field, I would say non of these techniques is going to stop the problem. What you need to do is getting rid of the bacteria that infects the plants. To do this the best tool is using symbiotic beneficial bacteria that lives inside plant tissues. I think Streptomysis is the best group. They have antibiotic which kill bad bacteria. They also help plants with up taking the nutrients. Start by using Actinovate a product that already exists in the market with a streptomysis endophyte.

[@reensure]

Or symbiotic bacteria that are favored by nematodes.

[@vacexpert2020]

I was thinking of engineering a plant that is somehow toxic to both the bug and bacteria while being harmless to humans or have sacrificial plants that are toxic to the bug and bacteria as a big F U to both, might drive down the population

[@stephens7291]

Sounds like you know what you're talking about...maybe the $9 Billion citrus industry would like to setup a lunch with you? Panera might be nice...

[@garretts.2003]

@@stephens7291 lol seriously. He really thinks he outsmarted the 9b citrus industry that has been working on this problem for decades.

[@reensure]

@@garretts.2003 It's a mistake to think of the 'citrus industry' as a monolith. It's not, really, in the same way that Monsanto is the 'GMO corn industry' or the way that 'Made in the U.S.A' is a supply chain. I live in the shadow of a Tropicana plant (PepsiCo and France) and those folk are concerned with the oranges & quality. There's also a USDA Ag department here that works diligently on pests and diseases of citrus. There's also Minute Maid (Coca-Cola), which divested of Floridian oranges years ago. Not so exposed, but remember, 'the industry' focuses on sales & profit and views any disruption as temporary and easily fixed with a change in supply, mixture, or labeling. After lethal yellowing, canker, and now greening (greening is also cold flashing for better sugar content in oranges on the tree, fun fact) the future of Florida orange crops looks shaky.

[@seanmurphree4716]

I live in Florida, and one of the things I've seen happen at least once or twice were citrus groves, hit hard by greening, converted into McMansions. This state is going through a rough patch.

[@gersonsantos5416]

The same thing is happening int the west side of Florida if you're within 25 miles of the beach it's built up.

[@arleensantos3397]

We don’t see many trees anymore… let’s thank all the tearing down of the green areas to build more housing and more structures… so sad.

[@oneearthmerged6855]

Agreed ): wanna go plant a tree w me ?

[@themadatheist1976]

My childhood home lost it's orange trees to the canker purge in the mid 00s and the orange groove across the road got torn down and was turned into a housing development.

[@nodlimax]

Could this be related to "mono culture" farming? When you have large areas where only one specific type of plant is grown and you then suddenly get something attacking that particular plant type it can easily spread and infect all the others of that kind as well. I've heard about the same stuff happening in other areas where only one type of tree was grown. One type of bug came in and basically destroyed a whole wood. I think the whole "optimization" of food production over the last 100 years has created a problematic situation.

[@rageixi1422]

Its not related it is the primary reason. People dont like change and reap what they sow. (Pun intended)

[@jk-sc4ri]

The attack on monoculture comes from those who don't know what they're talking about. All forests are monoculture and they do just fine. The issue that there is one crop, the issue is keeping the soil alive and thriving. Pesticude and herbicide hurts the soil in the long run. Unfortunately that's what most commercial growers use. These farmers should be focusing their time and efforts to figure out why forests don't need pest control

[@JaKingScomez]

No its the mosquito stop acting ignorant

[@nodlimax]

@@JaKingScomez And now guess why that "mosquito" that apparently is almost exclusively affecting orange trees is spreading aggressively throughout a region that has massive amounts of orange trees...

[@yamirdreizehn283]

@@jk-sc4ri "All forests are monoculture and they do just fine" what?

[@ellenbettini3877]

Cover crop is the key , we did grown orange trees in Brazil , my family use to spray olive oil with water or milk it worked pretty well. Good luck, God bless!

[@JA238979]

Cultivar uma fruta asiática em Flórida é naturalmente difícil, porque a terra lá é diferente. Este ano as empresas que vendem suco de laranja vão importar muito do Brasil e outros países.

[@violetviolet888]

Ellen Bettini, thank you for your comment. I was skeptical about your response. I had to look it up (would have helped if you had provided sources of evidence.) See: Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

One bite from a citrus psyllid carrier and a tree is infected. One bite.

[@JA238979]

@@violetviolet888 A diluted solution of pure nicotine was used here in the USA in the past, but it was too dangerous.

[@Yora21]

In Germany, we use rapeseed oil instead of olive. Also does the job. However, using these oils with water only works against insects that sit on the leaves. Once a plant has been infected by bacteria, or the bacteria live in the soil, that won't make any difference anymore.

[@ChurchOfTheHolyMho]

Wow. i had noticed the quality in oranges had gone down in the past few years, but didn't know why. I also noticed more California oranges in the grocery, which and pulpy, less juicy, and flavorless (to my tastebuds compared to the Florida oranges in the past). Very sad to see so many varieties of trees have mass die offs in the past few decades. Horrible. Thanks for this well put together report.

[@hnfiiinc5993]

Makes sense. I was a huge OJ self-squeeze fanatic but stopped buying as much when Valencias and other types were getting more expensive. Now, I know why some of the ones I do get aren’t like what I used to make in childhood.

[@kellikelli4413]

If the soil becomes spoiled by too much synthetic insecticide the plants cannot flourish... And believe it or not CO2 is crucial for all plants and trees.

[@bane8257]

thats why you should plant your own trees... i have a few cara cara orange trees and they produce amazing

[@hnfiiinc5993]

@@bane8257 I got tangerines, but definitely thinking of oranges.

[@bane8257]

@@hnfiiinc5993 tangerines are fire Ihave some trees aswell but yeah bro oranges cant go wrong.. espeiclly CARA CARA... my favorite type of orange brother

[@KarasCyborg]

Well, Key West doesn't have many Key Limes any more. These guys need to read up on Permaculture where instead of row farming where pests can multiply, you plant a food forrest that will harbor predators of the pests so that when they jump out of one tree, they get eaten by something on the next tree. They should have learned from the Dust Bowl that row farming eventually leads to massive environmental damage that takes decades to recover.

[@tesha199]

Row farming isn't a problem in itself, the composition of rows is

[@KarasCyborg]

@@tesha199 Agreed.

[@lovenotes5299]

This is so true! The last few years ,i haven't have any issues with disease or pests in my crops with a big diversity of fruits and vegetables and herbs,fllowers. I did study the dust bowl and other disasters when they monolithic crops of all the same things.

[@drdrew3]

Florida stopped growing key limes almost 30 years ago due to the NAFTA trade agreement. Since then they have primarily come from Mexico. Prior to that cold snaps and hurricanes wiped out the original key lime species. Unless you are over 100 years old you never saw any meaningful amount of limes from the Florida Keys.

[@hhiippiittyy]

They will know about permaculture, it's an immediate profit issue.

[@Teejrocks83]

I love the dichotomy between this and some of your other videos... Poor farmers in a "third world" country protect their livelihood by avoiding mono cultures and segregation of sensitive species to lessen pest transfer from tree to tree. Meanwhile factory farming is mono culture and all of the citrus groves have trees touching, rapidly increasing spread of pests. Edit: And the industry's response is to plant at higher densities ?!? WTF is wrong with factory farms...

[@clashtwo5066]

Dumb/gullible people easily buying into the theories of the intellectuals that don’t even make contact with the soil.

[@DarthVader-ou2vv]

Money.. Duh!

[@tiefensucht]

@@DarthVader-ou2vv Food it not all about money. People don't eat out of fun. Ok, most in the US do.. but.. ;-)

[@sanniepstein4835]

Monoculture isn't necessarily the culprit. Emerald ash borer is devastating trees in very mixed forests.

[@nicolasbertin8552]

@@sanniepstein4835 what we know is that insects only attack weak plants, or weak parts of the plant (a dead branche or leaf). So you need to take the problem backwards : the insects attacked BECAUSE my tree is weak. Maybe I don't see yet why my tree is weak, but I need to investigate. Scientists suspect a lot of trees get weaker due to climate change, which makes insects attack them. Then other species, more adapted to hotter and dryer climates, will take their place, not being attacked by insects. People think "oh it's an invasive species from Asia that's why it's killing my trees". But that's not true. For example, phylloxera, originating in the US, decimated Europe's vineyards. But it didn't kill all the grapevines : the vines that grew without pruning, grown from seeds, in varied gardens (often on castle walls), survived, some to this day. It simply is that we're raising weak vines with awful practices : they're heavily pruned, all grafted for higher yields, planted on compacted rocky soil that's left bare, with tons of nasty products. The chemicals weren't there at the time the phylloxera hit, but the heavy pruning was. So for the ash trees we need to ask ourselves : what makes them weak ? Could it be global warming ? Could those "very mixed" forests not be that mixed ? If you got 5 species of trees, and no undergrowth, that's not very varied, but if you asked people "how many species of trees in a forest would you need for a biodiversed forest ?" most would probably say 5...

[@suzanne4504]

I buy Florida Natural and have for many years I support the growers efforts and found this story very interesting. Thank you!

[@LIZZIE-lizzie]

@ Suzanne Not knowing what part of the country you're from, Florida oranges we get up North are impossibly acidic. The acidic levels of many "Fresh squeezed" O.Js., in your grocers' dairy aisle, have increased considerably - to the point where IF I buy it, Mango-OJ, is the one. People give away or refuse bags of Forida orange green oranges. It really is a shame 😪

[@suzanne4504]

@@LIZZIE-lizzie I am in Michigan but lived in Jax Beach Pointe Vera for many years. I remember the first Frost of orange crops. Very concerned for the growers.

[@tesha199]

@@LIZZIE-lizzie mangoes are better I guess at ripening off the tree?

[@mochibobochi]

I live in central Florida. Orange groves used to be everywhere. Now they've all been wiped out and replaced with housing developments.

[@zackakai5173]

Yeah, and low-density, residential-only developments consisting entirely of single family homes on oversized lots surrounding cul-de-sacs at that. I can't help but imagine how much more land we'd still have for things like orange groves if we focused on building walkable neighborhoods with good public transit instead of building everything for private cars.

[@drdrew3]

The groves started disappearing rapidly way BEFORE citrus greening. The housing market in Florida is currently having its biggest growth in history. Smart growers are selling off as quick as they can. Farming citrus is financially unsustainable compared to importing it

[@anhydrouswater]

I actually work at that Florida's natural plant....great place with great people. I have seen this decline....I hope something is done soon...

[@thegroovyboi9598]

I worked at the plant in umatilla Decent work but shit hours and mildy narcissist managers

[@articmars1]

Tell them to try worms in the soil. Or worm tea as a spray.

[@Adrian-wd4rn]

I hope nothing is done. This is gods will.

[@KuchiKopi179]

@@Adrian-wd4rn yea, I don't want God to take away my orange juice.

[@Adrian-wd4rn]

@@KuchiKopi179 Don't worry, california will pick up the slack, as per usual.

[@shinaskitchenfs344]

consider it from ecological point of view, 15-30 years ago we had more tree and plants near orange grove, a lot more water near the orange grove that support a living habitat for dragon flies. so far the dragon flies seem to be eating any bug that may plague my kumquat, recently start to grow back

[@lostescape419]

It means they have bigger problems

[@13bigerdave]

no we need to get rid of them pesky bugs all they do is mess up my parties I say we have the military spray pesticide from the sky and kill all the bugs

[@violetviolet888]

Shina's Kitcheb: When in doubt, always focus on soil health. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@shinaskitchenfs344]

@@violetviolet888 that's why i'm not oppose of the fish tank in house.

[@archerbob6847]

This is what happens when farm after farm grows exactly the same crop, some disease or insect goes through it like a wildfire with no real barrier to block it

[@JB-yb4wn]

Exactly what happened to the Gros Michel bananas they were wiped out by a fungus in the 50s and replaced by the Cavendish banana, which is now being infected by another fungus called Panama disease. You are 100% correct, if crops were more diversified then when things like this happen, it wouldn't wipe out entire industries.

[@raymondkidwell7135]

Wild oranges are sour similar to a lemon or grapefruit thus they use clones of extremely sweet ones.

[@BigDaddyKai620]

You know ladybugs eat more than just aphids. So often called an aphid Lion because they eat everything. We basically need to stop using all pesticides and that mother nature balance itself out.

[@Yora21]

It is a big investment. Once you stop spraying pesticides, it takes a few years for insect predators to return to the area. During that time, there will be a noticable hit. But if you keep to using pesticides on a regular basis, the problem is only going to get worse in time. Getting off that stuff will only get more difficult and more expensive the longer you wait.

[@BigDaddyKai620]

@@Yora21 yeah it's real harder to get off that poison. All my years garden. I found out that it's better just to let everything grow. The fastest way to protect our plants is to deter them with other plants that the bugs like. More often than not they usually go after the weeds because I don't take care of them as well like my main crop. When plants are weak. The signal out to the bugs that feed off of them.

[@benjaminparent4115]

Yeah if only it was that, easy, crops are plant that were selected to be more beneficial to human with the downside of them becoming incapable of thriving without human care, Mother nature balance will always try to make them extinct, the act itself of planting any type of crops is unbalancing an ecosystem, while it is possible to artificially create new balance to protect crops without pesticide, it is not an 100% safe methode, and you can still experience catastrophical crop failure, to continue on the subject of ladybugs, one of the problem in my region we encounter by relying on them as pest control is that they don't always wake up in times to control the pest. Ladybug start leaving hibernation around 12° celsius but aphid can leave hibernation way earlier in springs at lower temperature, meaning they can wreak havoc completely uncontrolled by ladybugs, this means that crops are often unprotected against aphid in early spring, and can still fail catastrophically fail because of aphid. While bio-controls is the way forward in agriculture, the complexity of such solution caused by the many feedback loop in our ecosytems combined with the vital importance of having a steady food supply means in my opinion that it is impossible with our current technology to entirely get rid of pesticide, but their use can be significantly lowered to level that will not cause unsustainable damage to our environment. Pesticide should not be seen as the enemy but as an exceptionnal tool for exceptionnal situation.

[@yehnahthx]

I had incorrectly assumed the green Oranges I saw when travelling outside Australia were due to variety and climate, rather than a bacteria. I really hope the issue is resolved before the insect colonises my country.

[@inothome]

Other climates do grow healthy green oranges. It's not safe to assume any green orange is green from this bacteria.

[@Menaceblue3]

Isn't a green orange a lime?

[@inothome]

@@Menaceblue3 No, limes are much smaller and a different taste. I see the green oranges in SE Asia a lot and they are full size and very sweet. Supposedly it does not get cool enough to turn the orange when ripe. Since they are green as the grow and turn orange later in the growth cycle.

[@desmondmolina3142]

Oranges in the tropics are naturally green.

[@jasonallen3678]

All oranges are not orange in color mate..

[@kapitanjacksparrow5458]

Use cloves oil + tobacco + mix is with water, and spray it on the tree, hope this helps

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

As a Californian, I'd like to clarify why orange juice is promoted in Florida. They grow billions of golf ball size juice oranges. On the other hand, you can grow a regular size orange in California that you can peel and eat..

[@fabiantaveras8458]

Don't worry Cali will be blessed by the same citrus disease in due time.

[@jnb756]

@@fabiantaveras8458 shhhh...... don't say that cause then Arizona will be too.... I already had a lemon tree decimated by termites - it just came back about 3/4 full after three years of healing...

[@tira2145]

Yeah, but you guys are almost out of water. Good luck with that.

[@amberbest6942]

Not true. I lived in Florida 30 years. The oranges in people's yards were huge, orange, and you could eat them, and they were sweet. Same with grapefruit.

[@enmunate]

@@fabiantaveras8458 I trust the university of California to come up with a response. We have the smartest scientists here. Plus, you know, they aren’t harassed when they want to go to the potty of their choice like they are in Florida.

[@aq9714]

Well, for a start mono-crops are a huge issue with any variety of food. Look what is happening to the Cavendish banana.

[@kalashydra9016]

cavendinsh banana is solved with gmo (not used because people are idiots), the problem with oranges could also most likely be solved that way

[@sclapple3192]

@@kalashydra9016 Exactly, it isn't solved. If you cannot get people to eat the gmo fruit which is quite fine and in some cases better than normal then it does not solve the problem. For whatever reason they cannot eat gmo's no matter how much they are told that you will be fine and it is not against god to mutate plants to make them better at living.

[@musk4mars116]

This insect affects all citrus and is now in my area in Southern California. All our backyard trees will become infected. Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit.

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@sclapple3192 All daddy Bill has to do is infect a few crops and the Anti-GMOers will coming begging to him.

[@dertythegrower]

They are using too many synthetics and salts, and not enough fungi, and bacteria that crushes these bugs (easily know pfr97 and met52 work for this)

[@JD-oh9vz]

Thank you for sharing...........my Great Grandfather raised oranges in Vero Beach Florida, but Asian citrus psyllid was not the issue, it was Housing Development and shopping malls. I remember it was some of the sweetest fruit I ever tasted.

[@drdrew3]

Now those deserted fruit packing plants are being turned into breweries that serve grapefruit beer. Gotta love progress !

[@harishrv]

The humus underneath an orange tree has to be nutritionally rich for a n immune resistant tree along with good sunshine between two trees. In addition Vedic practice of spraying neem or turmeric upon leaves at least twice a year might solve this production problem

[@theclimbingchef]

There's no cover crop.....it's not just the bugs, it's the whole ecosystem that's messed up. Watch the biggest little farm

[@vickananda]

Thanks Harish! so right! There are so many things missing in this farming plan as you and others are pointing out. To improve the brix, improve the soil/hummus and add microorganisms that are easily cultured from rice water and milk (lactobacillus) and mineral sprays from natural hummic and fulvic sources, instead of "insecticide" See regenerative farming, and do the right thing !

[@Fenixswe]

If you grow by monoculture practicies this is what nature will bring "unfortunatly". Help nature and nature will help you

[@plzleavemealone9660]

If people didn't grow fruits and vegetables like this most of us would be starving...

[@Fenixswe]

@@plzleavemealone9660 sure cause many industrial farmers use this practise. But it is not optimal in the longrun

[@plzleavemealone9660]

@@Fenixswe So, will you starve then? Because that's the only other option. Unless you find us a second planet.

[@ShutThePuck]

The way we grow, market, and consume food needs to change completely. Mono culture farming has to be reversed, I get that people want the exact same flavour, the best looking, ripest, most textbook fruit or vegetables possible but this kind of risk is not worth it.

[@wheelbarrowfriend2035]

Buyers have little say in things. Grow the cheapest oranges that last the longest for shipping and on the shelves. Same goes for other other fruits like bananas. We have the worse tasting bananas and hardly any buyer knows this because it’s the only option we have been exposed to for generations. Wake up America. Demand quality over cheap quantity.

[@69Emoji]

This is sad man. Im a Florida native and just a week ago I was looking to see if there were any orange groves around so I could go relive some childhood memories.

[@shanoimelissa3425]

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[@evelync1504]

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[@krisjeff9023]

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[@luiscamacho1981]

Is it still the best time to invest in crypto with the current market situation ?

[@krisjeff9023]

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[@luiscamacho1981]

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[@mandom4486]

Bless the workers and the business structure behind finding a solution

[@13Maria.Cortez13]

100%

[@danielhudson4618]

this should be an infomercial all monoculture farmers should have to watch every night before bed

[@jeffreysummerhays5922]

At the 0:49 mark, the professor agrees and says to diversify the crop. I dont think they'd (the farmers) would listen even on nightly repeat.

[@nitetrane98]

Let me guess, you want somebody to be in charge of telling farmers what they can plant.

[@danielhudson4618]

@@nitetrane98 i just think if farmers focused on diversification instead of depending on a single species each year it wouldn't deplete the land as badly and it would be a natural form of insurance. Because if one crop goes badly the likelihood of a different crop doing well is high

[@aldreymenezes7652]

It cannot happen any other way, monoculture and no genetic diversity

[@T3RRY_T3RR0R]

Given the main problem is root decay after bacterial infection, Grafting onto rootstock that is not as vulnerable to the disease could be a viable solution.

[@cool7654321]

I've seen videos of wild orange trees thriving in florida recently despite these greenings.

[@elthompson3585]

I discovered a wild Tangerine tree growing in the woods that adjoins our property. The fruit is very tiny but delicious. The tree is still healthy. The deer get all the fruit as far as they can reach and I get the rest.

[@lostescape419]

They aren't yet

[@cfonde]

@@elthompson3585 Does the deer have any dough? Yeah, 2 bucks.

[@johnnyrambles]

Lots of wild orange trees live in South Florida, unfortunately they're mostly inedible "sour" varieties. Nothing quite as disappointing as finding a beautiful tree covered in ripe oranges after a long walk in the woods only to bite into something more sour than a lemon. 😝

[@ellee2937]

@@johnnyrambles when u get lemons 🍋 tasting oranges 🍊 make lemonade its still free & naturally wild nutritious pesticide free fruits lucky u 😄👍🏻

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Monoculture, gets 'em every time!!!!

[@violetviolet888]

Masaharu Morimito: Monoculture is only *one component* of many problems. When in doubt, always focus on *soil health*. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@nmarbletoe8210]

@@violetviolet888 good points both of you! I'd add: invasive species. There's not enough inspection on incoming and outgoing ships.

[@captainwin6333]

Planting more trees just supplies more food to the pests. A few years down the line you'll be knee deep in them.

[@dertythegrower]

Nah, because they invented organic fungi like met52 and pfr97 for these farmers.. the ones here are just uneducated.

[@marcelsinky1652]

yes, let's stop agriculture for a while lol

[@violetviolet888]

Captain Win; When in doubt, always focus on soil health. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@marlan5470]

You call that a tree? It's a BUSH. A huge monoculture of stressed out bushes. The bug is not a pest: it's an indicator of the things the grower is doing WRONG. Those bushes won't be older than 10 years old before they start dying.

[@ThePinkBinks]

Well said. Everything is wrong now.

[@weseehowcommiegoogleis3770]

I guess one mouth knows more than a whole industry? Hush child of arrogance.

[@sunnysuryani5674]

and his solution was to increase the density from 140 trees to 300/acre lmao they are torturing the land

[@lajohnson1967]

Please educate yourself. Yes, sweetie it’s a tree and no it’s not a “monoculture”. People are just plain ignorant. Commercial citrus farms grow more than one variety. To be a “monoculture” you grow only one variety of one species. The modern commercial banana industry is monoculture, the citrus industry is not.

[@nitetrane98]

That's right, it's not the bug's fault all these trees are dying. The bug is not a pest. It's beneficial to something, right? It's the growers fault.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

I grow, among other things, cucumbers every year and they were so easy to grow, I had to give them away. That is, until one year all of my cucumber vines started dying due to the cucumber beetle, a tiny yellow with either black spots or stripes. It pretty much does does the same thing mentioned in this video: the only difference is it bites at the root, which affects the vine very, very quickly. One morning you wake up and the vine looks like you didn't water it in two weeks! You water it and it comes back to life and you think all is well, only to see the same thing the next day. The best solution when you see that is to remove the vine and burn it. And just like in the video, putting "clay" on it (called kaolin clay) helps...somewhat. But every time it rains, you have to go put it on it again. So annoying.

[@tesha199]

Do you till the soil?

[@bobbysw]

Why is no one suggesting Spinosad

[@voidremoved]

cool story bro. I had a similar bug problem and I did nothing. Then one day some doves came to my garden and ate the bugs and my plants recovered

[@yeboscrebo4451]

Are you using miracle grow or other garbage fertilizers?

[@robertgreg6009]

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[@mussel9787]

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[@Sjalabais]

I don't get how spraying the trees with clay works - the bug may not see it, but how does the plant survive with covered leaves?

[@nathanheng8954]

Light can still penetrate the leaf. This works with kaolin clay as well.

[@gersonsantos5416]

I believe as a Florida resident that this is happening because the big orchards that were once part of the Florida landscape have become parking lots for yet another strip mall. there are very few large scale orange groves in Florida anymore. And the ones that are still around don't yield as much and the fruit isn't as good as once was.

[@raymondherbst7126]

And everyone wonders why there are fruit and plant inspections/searches at certain roadways in CA & AZ or why Hawaii and US Agriculture inspections at airports out of Puerto Rico and other countries headed for the US. Now you know why we need to help keep the un-inspected plants & fruits from coming in.

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

Yup, we need a wall

[@suzk1804]

@@MountainMan7.62x39 Yes to keep out all the invasive species!

[@shmang1485]

When life gives you limes... You just paint them orange with a "wax"

[@marvlynjohn4375]

Am from Grenada 🇬🇩 which is in the Caribbean an orange are green n light yellow

[@zivdek]

When soil is sick (monoculture, fertilizers and other more chemicals), the tree is vulnerable to parasites, its all an outcome of unbalance ecosystem.

[@zayonkiber2510]

I remember my lemon tree got the cities phislid diseases. It was pretty disturbing. Hopefully it gets the proper research

[@violetviolet888]

Darren Navarro: When in doubt, always focus on *soil health*. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@SignOfTheTimes008]

I live in Nova Scotia and we used to see Florida oranges come up in some seasons and miss them. I did hear years ago, bits about this. Hopefully they find a solution in the near future.

[@Tommaso77777]

I appreciate all the work you are doing to keep the trees fruitful! Im sure technologies will emerge that will help the trees thrive! 😇😇😇

[@jackmccann1291]

Drop the monocrop! Diversify the landscape, grow resilience.

[@t5ruxlee210]

Years ago Orchid Island (located in the Indian River) pink grapefruit used to be something to look forward to in Canada as the final harvest surge shipments would finally include us as well. Five for C$1. Good Times. Then there were none. When I finally looked it up many years later on Google Earth, the place was all subdivisions...

[@Mulberrysmile]

I lived in FL and had citrus trees in my yard, all affected. I sprayed one lemon tree with one treatment of a high quality colloidal silver on its leaves during a short dry spell, and did not spray the other lemon tree of the same age and size as the control. I did after reading the claim that colloidal silver is anti viral. The sprayed tree had no further issues, making large healthy and tasty fruits, and then after the next spring it developing normal lush foliage. It maintained its health for the next four years, until I moved. The other tree made fruit, but some were bitter (a known symptom of citrus greening that the video didn’t mention, surprise surprise), and each year the foliage on the untreated tree looked less healthy and less dense. A citrus tree at a nursery is not cheap. It is worth it for homeowners to spray the leaves with colloidal silver. I didn’t soak the tree, I just did a misting trying to get a quarter of the leaves all around the tree. I choose the dry spell so the leaves would be prone to absorbing the spray. I wondered if injecting into the bark would work, but never tried it.

[@GiatrosDys]

Homeopathic approach, price per gallon exceeds value of product.

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[@edwardsdeacon]

🤔 Feed the soil with something more than chemical NPK and you will have healthier trees. Include companion plants that attract beneficial insects and give nutrients to the cash crop. Less horticulture and more permaculture.

[@Margalus]

You don't have a clue..

[@edwardsdeacon]

@@Margalus my trees are doing great. What’s your property doing that is if you even have any.

[@erikwilliams8610]

Absolutely, if they aren't using micorrhiza and beneficial bacteria they should face palm. That's the main line of defense against infection in nature and NPK is antagonistic to them. Those organisms actually produce antimicrobial compounds which are uptaken by the plants.

[@violetviolet888]

edwardsdeacon: Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@edwardsdeacon]

@@violetviolet888 just like our stomachs are the key to our health, the soil is the key to plant health. Farmers don’t have to go all back to eden and start food forest but just replacing that plastic with live ground covers like sunflowers, Clover ☘️ and native wild flowers will great help to retain moisture and give nitrogen to the trees as well as add humus to the soil and increase the habitat for beneficial insects 🐞. Just adding a few different species of trees and shrubs/ bushes here and will help with the nutrients exchange in the soil, increase bioactivity and invite birds to take up residence witch will in turn eat the bugs 🐛. It may even be an addition cash crop if the other trees/ plants are nut trees, non citrus fruit trees or something like Moringa or Hemp. It’s a easy fix that can still be very profitable. These farmers will have another great American dust bowl on their hands if they don’t pay attention to history and start working with nature.

[@andersnrregren9087]

I had some trees come back after treating roots with large amount of mellases and mycorhiza

[@organicsoulgumbo]

They made us cut all of our citrus trees back then. It’s sad because our home grown fruits like lemons limes and grapefruits were much better coming from the backyard.

[@YogurtGaming69]

All I learned is that making huge fields of cash crops messed with the soil and now the tree's don't have the nutrients to defend themselves from disease

[@frequentlycynical642]

There are few scents as wonderful as orange blossoms. Jasmine and camellia are close and similar. I worked in a Tropicana plant for one day. The dangers, I won't bore you with, were incredible. I was 18. Like I should risk my eyesight (hot lye flying everywhere during the 48 hour clean out, no PPE.) This why OSHA was needed.

[@williamm8069]

I just bought a farm with about 200 cacao trees in Colombia. There is a fungus called witches broom that reduces harvest 50-85%. So far it is not in Africa where 70%+ of the world's cacao is produced. There is no cure but to prune to allow more light to reduce the fungus or to grow in arid climates with good irrigation.

[@brusso456]

either a soil mineral deficiency or you can try spraying a mix of borax in water.

[@sjjj9879]

I see that people do not clean there own pruning shears in rubbing alcohol it prevents the disease from going further. The bottom line is, you have people that do not speak English and are not following protocol on the farms. The farms need translators to make sure that diseases do not spread on fruit trees etc..

[@williamm8069]

@@sjjj9879 good advice, but they say it can travel by air and water as well and the spores can survive in the soil for years

[@williamm8069]

@@brusso456 soap, water and ashes mix has been reccommended but yes I have read that stressed trees are susceptible due to deficiencies as you mentioned.

[@kinngrimm]

Mono cultures we all i guess have learned by now are susceptible to pests. Maybe the solution is to not have these huge farms in the first place, but smaller plantations and not all in one area, but mixed up with other types of farms.

[@rubiks6]

Pay attention. We are not talking about mono-cultures. This disease is affecting many varieties of citrus.

[@rubiks6]

@@jaivalnagindas8652 - Thank you for repeating what I said using far more words.

[@yeboscrebo4451]

I have a very large garden with abundant diversity. I have NEVER had a bug problem and I NEVER use chemicals or synthetic fertilizer. More small-scale farms is what’s needed, not fewer large-scale monoculture operations.

[@XIGRIMxREAPERIX]

To everyone saying its mono cultures and that "nature" works fine. The North American Ash and Chestnut Trees would like a word with you. American Chestnut is pretty much extinct in the wild. The Ash tree is not far behind it.

[@f_r_e_d]

Can’t they just turn those entire lots of land into a giant greenhouse or have a community of greenhouses with mesh covers that protects these trees. I feel like a hefty investment today can save future generations down the line

[@Andrebuenogama]

There are citrus crops maintained for fresh fruit production under protected environments in Florida, but for juice production this is not viable due to the lower price . It is hard to compete with other countries with lower HLB incidence

[@violetviolet888]

Not practical because the insect is so tiny. Not that this hasn't been tried, but any tiny hole and it doesn't work. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@Solus6464]

This is what happens when only one strain of citrus tree exists. Corn is having the same problem no bio diversity. Truly stupid

[@Yora21]

The current banana crop is probably on its way out. And the current bananas are already the replacement for the type that went nearly extinct in the 50s. We really need to get past the idea of finding one universal replacement again. Or we'll have the same issue showing up again half a century later.

[@patrickmcmahon1974]

You realize there are hundreds of citrus varieties, with numerous root-stocks and fruit bud varieties right? my family grows 7 different types alone

[@nichster080]

@@patrickmcmahon1974 NO! THERE IS ONLY 1 TYPE OF ORANGE, THE ORANGE KIND!... on another note, why is it always china? lol

[@BkNy02]

I've seen it up close. Acres and acres of orange groves died over 10 years. The land owners sold their properties to housing developers. Now a once quite agriculture area is now changing to a new suburbia.

[@kevinli6544]

I went to florida last week and I notice not many oranges from florida, just orange juice (local shops).

[@user-yh4wn6sf8k]

As a tropical fruit grower there are SOOOOO many other tropical fruits you can grow that don’t have these problems. Mangos are better anyways

[@nobodyspecial4702]

Mangoes only grow well in the southern part of Florida so aren't a viable option. Any citrus fruit would succumb to the same insects and bacteria affecting the orange trees so those are also out.

[@DarthVader-ou2vv]

You can't deprive a whole market from a basic fruit

[@mehere8038]

@@nobodyspecial4702 you can have limes fine, but not really the same as sweet orange juice is it

[@violetviolet888]

Eric Ruiz: There is a significant percent of the population that are allergic to mangoes. When in doubt, always focus on *soil health*. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@storytellinggardener]

The orange farm is truly remarkable, with lush trees and a bountiful harvest

[@user-mr8yl2fg9k]

I wonder if anyone has thought that maybe Florida has been over farming the soil which leaves less nutrients for the trees to continue being healthy

[@Blaze6432]

Its almost as if Florida wasn't meant for Oranges......... oh wait oranges aren't native to here.

[@SunshineCountryChickens]

@@Blaze6432 Citrus grows like a weed in much of the USA

[@Blaze6432]

@@SunshineCountryChickens yep and it Snows in much of the US, doesnt mean all. What's the point of your comment? We are talking about citrus as a crop IN FLORIDA.

[@SunshineCountryChickens]

@@Blaze6432 Florida is part of the US Im in Southeast Texas on the gulf coast zone 9 no snow, with giant citrus trees all over my yard and little ones popping up everywhere, Seedlings easily started in solo cups. Why would Florida be any different? Are you in Florida? Have you tried growing citrus? I have decades of experience but please tell me something you "read" or saw in a video. Excuse me if Im wrong ok OKAY

[@Blaze6432]

@@SunshineCountryChickensyes I grew up in the Tampa area and yes we had an orange tree (that was purposeful ly planted). Whatever I am saying Is fact because for one I actually know Florida history. Alaska is apart of the US..... so? Much of Texas and much of Florida are different and fall into different climate patterns and I hope you have enough intellegence to know because a plant spawns somewhere doesn't mean it's natural. Before trying to have n intelligent conversation, take a quick read about when Oranges arrived in Florida.

[@chrnb]

Permaculture, no spraying, diversity etc. Would probably fix this.

[@eleanorrigby7897]

It'll take a good amount of time to establish it. For the long term, I'd say it's the most beneficial and organic growling method. But for business growers, it'll be less suitable as they'll have to fetch some loses in the beginning. I'd say for now they should either breed the bacteria so that it could not harm the plant even if it is transferred, it'll be faster than breeding the pest.

[@LyThiHangDailyLife]

Your effort is truly commendable

[@apexcapital1328]

Take the opportunity to introduce a new verity! Lime orange! Sell it to bars as an natural sour mix, come on people.

[@violetviolet888]

Apex Capital, the disease affects all citrus. When in doubt, always focus on *soil health*. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@seagullman87]

I like how they admit that the green oranges are still edible at the beginning, yet they still cant find a way to sell them

[@-TheBugLord]

It's because Americans are some of the pickiest people in the world

[@meman6964]

I would buy the local fruit, but since they have to pay the pickers, so zero profit

[@djh9816]

its all mass production. i dont feel sorry for them. go organic, smaller farms

[@samnosip8018]

I’ve had oranges that had this disease and it tastes closer to a lemon. Very sour and hard to eat on its own

[@obosuck]

It was a bit misleading, they do later bite one and are like "that tastes horrible" so it's not like they are just small green oranges that are otherwise the same. At this point I don't even understand why they would want to process the orange for the juice, guess we will all be drinking sunny D now, lol.

[@lgonzalez1154]

I love that DeSantis is worried about stupid shit instead of problems that ACTUALLY affect his state!

[@dahasolomon7314]

Imagine your family doing the same thing since 1850. I'd be fighting like hell too to preserve that.

[@wjrident]

In Brazil we use tobacco with neutral detergent mixed into solution with water and spray over the trees. This keep the bugs out from fruits and trees!

[@JA238979]

A gente usa produtos semelhantes aqui também, mas Florida sempre é um desastre. Meu país vai importar muito suco de laranja do Brasil e outros países este ano, então vai costar mais, mas eu não gosto de suco de laranjas. Assim, tudo bem! 😛

[@jean-claudelol563]

That treatment is being gradually eliminated. Organic tabacco pesticides contain neonicotinoids which are contributing to the death and decline of bees that are needed to pollinate fruit trees and other crops.

[@JK-xz6mj]

In Brazil you are screwed.

[@violetviolet888]

Wjr: When in doubt, always focus on *soil health*. Some farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@jean-claudelol563]

@@violetviolet888 It just prolongs the life of the tree. Once infected they will die eventually unless they can find some kind of antibiotic for this bacteria and a way to effectively administer it to the trees. It’s more complicated than just injecting an antibiotic like in an animal.

[@mikedonovan4434]

Nurseryman Pete Kanaris from Springhill, FL has not observed this disease when citrus is growing adjacent to or under mature Live Oak trees. While not as efficient, polyculture practices are more beneficial for the plants and trees.

[@infinitywalks4504]

Not only in Florida.. even here in Indonesia we the same citrus problem, Fruit Fly.

[@odinata]

Actually, it is Big Agriculture that is waging war on Life On Earth.

[@tiefensucht]

On the other hand, people like to eat and find it not fun, to starve to dead. Also we have to supply more and more people.

[@islamdo]

I found Neem oil and planting different herbs like mint peppermint lavender Helps a lot protecting orange trees Another option is to heat the dirt by covering it with black sheets helps killing the virus in ground But Neem oil is a good option We should plants different type of oranges and other trees for better ecosystem

[@lovelana3595]

Wow, that part about the malnourished roots make sense! Like in humans when we're malnourished/missing nutrients our immune systems can't function properly to fight off infections/disease that would otherwise be harmless to us. Or if it's a new species(1919 in China first?) of critter, the trees haven't evolved their immune systems enough Yet to fight off the threat.

[@violetviolet888]

Love, Lana: Jean-Claude ome farmers are seeing their trees come back because they are focusing on soil health: See: _Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops_ Insects are attracted to weak plants. Start with healthy soil without pesticides and you'll have healthy plants.

[@cobistuk]

Organic soil with good bacteria and fungi would give the plants defense mechanisms to fight the bad bacteria. Multi species and good ground cover would be advised aswell.

[@TheGreaterGrog]

No. Organic practices only really work in the western half of the US. Disease will absolutely crush you on the East Coast if you stick to organic controls only.

[@kristinarp526]

The problem is that sadly I think Florida should abandon oranges and go to cotton

[@olisd4512]

Maybe those lands will revert back to natural everglades, instead of intensive monocultures.

[@Zombie-lp8bx]

Development

[@theclimbingchef]

Granted that Florida is a sandbar, I'm curious as to what a good cover crop would do to the farms, much like what they talk about in biggest little farm. Not just focusing on the crop variety and companion planting, but also focusing on the soil quality. It's all connected.

[@wilmorris8335]

Although florida gets a lot of rain on an annual basis, the sandy soil that the orange trees are grown on is very fast draining. Thats why they use drip and low pressure irrigation. Any cover crop- I think you mean "green manuring" between rows and trees- requires enormous amounts of overhead water spray irrigation. Likely also adding moisture problems and other pests as well.

[@theclimbingchef]

@@wilmorris8335 true, but the diversity might help manage it all. Not just on a monoculture level but an ecosystem all together

[@dertythegrower]

Cover crops are planted there.. also pfr97 and met52 would work for this and was developed by florida uni for this... these farmers are just uneducated in soil science for sure.

[@dertythegrower]

@@wilmorris8335 No it does not. Cover crops grow just like grass (clover especially) plus adds nutrients and diverse soil microbes as well (pfr97 and met52 would crush these bugs, and ironically it is naturally developed in florida uni, heh) 401K grower here.

[@mehere8038]

sandy soils are fixed via adding carbon to them. Grasses that grow long would be best, as their roots go deep to access & hold water, then each year or so, bring in a mob of livestock to cut all the above ground grass off, process it & leave it on the ground to become soil carbon as the rain pushes it into the sand, while the roots sloth off & also become soil carbon & any grass trampled instead of eaten becomes mulch, keeping it all moist while this all happens. That's how you fix sandy soil, BUT those grasses also act as additional habitat for the bugs & help them move around on the farm, they don't stop that happening! Also, the alternative crop is finger limes, a rainforest plant that only grows well in rainforest type soils, which is basically what we're talking about already being in place in Florida