Central Florida citrus growers prep for temperature dips

CLERMONT, Fla. — Citrus growers across Florida are monitoring the cold front to make sure temperatures stay within a safe range for their crops.

The growers at the Showcase of Citrus in Clermont told Channel 9 each variety of citrus deals with the cold differently, and that if the temperatures dip below 35 degrees, irrigation systems will be started.

"It's just like getting ready for a fire drill," said John Arnold, owner of Showcase of Citrus. "This could be a trial run, or sometimes this could be the real thing."

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For Arnold, his entire business relies on what the temperature decides to do -- and one bad freeze could be a huge hit for his citrus groves.

"If we have temperatures below 28, 27 degrees depending on the varieties for about 4 hours or more, that's when we start having tissue damage in the actual tree and frozen fruit," Arnold said.

If growers feel temperatures are beginning to dip too low, they will turn on the irrigation systems and will allow them to run, which helps preserve the fruit and trees.

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