SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Local farmers and plant nursery workers were rushing to protect their plants from the cold that spread across South Florida over the weekend.
At Galloway Nursery in Southwest Miami-Dade, workers shared their plans to cover their plants from the cold.
“So, a lot of plants that we sell here are tropical; they need warm weather, so we’re trying to cover them with tarps and putting anything that’s in a hanging basket on the floor to make sure it doesn’t get wind-whipped,” said Javier Alemdo.
The nursery isn’t just protecting its plants; it’s protecting its pets as well.
“I’m just worried about the health of the animals in the nursery, and the tropical pets themselves. We kind of depend on selling these tropical plants to make a living,” said Alemdo. “Also for the animals, the cats and the parrots and all that. The parrots we actually put in the orchid room to protect them from the cold.”
Experts said that outdoor plants will also need more water.
At Redland Farms, the cold prompted farmers to prepare to protect their plants.
“Try to prepare for this cold weather, it’s normal in South Florida, especially in the Redlands area in Homestead, to try to protect the plants, put plastic, and put the water all night,” said Diego Nendieta. “The damage is not visible, for now.”
If plants are in your home, nurseries say to do the same thing: bring them inside and cover them with tarps or sheets.
“This is the most giving and forgiving tree you’ll ever have,” said Julian Lara, from Lara Farms Nursery.
The nursery is known for its rare fruits, and preparations were underway to protect its plants from the cold.
“We have to put a plastic roof on here just to give it added protection because they’re so cold-sensitive,” said Lara.
The nursery has a special irrigation system to keep its plants alive.
“Maybe 75, 76-degree weather, that really helps a lot. Point is, let it saturate the earth, let it saturate the soil,” he said.
In an interview with 7News, David Torbert, owner of Torbert Farms and the Five Brothers Packing Plant, shared how the cold has impacted his farm.
“The past few days, we’ve spent a lot of time watering, trying to seal the ground up, holding in the heat from the past few days,” he said. “It also helps to hydrate the plant and get them ready to go through this cold weather. We also applied some fertilizer to help give them the strength they need to endure what they’re going through.”
Conditions in the fields were near freezing across multiple farms.
“We farm all across the county, so there are certain areas in the county that are warmer or colder than others. It’s hard to tell that when the wind blows consistently like it has,” said Tolbert. “Tonight there’s going to be less wind, so there’s less chances for cold pockets to develop, and that’s where you’ll see more temperature fluctuation.”
Torbert said the storm has had a major economic impact on his farm and on many farms across the state.
“Yeah, I mean, we have millions of dollars in the ground right now, so we’re definitely gonna be watching this closely as well as many other farms, not only down here in Homestead, but across the southern half of the state,” he said. “I’ve been on the farm for 12 years, and it’s the coldest I’ve seen it, especially for how long it’s gonna last.”
At the farm in Homestead, crews worked to keep snap beans, okra, yellow squash, and sweet corn strong as the freezing temperatures posed a significant risk.
“If it maintains 32 degrees or below for more than a couple of hours, the plants will actually freeze,” said Torbert.
The freeze would impact the food supply across the United States.
“In the United States, a lot of your wintertime vegetables are grown in this area, so if we were to lose everything, you’d be depending on Mexico and other countries to feed us,” said Torbert.
The key takeaways from experts are to bring plants inside and cover them from the cold.
Farmers say they plan to prepare as temperatures dip later on Monday, and throughout the entire week..
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