Like several commercial Florida citrus growers, Ben Bateman of Brandon has noticed a strong improvement in what he calls his “recreational grove” after applying oak mulch to the trees.
Bateman planted 26 mixed-variety trees in large pots about six years ago, transplanting them to the ground five years ago. He said he spent nearly $1,000 on foliar nutrients “with little to no noticeable improvements on the trees.”
After a neighbor had his oak trees trimmed, Bateman spread the oak mulch around his citrus trees in the spring of 2017 for weed and grass control.
“Once the oak mulch was down and we started receiving our summer rains, many different kinds of mushrooms started popping up in the mulch. Shortly after that, my trees flushed big, beautiful leaves,” Bateman reported. “Basically a year after I oak-mulched my trees, they went from producing no fruit that was worth eating to 50 percent of the fruit being good to eat and most of the rest good for juicing.”
Bateman at first thought the good results came from …..
Learn more about how the Grower Sees Success With Oak Mulch on the Citrus Industry website.