By Clint Thompson
University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
EVENT DATE: Nov. 15, 2014 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Southeastern Citrus Expo will be held on the University of Georgia Tifton Campus this Saturday, Nov. 15, beginning at 9 a.m.
The daylong event will educate farmers and backyard growers on growing citrus fruits.
UGA Extension economist Greg Fonsah will discuss growing bananas, and UGA small fruits specialist Erick Smith will cover potassium’s importance in citrus plants. Wayne Hanna, a scientist based on the UGA Tifton Campus, will lead a tour of research plots on the Tifton Campus, where he studies different citrus fruits and the effectiveness of growing them in south Georgia.
“If a homeowner wants to grow a lemon, tangerine or a grapefruit in their backyard, say in Cordele, from a straight line across the United States, they should be able to grow it in their backyard,” said Hanna. “That’s my goal.”
While citrus fruits primarily grow in Florida, south Georgians are starting to plant citrus trees — lemons, grapefruit or tangerines.
“There’s a tremendous amount of interest,” Hanna said. “A couple of years ago, I had the [Southeastern Citrus] Expo here, and I was interviewed on the local television station. My gosh, you couldn’t have imagined the emails and phone calls I got after that. It’s amazing how many people there are here in Tifton who are growing citrus in their backyard.”
The meeting will be held at National Environmentally Sound Production Agricultural Laboratory (NESPAL), located on the UGA Tifton Campus, with registration from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Registration is $15 per person and pre-registration is not required.
Source:uga.edu