Fruit is scarce this season on satsuma trees.
There was an oversupply of satsuma mandarins in the cold-hardy citrus region last season. That will not be the case in 2025.
According to Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association and member of the Georgia Citrus Commission, satsuma supply will be extremely low for the upcoming season.
“In our grove, we had 250,000 pounds of satsumas on 5 acres last year. We have hardly any this year,” Savelle said. “That’s across the board. People are just experiencing little production, primarily on satsumas. Most people are telling me they don’t have any satsumas. It’s very limited.”
Citrus growers in the cold-hardy region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama are still getting accustomed to satsuma production, which includes the fruit’s alternate bearing tendency.
“We didn’t have any satsumas in 2023 because we had the artic blast in late 2022, and then we had an overabundance last year. It was a bountiful 2024 crop,” Savelle said. “This year, none. The issue appears to be more unique to satsumas. We’ve still got so much to learn about satsuma production.”
The expected lack of satsumas should not prompt producers to abandon management of their trees, however. Trees still need adequate care for future production.
“You still want to take care of the trees. Look for mites. Spray for leaf miners,” advised Savelle. “Fungal diseases can occur with humidity and all this rain. Be sure to scout your trees no matter what. You want your trees to remain healthy.
“It’s a tough balance when you’ve got no fruit to speak of. That means no income, but still you’ve got to put out money to take care of your grove. But that’s farming, isn’t it?”
By Clint Thompson