DELAND, Fla. — Cold patterns like the ones we saw this week can have some damaging effects for Central Florida fern farmers.

One farmer in Deland said the cold weather is only the tipping point for an industry that’s already struggling.

What You Need To Know

  • Some fern farmers have been seeing the impact of cold weather the Central Florida received this past week

  • Lars Hagstrom, co-owner of Albin Hagstrom & Son Fern Company, has been creating a protective ice later that will insulate ferns from the freezing temperatures

  • Despite the drop in temperature, he said it wasn’t cold enough to cause any real damage to his ferns; however, when it comes to damage, he said the effects leftover by Hurricane Milton were far more costly

  • Hagstrom said he admits that the business had to increase their prices to counter the damages and inflation, which has made these last few years increasingly more challenging

Lars Hagstrom’s family has been growing ferns in the Pierson area for five generations. One thing he knows a lot about is how to adapt to Mother Nature’s sudden changes.

When last week’s cold front brought near-freezing temperatures, he knew just what to do to protect the ferns.

“The sprinklers on top, we run on a really cold night and make ice over the top, and then once it ices up, we turn the bottom on — that’s 72 degree water — and it creates steam and heat, and the ice up top insulates it,” Hagstrom, co-owner of Albin Hagstrom & Son Fern Company, said.

As soon as the temperature drops to 32 degrees, he will turn on a diesel pump that’s used to spray a thin layer of water on the plants, both under and over the saran shade cloth, to create a protective ice later that will insulate the ferns from the freezing temperatures.

Despite the drop in temperature, he said it wasn’t cold enough to cause any real damage to his ferns; however, when it comes to damage, he said the effects leftover by Hurricane Milton were far more costly.

Hagstrom said there is going to be a scarcity of fern for Valentine’s Day because of the storms.

He just finished picking up the pieces from Milton two weeks ago. He had to re-patch various parts of his saran cloth damaged by the storm and adds that nearly 40% of his ferns were lost.

Hagstrom said he admits that the business had to increase their prices to counter the damages and inflation, which has made these last few years increasingly more challenging.

“Cold costs us a lot of money for the diesel,” he said. “In our family business, we probably have 60 diesel pumps, and you got 60 pumps running eight, 10, 12 hours a night. That’s a lot of diesel we’re burning. And it’s hard to find help. People don’t want to work like they used to, and it’s hard to find good help.”