Florida farmer fights to protect tropical fruits from freezing temperatures

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Stephen Cucura, co-owner of Fruitscapes, is facing a relentless cold snap that is threatening his specialty: mangoes.

"It is hurricane, drought, cold. There's always something that Mother Nature throws at you," said Cucura.

This time, it's the cold weather causing concern.

"It's been disturbing a little bit, because it's been one success of cold after another," said Cucura.

He fears the nighttime temperature will dip to 29 degrees, nearing the coldest temperature of 26 degrees experienced 15 years ago.

Cucura's mangoes, a tropical fruit, have zero tolerance for freezing temperatures.

"Mangoes do not have that antifreeze built in. They get 32 degrees, and they die," said Cucura.

"That's all it takes, just a couple hours, sometimes just an hour or two," he added.

To combat the cold, Cucura is taking preventative measures.

"We're prepping. We're getting all our blankets ready to cover our plants with putting up plastic on our greenhouse, spraying polymers on our plants to keep them from desiccating," said Cucura.

Frost blankets are ready, and propane heaters are on standby.

"It's basically a blast furnace. It just blows, billows out, hot air. You put that in the middle of your greenhouse," said Cucura.

He explained that it "pretty much radiates enough heat to keep that entire greenhouse a few degrees warmer than the outside temperature."

As the cold lingers, Cucura hopes for one simple thing.

"That the forecast goes back up above 40 degrees," he said.

"Above 40 degrees for me, I'm comfortable, but once it drops down into the 30s, there's too much room for error," added Cucura.