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  • Orchid – the most exotic of all flowers

    Orchid – the most exotic of all flowers

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     The orchid is said to be the most exotic of all flowers. Their fragile beauty has made them a favorite corsage flower. This plant family comes in a stunning array of shapes, sizes and colors. Orchids grow wild all over the world except in the coldest climates. Some orchids are epiphytal and will grow on trees and rocks needing no soil. The other type is terrestrial. These grow in the ground like the Lady Slipper orchids.
    Hybridizers continue to develop innumerable varieties. Many are raised in greenhouses by florists but it is also a great hobby plant. They can be grown on the lanai, sun porch or in terrariums. To grow them inside your home requires good ventilation and light, humidity (by daily spraying if necessary), proper potting material with good drainage and timely watering and feeding. This is definitely not your average corn plant or fern but home orchid growers insist it is easy and simple to grow these beauties inside or outside. Here in South Florida our climate does allow us to grow orchids in the yard as well. Many people tie them to trees and forget them until the beautiful flowers appear.
    Some amateur orchid growers enter their plants in shows. Following are some tips on how an amateur’s orchid can win the show.
    First you need to know the preferences of the orchid you are growing. The different varieties prefer potting mediums with different moisture retention properties. Potting mediums to choose from include bark, tree fern, lava rock and a blown clay product called Aliflor. I have a friend who swears the styrofoam packing peanuts are the best. These mediums can be used in clay, slotted pots or baskets lined with moss or fern. Also, different varieties have different light requirements. Some tolerate full sun while others would burn if put in the sun. Watering twice a week and fertilizing once a month is a must for most varieties. There are those that prefer only small amounts of fertilizer so know your orchids. Experiment while you learn. You will lose some orchids but will eventually get the idea.
     Some of the varieties of orchid are:
     Cattleya which is the corsage orchid. It prefers bright light and will tolerate some morning sun.
    Vanda/Ascocenda will tolerate full sun outdoors.
    Dendrobiums like bright light but not quite full sun.
    Phalaenopsis is the perfect indoor orchid as it prefers filtered light and no direct sun.
    Paphiopedilum is another excellent plant for the home preferring shady conditions.
    If your orchids are not grown under cover, protecting them from wet weather, you should have a fungicide regiment as their leaves tend to develop fungal spots. You will also have to watch for insects. There are many which will attack orchids. These include thrips, aphids, scale and mealybugs, mites and snails and slugs. It is important to follow label directions on the insecticides and fungicides so you don’t damage the plant. Most growers treat as needed when these pests appear. There are many safe, non toxic sprays you can use as well as the usual chemicals like Malathion.
    If you are a member of the local orchid society members will share their knowledge and information, such as which insects are a problem at certain times. The Naples Orchid Society usually meets every month. The trading of information with other orchid growers will help you overcome the problems you may experience as an amateur orchid grower.
    The Naples Orchid Society puts on shows and you need not be an expert or a member to enter. Although there are special trophies for members of the Naples Orchid Society. To prepare your orchids for a show you will want to stake and separate your flowers. Unless you have a cluster flower variety, you want each flower to stand alone. The background is also important to show off the flower. So even if your leaves are not perfect, their placement behind the flower is important in this category.
    This is not true however if you are entering for a cultural award. In this category they will be looking for clean leaves with no fungal spots or signs of insect damage. This is where the fungicide and insecticide regiments come in to play. Color and vigor of the plant are also important.
    Even if you don’t want to enter a Naples Orchid Society show, you can go and enjoy a lot of beautiful orchids and get an idea of which varieties you might like to try growing. Their next show is February 20, 21 & 22 at the Naples Botanical Garden where you can also enjoy the beautiful orchid garden created and maintained by the garden’s staff.
  • Fertilizer leaching and run off

    Fertilizer leaching and run off

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    I recently spoke at a City of Marco Island Waterways Committee Meeting about fertilizer leaching and run off causing algae blooms in our surrounding waterways.  I learned that there are some citizens who are raising the idea of a complete fertilizer ban on Marco Island.  This would not be a good idea since it could cause more pollution than it would stop by slowly killing the very plants that filter the pollution on our island.  The same is unfortunately true of our fertilizer ordinance as it is today written.  Both ideologies negatively affect roots.
    Ah roots!  The filters of our earth!  And an important part of healthy lawns, trees and plants.  And that brings me to the subject of soil, which is home to most roots.  Soil should be alive and it is a fact that chemical fertilizers kill the microbial activity in soil.  Do we really need chemical fertilizers for healthy lawns and plants?  Fertilizers give us a quick bang for our buck.  And homeowners and farmers have been using them for decades for growing food and to beautify our surroundings.  Often to the detriment of our environment when too much is used or run off is not controlled.  This is one of the main reasons that fertilizer is getting the bad rap it gets today.  So what is a respectable farmer or gardener to do?  Let us look into just what chemical fertilizers do to our soil and what the alternatives are.
    We should know that chemical fertilizers have a negative impact on our soil by damaging soil structure, fertility and by devastating beneficial microorganisms.  Fertilizer can change pH levels in the soil making erosion more probable.  The lack of organic matter causes poor soil structure allowing it to wash or blow away and contaminate nearby waterways and their ecosystems.
    Chemical fertilizers also disrupt the delicate balance of soil microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and other beneficial microbes.  These microorganisms are crucial in decomposing organic matter, fixing nitrogen and fighting plant diseases.  When you kill off beneficial microorganisms you reduce soil biodiversity.  Mycorrhizal fungi, which I have written about in the past, are important for plant nutrient uptake and are just one example of important biodiversity.  Altering soil’s microbial community affects the entire ecosystem.
    Soil acidification is more of a problem in regions with low pH soils.  We tend to have high pH levels due to our sandy, calcium soils.  Soil acidification reduces soil fertility as nutrients become less available to plants.  This can be a result of high pH soils.  Fertilizers containing ammonium compounds can increase aluminum toxicity harming roots and microorganisms.  And decreased microbial activity can accelerate soil degradation.
    When we replace organic amendments like compost or manure with chemical fertilizer we reduce the building of soil organic matter.  Organic matter is such an essential part of healthy soil.  It improves soil structure and water holding capacity.  It provides nutrients and energy for microorganisms which in turn supports soil biodiversity and ecosystems.  Without organic matter soil is more prone to erosion, compaction and degradation along with a general decline in soil health.  Chemical fertilizers can also increase the concentration of salts in the soil which affects the absorbing of water and nutrients.
    So how do we wrangle ourselves from the unhealthy dependency we have on chemical fertilizer?  There are sustainable practices that prioritize soil health, ecosystem services and environmental well-being.  There is also the holistic approach allowing you to slowly make the change to organic.  Integrated Nutrient Management combines organic and inorganic fertilizers tailored to your soil conditions and plant needs.  Soil tests can lead you in the right direction with this option.
    Purely organic fertilizers improve soil health and biodiversity over time.  Most homeowners want that immediate nutrient boost they get from chemical fertilizers.  It would take time (a year or so) to transition your yard to organic care and would likely mean losing that perfect lawn until your biodiversity begins to come alive again.  But it would be worth the wait since it will lead to a more healthy and resilient landscape without harmful chemicals.
    There are many non-chemical or abiotic options available.  Here are a few I found online.
    Espoma Organic – Derived from feather meal, poultry manure and sulfate of potash.
    Jonathan Green Organic – Derived from feather meal, soybean meal, blood meal, sulfate of potash and calcium carbonate.
    Fancy Chicken – Derived from 100% dried chicken manure w/calcium, magnesium, sulfer, copper, zinc, iron, molybdenum and carbon microbes.
    Down to Earth – Bio Turf – Derived from Hydrolyzed feather meal, blood meal, meat meal, bone meal and Langbeinite.
    Back to the Roots – Liquid – Derived from soy protein hydrolysate (a bio stimulant), with 1% iron for vibrant green and a mix of elements for plant, soil and microbes.  Fish solubles, sugar molasses, corn steep liquor, soy protein hydrolysate, sugar beet extract, potash and kelp.
    If you do decide to make the switch patience will be required.  You will need to forgo all chemicals as you work to bring your soil alive again.  This means no more chemical herbicides, insecticides or fungicides while you allow mother-nature to take over.  There are some non-toxic options for these but the results are not the same as their chemical cousins.  You don’t want to kill all those wonderful microorganisms you have worked so hard to bring back to life.  Trust me.  You won’t be sorry as your landscape becomes the envy of the neighborhood. 
  • Sugarcane Mosaic Virus

    Sugarcane Mosaic Virus

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    Sugarcane Mosaic Virus is an emerging problem for our St. Augustine lawns in Florida.  Viruses are some of the smallest and most simple pathogens.  You need an electron microscope to see them.  They are different from bacteria and fungi because they are not living organisms.  They need a living host to replicate.  But not all viruses cause disease.  Some can replicate within a host without causing harm to the host.  Some of our lovely variegated plants were created by introducing a virus into them.
    Pathogenic viruses do cause disease and once a plant is infected not much can be done to get rid of it.  Prevention is the best strategy which I will cover later in this article.  The sugarcane mosaic virus does cause disease.  And, unfortunately, Floratam which is the most popular cultivar of St. Augustine grass used in our area is most vulnerable to this virus.
    Sugarcane mosaic virus has been around since before 2013 but its effects were mild.  However, it is now spreading.  The virus causes mosaic disease but because it is a virus it cannot be controlled by fungicides or other pesticides.  The infection can cause severe damage to lawns and may kill the entire lawn as the grass declines.  They refer to this as lethal viral necrosis (LVN).
    The Floratam cultivar of St. Augustine is most vulnerable to progressing to LVN.  Especially here in South Florida.  The cultivars of Palmetto and CitraBlue are the most resistant to damage by the virus.  Zoysia grass is not a host, for now.  This virus also affects sugarcane (hence its name), bermudagrass, seashore paspalum, bahiagrass, and fountain grasses. 
    The most common symptom of mosaic disease is the mosaic pattern of damage on the leaf.  There will be blotchy lines of yellow and light green on otherwise green grass blades.  These streaks run along the veins.  In the fall the lawn will show LVN and begin to turn brown and completely die.  A lot of Marco Islanders came back to this unpleasant surprise as they returned for the season.  This severe dieback really show up by spring.
    Sugarcane Mosaic is mostly spread by infected lawn mowing equipment which brings clippings and sap from infected lawns to healthy, uninfected lawns.  The University of Florida recommends cleaning all clippings and sap off of all equipment, especially mowers, trimmers and shoes and then sterilize by spraying with a bleach, alcohol or quaternary ammonia solution.  While a homeowner mowing his own lawn may be able to do this with every mowing it is not a practical solution for the professional lawn care companies who mow dozens of lawns a day.
    This suggestion takes me back to our problem of the spreading of ganoderma infection of our palm trees.  The prevention solution was also to clean and disinfect chain saws and other pruning tools between jobs.  Once again it was not feasible for a landscape company to completely clean the equipment of all microscopic debris between jobs.  My suggestion was to have a “dirty” saw used only on known diseased trees keeping your other tools disease free.  While not an ideal solution I felt it was better than nothing.  So if a landscaper knows that he has a lawn infected with mosaic disease perhaps he could have another “dirty” push mower or line trimmer used exclusively on diseased areas.  This of course would mean you would have to know you have mosaic disease in the first place.
    This virus can also be spread by aphids and I would think chinch bugs along with infected sod.  It should be noted that it has not been found on any sod farms, yet.  It would be best to inspect any new sod before introducing it to your yard. 
    If you suspect you have a mosaic disease you should submit a sample of your grass for testing to UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center.
    And finally as I always say a healthy lawn or plant is able to resist disease better than an unhealthy one.  So use good horticultural practices to keep your lawn healthy.
    • Mow at the proper height for your grass type. Augustine’s optimum height is 3 ½” to 4”. I still see a lot of lawns being cut too short which will weaken them and make them more susceptible to diseases like mosaic. And don’t mow your lawn when it is wet since this can help move pathogens throughout the lawn. Keep your mower blades sharp for a clean cut that will heal quickly and prevent openings for pathogens to enter the grass blade.
    • Fertilize correctly. Rates and timing are important. Refer to EDIS Publication EP221 – General Recommendations for Fertilization of Turfgrasses on Florida Soils. Some of the local fertilizer ordinances have rules that are more harmful than helpful to a healthy trufgrass so follow the scientific guidelines.
    • Irrigation – Apply ½” to ¾” per session. Our sandy soil would prefer the ¾” amount. Put out some tuna cans, run your sprinklers and measure to see how long they need to run to achieve the ¾” application. In spring, summer and fall once or twice a week is recommended. But with cooler winter weather once a week or even once every other week is enough. And water in the early morning so the leaf blades dry when the sun comes out. Never water in the late afternoon or evening as this leaves the blades wet into the night and increases the chance of disease.
    Follow the above recommendations to keep your lawn healthy because prevention is the best, and possibly the only strategy, against the Sugarcane Mosaic Virus.
  • New Year Resolutions

    New Year Resolutions

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    Thursday brings a new year and for some this means changes or “New Year Resolutions”. Following are a few resolutions you can adopt for the New Year when maintaining your yard.
    • Do – learn to identify beneficial insects so you can practice integrated pest management.
    • Do – remove rose leaves infested with black spot fungus from the rose garden to avoid spreading the disease.
    • Do – spray insecticides during the cooler times of the day, morning or evening, to avoid burning the plants.
    • Do – run your sprinkler system once in a while to be sure that coverage is correct
    • Do – keep your pruning tools sharp to avoid ragged cuts which could lead to disease.
    • Do – disinfect your pruning tools with a bleach solution after pruning diseased wood to avoid spreading the disease to healthy wood.
    • Do – install a rain sensor on your sprinkler system for automatic shut off during rains.
    • Do – plant a few perennials in your annual flower gardens for a spot of color through the hot, summer months.
    • Do – fertilize sparingly with a slow release fertilizer.
    • Do – harvest all of last years citrus crop so the tree can use its energy for the new crop.
    • Do – amend your soil when creating a flower or vegetable garden.
    • Do – scatter your fertilizer to the drip line of your trees.
    • Do – cut away any dead, diseased or interfering wood when pruning.
    • Do – use native plants whenever possible.
    • Don’t – apply more water to your entire lawn in an attempt to green up those brown spots. Adjust or repair your sprinklers for uniform coverage.
    • Don’t – fertilize flowering citrus trees. Wait for small fruit to set as nitrogen can cause flowers to drop, thus lowering your crop.
    • Don’t – operate power equipment around pedestrians, especially children. Stop until the pedestrian has passed or ask them to leave the area until the job is completed.
    • Don’t – cut your St Augustine grass shorter than 3 inches to avoid unnecessary stress, watering, etc.
    • Don’t – plant a shrub or tree with its roots wrapped in a ball. Straighten and spread the root ball to help the roots develop outwards.
    • Don’t – water your lawn more than twice a week.
    • Don’t – mow wet grass. It can be unsafe and spread disease.
    • Don’t – trim palm trees severely. If the frond is green and not interfering with anything leave it for the tree to use.
    • Don’t – put mulch against the stems and trunks of plants. The constant moisture will rot the bark eventually killing the plant.
    • Don’t – mulch citrus trees. They are susceptible to foot rot which is not curable and will kill the tree.
    • Don’t – damage the bark on your trees with a line trimmer or mower.
    • Don’t – fertilize in a ring around your trees.
    • Don’t – severely prune plants after mid October.
    • Don’t – plant a sun loving plant in the shade and vice versa
    • Don’t – cover your yard in rock.
    Happy New Year to all and best wishes for the lawns and gardens of Marco Island.  May they flourish to give Marco Island that tropical ambiance we all love so much.
  • One more day untill Christmas day

    One more day untill Christmas day

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    Oh oh! Only one more shopping day until Christmas. Here are a few suggestions for last minute gifts for the gardener on your list.
    • Canvas tool bags so your tools are right there with you.
    • Garden carts to haul your supplies or your debris.
    • Bird baths or feeders or houses.
    • Bee and butterfly houses.
    • Potting bench
    • Kneelers so your gardener doesn’t face knee replacement surgery later.
    • A whole garden set including the canvas bag, a Hori-Hori, steel everyday pruners, by-pass pruners, trowel and cultivators.
    • Ratcheting pruning loppers
    • Telescoping pole saw.
    • Telescoping fruit picker
    • Folding seat with tools
    • Folding pruning saw (one of my favorite tools)
    • Weeding hoe
    • Twelve pair of Goat skin garden gloves (one per month)
    Christmas in Florida.  The balmy weather, palm trees swaying in the gentle breezes off the Gulf of Mexico and yards with green grass and colorful flowers.
    If you grew up in the North, like I did, your visions of Christmas are filled with pine trees and snow not palm trees and sunshine.  The first few years you live here it just doesn’t feel like Christmas!  But you get used to it and the cold fronts and rainy December weather help put you in the mood for the holidays.
    Another fact to help you learn to enjoy your Christmas with palm trees is the fact that Christ was born in Bethlehem, a land with landscapes and weather much like ours here on Marco Island.  So decorate your palm trees and rejoice in the fact that this is what Christmas is supposed to look like!
    I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
  • Landscape lighting

    Landscape lighting

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     Landscape lighting can bring the outdoors inside at night by making your yard visible from windows. Lighting also makes it easier and safer to travel through your landscape after dark. Lighted entrances, driveways and walkways express hospitality, allow identification of visitors and discourage trespassers. Also, consider lighting for specific outdoor after dark activities. Garden lighting extends the enjoyment of your landscape into the evening hours.
     Adding some colored bulbs in your landscape lights is an easy and expansive way to decorate your landscape for the holidays. But be careful of certain colors on your shrubs as it can turn them grey.
    Landscape lighting should be designed with people in mind. While it is important to illuminate areas for safety and security and to accentuate important features in your landscape, keep glaring from the light in mind. Lights should never be at eye level because the glare can reduce visibility rather than enhance it. Eye level is about five feet for standing adults and three and a half feet for sitting areas and areas accessible by wheelchair. A basic rule in landscape lighting is to use indirect lighting instead of direct “head-on” lighting. Indirect lighting is achieved when the light source is hidden from view and only the effects of the lighting are seen. Techniques in lighting include down-lighting, up-lighting, silhouette-lighting, shadow-lighting, cross-lighting and graze-lighting. Several of these techniques can be used in one design.
    Down-lighting is directed straight down onto objects to be illuminated. Down-lighting can be used close to the ground to provide indirect light to walkways and steps or can be positioned above patios or play areas to illuminate these large areas. Be sure these lights are positioned so they do not shine on a neighbor’s property.
    Up-lighting is accomplished by positioning the light below the object to be illuminated. Up-lighting is used to accentuate plants or objects. Lights positioned above eye level in trees or at ground level and pointing upward can illuminate interesting branching habits. Ground level lights for up-lighting should be obscured from direct view by the plants, the light fixture or by angling away from the direction of view.
    Silhouette and shadow-lighting are created by lighting objects from one side and are used to accentuate the form of the objects or plants you are illuminating. Silhouette-lighting is achieved by lighting the background (a fence or wall) so the dark object is viewed against an illuminated surface or by back lighting the object so that it is viewed against a dark background. Shadow-lighting creates definition and interest by using side lighting to cast a shadow of an object on a patio, fence or wall. Effects of an interesting branching habit ban be further multiplied by casting shadows in more than one direction with cross-lighting.
    Cross-lighting is lighting an object from opposite directions, either from front to back or side to side. Light fixtures for cross-lighting are usually positioned near the ground and the light intensities from the two fixtures are generally different.
    Graze-lighting is used to accentuate the textured surface of objects. Interesting exterior siding of a house can be accentuated by concealing lights in a shrub and directing the light so that it grazes the wall. Textured qualities of bark, foliage and fences can also be accentuated with graze-lighting.
    The texture, size and growth habit of plants should dictate the type of indirect lighting to accentuate interesting features. Up-lighting is best for plants that are open and cross-lighting at sharp angles is best for dense foliage. Landscape lighting should bring out the texture and shapes of objects and plants being illuminated. Light radiating from between an object and a viewer and shining directly on the object will make it appear flat and two dimensional. Indirect light reflecting off the surfaces of objects defines the fixture and shape of the object and will accentuate interesting features.
    Home improvement stores have a large selection of landscape lights along with the necessary hardware to install them. Solar lights can be easier since there is no wiring involved. If this all sounds like more than you can handle there are many electrical and landscaping companies that do landscape lighting. With your input and their knowledge you’ll soon be enjoying your landscape night and day.
  • Pleasant Thanksgiving

    Pleasant Thanksgiving

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    I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Time now for the end of the year holidays! After 40 years here, I still find warm sunny weather a bit of a turn off for the holidays and long for the cool and dreary weather of December. I’m not usually disappointed. However, holiday cheer is all around as the island decorates for the season. I find lighted palm trees to be especially festive.
    The winter month of December can bring colder temperatures.  In December, we are more likely to have a frost or even the occasional freeze.  Often there can be little rain so using your irrigation system will still be necessary.  However, the cooler temperatures, with highs only in the 70’s and 80’s, means this is the time of year you can save big on those water bills.  Watering once a week or even once every other week will keep your lawns and gardens green as well as helping to reduce the chance of disease.
    If you haven’t applied your fall fertilizer to lawn, shrubs and trees, you should do so as soon as possible.  Healthy, well fed plants will be better able to withstand a frost or freeze.  As plants react to the cold they will slow their uptake of nutrients from the soil making it important to fertilize before the really cold weather or your fertilizer will leach right through the soil and into the surrounding waterways.
    The rate of growth for everything will slow dramatically.  Lawns should be cut every ten to fourteen days instead of every seven.  Shrubs should not be severely pruned again until spring.  Tender new growth would be susceptible to damage from cold.  Light pruning can still be done as necessary.  If you suspect a frost or freeze is on the way it is probably best to avoid pruning.  Cold weather can be very stressful to our tropical plants.  The act of mowing and pruning is another stress the plants don’t need. 
    One exception to severe December pruning is the rose bush.  December and January are months when rose bushes should have a major pruning.  This is important to keep rose bushes in shape and to promote blooming.  Remove all dead and diseased canes and those crowding and rubbing against better canes.
    This is also a good month to plant.  Flower and vegetable gardens can be planted if you haven’t already done so.  Also, planting or transplanting shrubs and trees now allows for good root development as top growth is minimal allowing the plant to concentrate on growing roots.  The same is true for sod and the reduced water requirements means less irrigation will be needed to establish new turf.
    Insects and diseases are not as active but they’re still out there so pay attention and treat if needed.  Watch for gray leaf spot, brown patch and chinch bugs on lawns.  Over watering during the cooler weather can encourage disease as the rate of evaporation is greatly reduced leaving water on plant surfaces and in the soil much longer.  This is the environment fungal spores thrive in.  And that is another good reason to turn your sprinklers back.  Lawns may turn brown in December from both cold damage and disease if watered too often.  A light feeding of ammonium sulfate will usually return it to a nice green color within a week or two.  And that is a quick release nitrogen that the plants will easily use so it won’t leach but will be taken up by the roots to be used by the plants.
    Some of the fruits to enjoy in December include hamlin and pineapple oranges, tangerines, minneola tangelos (although these are much sweeter in another month), calamondins, avocados, kumquats and certain varieties of banana.  This combination makes for a nice tropical holiday fruit bowl.
     So it is time to take some time off, relax your gardening chores a bit and prepare for the holidays.
  • Lawns around Marco

    Lawns around Marco

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    A lot of the lawns around Marco are struggling right now. It has been a perfect storm to produce brown, weakened grass. It started with the tremendous summer rains this year which produced a lot of disease. Then fertilizer, which would have strengthened the grass for the cold weather, was not applied until October when it had already turned cold. A lot of slow release fertilizer does not react with cold temperatures and the grass becomes semi dormant and also stops the process of taking in and using nutrients. So the fertilizer applied for the fall feeding is mostly sitting there and leaching through the soil and into the ground water with every sprinkler watering it gets. Add to that the drought we have been experiencing for the last two months and that completes the perfect storm. If your grass is brown in areas look closely to see if it is crab grass which will turn brown with this type of weather. That’s a good thing as it will weaken it. And feel the soil to see if there is adequate moisture. If so the lawn is suffering from the above problems. Do not water more as you will just fuel the disease and wash more of your fertilizer into the ground. Have a fungicide applied and consider turning off the sprinklers for a week or two or cut back to once a week to let the lawn dry out. Following is more on the care of your grass.
    Proper mowing of your lawn can kill weeds and chinch bugs, cure disease, save water and provide fertilizer. However, improper mowing can be harmful. Mowing is stressful to grass because it is meant to grow tall, mature and make seeds. Man decided that lawns look better when freshly mowed and most people feel the shorter the better. But a close cut doesn’t do much for your lawn or your water bill.
    Grasses are basal-growing plants. The growing point is at the crown (the area between the root and the blade) of the plant near the soil line. The tips are the oldest part of the blade which means you can cut off their tops without killing them. When you cut the tips, new growth pushes up from the crown. When the mower cuts off those grass tips, it causes severe shock to the grass plant. Grass lives primarily on food manufactured in its blades not on what is drawn up through the roots. Cutting the blades reduces the ability of the plant to manufacture food. That food is used for both top and root growth so the shorter you cut the grass the less root growth you will have. A plant with deep roots will be better able to withstand drought, fight off disease and insects and store food manufactured in the leaves. So the longer the root the healthier the grass. Every time the grass is cut the root system is weakened to some degree. When cut too severely, the roots stop growing. Mowing tears the plant and creates ports of entry for disease. Sharp mower blades give a cleaner cut which heals faster. Another problem with close cutting is that it allows sunlight to dry the soil and the additional light will encourage weed seeds to germinate.
    Mowing has actually tamed the wild grasses of our past. Mowing grass before it sets seeds prevents sexual reproduction and many grasses respond by reproducing asexually by spreading stolons and rhizomes creating a thicker lawn. How high you mow will also influence the spread of the grass. A higher cut makes healthier grass with deeper roots, more mass for photosynthesis and more stolons and rhizomes for a thicker sod which means less weed invasion.
    You should also take into account that grass grows at different rates throughout the seasons. The summer months require more frequent mowing than our cold winter and dry spring months when you should not cut as often. Our coming cold weather will slow the growth and bi-weekly mowing will be all that is needed. Some lawns could go three weeks or a month without mowing. If the grass doesn’t need to be mowed save it from the extra stress and don’t mow it. As we move into the dry spring months grasses will be stressed by heat and drought so care must be taken to properly irrigate to help ease the stress of mowing.
    In past years drought required the city to reduce our allowed watering to once a week. The fact is our lawns could easily survive on this schedule and be healthier for it. We should use horticultural practices every day which produce deep-rooted lawns that don’t require excessive water to keep them green. All lawns, properly cared for, could be conditioned to require no more than once a week watering all year. The exception would be during the cold winter months when once every two or three weeks will do. I remember the year the Phase 3 water restriction took affect on Marco Island and everybody thought their lawn would surely die if watered only once a week. People were surprised as their lawns remained green and lush. It was because it was during the winter months with the cooler temperatures and lower evaporation rates. That benefit ends as the temperatures begin to climb in March, April and May. Spring is when the benefit of a deep root system and tall grass blades come in to play to allow for less watering.
    Check your irrigation system to be sure of proper coverage. It may seem that the sprinklers are reaching all areas but if you have dry spots on the edge of your sprinkler pattern you may not be getting adequate water at the edges of the sprinkler pattern. Place some empty tuna cans at the center of the green areas and also in the dry areas and measure the water levels after the zone has run. You’ll most likely find you’re not getting enough in the dry areas. This could be dirt in the sprinkler tip, heads not properly spaced or water pressure problems when the sprinklers are running in the wee hours of the morning. When not mowing every week be sure the sprinkler heads stay well cleared of taller grass blades to allow for proper coverage.
    It was once believed that grass clippings were the cause of thatch accumulation in the lawn. It is now known that they do not accumulate unless the clippings are exceptionally long. They break down soon after they hit the ground. In the process they return a lot of nitrogen to the soil. Clippings are a very good thing and should be left to break down and feed you lawn.
    A lush, green lawn is a beautiful thing. It doesn’t need excessive chemical and water use to look that way if you just raise the mower deck as high as it will go. A deeper lawn is a healthy lawn!
  • This is early for such cold weather

    This is early for such cold weather

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    This is very early for such cold weather.  We had been enjoying beautiful weather in the 80’s when some very cold weather from the north dipped low enough to bring our temperatures into the 40’s and 50’s.  I’m sure our plants are as confused as we are.
    The cold weather came along with some very windy weather which causes a type of cold injury called plant desiccation or drying out.  This causes leaf-tips to burn in mild cases and totally brown leaves in severe cases.  Desiccation occurs when dry winds and solar radiation cause the loss of more water from the leaves than can be absorbed and transported by a cold or frozen root system.  Plants located in the open and exposed to those cold, drying winds will be brown and void of leaves.  Some plants may die from this but most will recover and new leaves will begin to emerge on the seemingly dead branches.  Leaves on a lot of shrubs and trees will begin turning yellow and dropping after this kind of weather.  Hibiscus, gardenias, bougainvillea, gumbo limbo trees, and most tropical and subtropical plants in our landscapes will have this reaction to the cold.
    This will happen in a big way two to three weeks from now so remember this is when and why it happened!  And also be sure not to over water your landscapes since the lower temperatures and fog can leave landscapes wet for longer periods of time causing disease to become a problem.  Especially on cold damaged plants.  Also remember lawns will be affected as well.  St Augustine grass is a warm season grass which is susceptible to freeze damage.  Blades will turn brown throughout otherwise healthy lawns.  A treatment of fungicide will help protect healthy growth on plants from succumbing to disease problems.  If you have patches of crab grass this is probably already brown from the previous cold weather and over watering will just fuel the growth of crab grass since it loves nothing better than a lot of water.  And a lot of water will do nothing to turn it or cold damaged lawns and plants green again.  When it is time to fertilize for spring,  that will be the best way to green up your cold damaged landscapes.  Wait until you are sure no more of this winter weather is coming this far south to fertilize.  You don’t want to wake up plants causing tender new growth which can then be damaged with another freeze.
    Our landscapes are already in a slight dormancy due to the lower temperatures earlier in the fall which causes a slight slowing of growth for tropical and subtropical plants. Tropical plants and annuals do not normally adapt to withstand temperatures below freezing and can be injured when temperatures reach below 50 degrees F.  Fortunately, freezing temperatures are rare for South Florida and even more rare on coastal islands like Marco.  
    However, subtropical plants can, under the right conditions, acclimate to withstand freezing temperatures.  The ability of plants to withstand freezing temperatures is affected by temperature fluctuations and day lengths before a freeze.  A gradual decrease in temperatures helps plants to harden and withstand cold temperatures.  We have not had enough periods of lower temperatures to hardened our plants.  And if these cold temperatures are followed by periods of warmer temperatures that can de-acclimate plants resulting in budding or flowering making these plants more prone to freeze injury.  Like I said our plants are as confused as we are with this weather.
    Cold injury can occur to the entire plant or just some parts of the plant such as fruit, flowers, buds, leaves, trunks, stems or roots.  The fruit and roots are most vulnerable to cold damage.  Especially roots of container plants.  This damage won’t usually become evident until the plant is stressed by higher temperatures in the spring.
    Steps, from selection of proper planting sites to good cultural practices, can help acclimate plants to cold temperatures and protect them from temperature extremes.
    Site selection.  Temperatures can fluctuate from one location to another in most yards.  Thus, microclimates should be considered when choosing the planting site for cold sensitive plants.  Tender plants should be planted in areas with good air flow never in low areas where cold air settles.  Arranging plants, fences and other barriers to help protect plants from the cold winds of advective freezes can help.  Avoid poorly drained soils which will result in shallow, weak root systems making plants more susceptible to cold damage.
    Plant nutrition.  Properly fertilized plants will tolerate cold temperatures better and recover from injury faster than weak, underfed plants.  That is why it is so important to fertilize in the fall before the cold weather of winter arrives.  After the cold weather arrives plants will not “take up” or use fertilizer applied due to the dormancy.
    Shading.  Tree canopy covers can reduce cold injury caused by radiation freezes.  Canopies can raise night temperatures under them by reducing heat loss into the atmosphere.  Early morning sun after a freeze can cause bark splitting on plants and the shade can help prevent this problem.  However, be sure shrubs planted in the shade are shade tolerant or you will end up with sickly plants which will also be more vulnerable to cold injury.
    Watering your landscape before a freeze can help because a wet soil will absorb more solar radiation than dry soil and will re-radiate this heat during the night.  However, it is not good to saturate soil for prolonged periods as this could cause root damage.
    Avoid late fall pruning which can result in budding and a new flush of growth.  This tender, new growth is more susceptible to cold injury.  This is why they tell you not to do any hard pruning after October 15th.  
    Keep your plants healthy.  Plants weakened by insects or diseases are not as resistant to the cold.  Inspect your plants regularly and treat them as necessary to avoid serious problems.
    Potted plants that can be moved indoors for a freeze should be.  Larger containers that must be left out should be pushed together and mulched to reduce heat loss from the tops and sides of the containers.  This will help protect the roots.  The soil should be moist not dry.  Be careful not to leave canopies of plants together for extended periods as this could cause leaf and stem damage.
    Radiant heat from the soil will protect low growing plants on cold, calm nights.  Taller plants do not enjoy this benefit as much because of their distance from the soil.  Mulches help to reduce heat loss from the soil helping to protect root systems.
    Covering your plants should be done carefully.  Covers that extend to the ground and are not in contact with the foliage can trap radiant heat from the soil and plant.  Foliage in contact with the cover can be injured because the heat transfers from the foliage to the colder cover and is lost.  You can purchase special “frost blankets” from the local garden center or use old sheets or blankets.  Plastic is not recommended but if it is all you have, be sure to remove it promptly the next day to avoid burning your plants with trapped solar radiation.
    Marco Island is usually spared the severe damage suffered by the inland communities due to our close proximity to the water.  Just remember to be prepared as it does happen and when it does we can lose a lot of our more tropical plants.  Winter has not even begun.  Serious freezing weather can just as easily cross over the bridge so prepare your landscapes for it now.  
  • Snow has already been falling in some of the northern states

    Snow has already been falling in some of the northern states

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    Snow has already been falling in some of the northern states and our own “Florida snow” is beginning to bloom on lawns around Marco Island. The weed is Florida pusley (Richardia scabra) and is a native to Florida. This weed is aggressive and will take over turf areas which are thin from irrigation, bug or fungus problems. The leaves and stems are hairy with opposite leaves. The flowers start white and turn to purple as they age. This weed grows into a large clump forming from a single stem. This makes the weed easy to remove physically when you have a small infestation. And if you enjoy pulling weeds I highly recommend you get the upper hand on pusley with this environmentally friendly method.
    If your lawn is adjacent to a vacant lot or to a lawn which is poorly maintained and is infested with Florida pusley, it will be a constant battle to control this weed in your lawn since it spreads by seed. Weeds can get a foothold in your lawn in areas where the grass is thin or weak. Weeds do not overtake healthy turf. St. Augustine is a very aggressive and competitive grass allowing it to compete with weeds. As I’ve said before, St. Augustine grass could overtake and kill most shrubs in your yard.
    Most weeds appear because of improper cultural practices such as mowing too closely or infrequently, improper fertilization or irrigation. These are the primary causes for thin or weak turf. In addition, inadequate control of insects, diseases, and nematodes will also damage the turf and allow weeds to invade.
    Herbicides may temporarily remove the weeds, however, unless the basic cause of the weakened turf is corrected, weeds like pusley will continue to be a major problem. Weed control will only be successful if the turf is returned to a good healthy growing condition. The healthy, thick blanket of grass will not allow weeds to germinate at the soil line.
    Pre-emergence herbicides provide several weeks of residual control in the soil and will kill the seedling weeds as they emerge. Pre-emergence herbicides should be applied before germination of the weed seeds. The timing of applications of this type of herbicide must coincide with the various germination times of weed species. For pusley, if it is above freezing this weed is germinating.
    Once weeds have germinated and are actively growing they must be controlled with post-emergence herbicides. Atrizine can be used in St Augustine grass to control most broadleaf and annual grass weeds. Trimic can be used in bahia grass to control most broadleaf weeds. Both seem to be somewhat effective against pusley. A call to your lawn spray company for other herbicides should be helpful. Use only herbicides labeled for your type of grass as severe injury or death will usually result if the wrong type of herbicide is applied. Herbicides in general should not be applied to freshly mowed turf or to turf under stress.
    Weeds are easier to control when in the seedling stage or when large and actively growing. Applications made to weeds under stress may reduce the effectiveness. It sounds strange but you want your weeds to be healthy and actively growing. Post-emergence herbicides are absorbed through the foliage, roots or both and then trans-located throughout the plant. If conditions are dry, you want to irrigate prior to application to ensure active growth. Fertilization prior to application is also a good idea. Do not water or mow for several days following herbicide application to give the chemicals time to absorb into the weeds. Always avoid applying any herbicide during extreme hot or cold temperatures to avoid damage to the grass.
     Crabgrass is another major problem in local lawns and control will require a special herbicide. They have taken the best product, Azulox, off the market but there are some replacements appearing. Cinnamon and baking soda are two popular crab grass treatments. These are not as effective and so patience and a healthy turf will be necessary when trying to kill crab grass using these natural remedies. They are contact herbicides and you can gain a degree of control, on small crab grass patches, when sprinkled lightly on top of wet patches of crab grass. You will see results right away as it burns the leaves of the plant. Unfortunately, the stolens and roots survive so it is important to limit treatments to small areas so as not to stress the St. Augustine or Bahai grass allowing it to grow and take over these areas again.
    While herbicides can help with the weed control in your lawn the best way to a weed free lawn is to practice good horticultural practices like proper watering, mowing, insect and disease control to prevent weak areas which will be susceptible to weed invasions from the likes of Florida pusley and crab grass. Or you can embrace the lovely look of Florida snow. Doug Caldwell says the bees like it and bees are in serious trouble and can use all the help we can give them.

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