Mums – Not Just a Fall Decoration

Mums – Not Just a Fall Decoration

Chrysanthemums in different colors
Chrysanthemums in different colors. NC State Extension

Fall hasn’t even started and the garden centers are already filled with mums. Somehow I made that sound like a bad thing. Chrysanthemums look great in containers at the front door and planted in the garden too. They also last pretty long as cut flowers. And they’re not just a fall decoration, mums are a great addition to the garden for years.

Mums have deep-green, lobed foliage with soft gray undersides. They are available in a number of colors, from dark red and orange to lavender and pink to white. Mums bloom when nights start to get longer in late summer and fall. Some species and varieties can be used as low-growing groundcovers and others can grow to 5 feet tall. All are herbaceous perennials that can continue to bloom for years.

Mums prefer full sun to partial shade. They like slightly acidic, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Use slow-release fertilizer to ensure an even flow of nutrients throughout the season. Keep plants looking attractive and healthy and full of new blooms by dead heading. You may also choose to choose to cut of side buds on main shoots to create larger flowers.

Mums can be propagated by either division or cuttings. It is important to either divide and re-pot potted plants or transfer potted plants to larger containers to keep plants from becoming root bound. Chrysanthemums are relatively pest free, but spider mites can become a problem in hot, dry weather. Make sure plants receive water regularly in hot, dry weather.

Why Are Some Spring Flowering Fruit Trees Blooming in Fall?

Why Are Some Spring Flowering Fruit Trees Blooming in Fall?

Peach tree blooming in fall

Peach tree blooming in fall. Note the yellow fall flowers of goldenrod & aster blooming in background. Photo credit: Leslie Hauquitz

Some fruit trees that normally bloom in late winter and spring are blooming now. Recently, a lady who had been out of town noticed that her peach trees were blooming when she arrived home. Knowing that peach trees ordinarily bloom around spring, she called me about this unusual occurrence. This unseasonal flowering also is occurring on some other fruit trees such as crabapple, apple and pear. This phenomenon also can occur in other deciduous spring flowering trees such as Japanese magnolia.

Anything that results in the leaves falling earlier than normal can result in this blooming out of season. Stresses that can result in the leaves falling prematurely include late season storms, insects and foliage diseases. This year’s excessive rains favored foliage diseases resulting in early leaf drop in many trees.

During most years, normal leaf drop in these trees occurs later in the season as the day length becomes shorter and when temperatures are cooler. Cooler temperatures prevent the flower buds from swelling and opening. However, if the leaves fall when the day length is longer and the temperature is warmer, the flower buds will swell and open. The leaves prevent the flower buds from developing. If the leaves fall early, during late summer or early fall, the flowers are allowed to open. With commercial apple production in some parts of the world, chemicals are applied to intentionally remove the leaves to force a second crop after harvesting the first crop of apples. This practice would not work in our area because there is not enough time to mature a second crop of fruit before cold weather arrives.

It is possible for a second crop of small fruit to develop on fruit trees that are blooming now as a result of the second flowering this year. However, because of the colder weather that will be arriving as we move into winter, any such fruit will not have time to mature. When the first killing frost or freeze occurs, these young fruits will be killed.

The lady who called about her peach trees wanted to know if she should remove the flowers and if this late flowering would negatively impact next spring’s flowering and fruit production. The flowers that opened this fall will be absent in spring – reducing the total number of flowers. However, during most springs, fruit trees produce more blooms and subsequently fruits than the trees can support. As a result, this unseasonable blooming should result in a needed thinning in next spring’s fruit crop.

So, there’s no need to remove them…just enjoy this “surprise” flower show.

Should Pepper Seeds Be Saved?

Should Pepper Seeds Be Saved?

There seems to be a lot of interest in being sustainable and saving seeds is one way to be food sustainable.  Should you save seeds from your garden?  When it comes to peppers and a number of other vegetables in your garden…it depends.

Wakulla Master Gardener Bill Osborne shows off some of the peppers he grew.

Hybrid vs. Open-pollinated

If you plan to save seed from your peppers, you first need to determine whether you planted open pollinated or hybrid peppers.  Hybrid varieties are produced from two distinct pepper varieties and are often designated by “F1” appearing after the variety name.  The seed from hybrid varieties is not usually saved because it does not produce plants and fruit that are true to the original variety.  Open-pollinated varieties are developed from inbreeding plants for multiple generations to develop a stable genetic make-up.  Seeds saved from these varieties will produce plants and fruit that are true to type.

How to Save Seed

To save seed of a known variety, it is important to isolate flowers or plants to ensure cross pollination from other varieties does not occur.  There are four common ways to isolate flower/plants.

  1. Isolate plants from pollinizer insects by growing them indoors or in a greenhouse.
  2. Cover individual plants with insect exclusion netting.
  3. Separate different varieties by at least 400 feet.
  4. Put a small bag over an emerging flower until it has self-pollinated.  Then remove the bag for fruit development.

The options above will help ensure your plants produce seed true to type.  A fun experiment would be to save seed from plants/fruit that are not isolated and planted near other pepper varieties.  There are endless possibilities on the peppers your new varieties would produce and you may end up developing your own named cultivar.  You could also choose one of the isolation techniques listed to selectively cross different pepper plants.  One misconception about growing peppers is that hot peppers planted near sweet peppers will influence the flavor of the sweet peppers.  As you may have gathered from the information about crossing varieties, the flavor of the next generation will be influenced by hot and sweet pepper being allowed to cross pollinate.

German Sandoya (left) examining seed samples in a lab at the Everglades Research and Education Center. Photo University of Florida/IFAS

Harvesting and Processing Seed

Peppers should be allowed to mature before seed is harvested.  In fact, germination rates are higher when peppers are allowed to dry for at least one month before seeds are harvested.  Make sure that no mold or disease is on the peppers, because this could affect germination rates.  To harvest the seeds, simply remove them from the pepper and remove any flesh from the pepper.  If the seed was harvested from fresh peppers, rinse the seed thoroughly and allow to dry before placing in a sealable bag or container.  If the peppers were allowed to dry before seed harvest, then the rinse step can probably be skipped.  Store the seed in a cool, dark, and dry location such as a refrigerator.

What is that Web in my Tree ?

What is that Web in my Tree ?

Bare limb tips and clusters of webbing in pecan trees are often the first sign that fall is right around the corner.

This webbing is caused by clusters of the larvae of the Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea (Drury)) which is often also called Pecan Webworm. “Fall Webworm” is a bit of a misnomer in our region since they are able to strike in spring and summer thanks to our long growing season. They are most noticeable in the fall thanks to cumulative effects of earlier feeding.

The adult form of the fall webworm is a solid white or white and brown spotted moth that emerges in late March through August in southern climates. After mating they lay orderly clusters of green eggs, usually May through August. Soon after emergence, the larvae begin creating silk webs to protect themselves as they voraciously feed on their various host plants, of which Pecan is most common in Northwest Florida gardens.

Although they are capable of defoliating complete trees, especially smaller ones, most seasons they are kept in check by beneficial insects such as the paper wasp. It is beneficial for small orchards or home growers to scout their trees from June through August. If small webs are observed in young trees, it is best to prune them out with a pole saw or pole pruner and dispose of the branch. Pruning of small branches does not harm the tree, but it may be of no benefit to remove small webs in larger trees, if they are being controlled by natural enemies.

Most home gardens don’t have a practical ability to spray for this insect. For homeowners it is difficult to spray for control, due to the cost of the equipment required to get the spray into the tree canopy. If spraying is an option, many insecticides containing spinosad or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) exist. Both of these products target caterpillars while not harming beneficial insect predators that feed on these worm populations. Several more toxic insecticide products exist that will control fall webworm, but they often exacerbate insect problems by killing off beneficial insects that might be controlling other insect pests.

Fall webworm is not usually a serious problem for home gardens. Let natural enemies take care of the problem in most cases.

Supplemental Material:

Insect Management in Pecans

Learn more about the fall webworm’s life cycle at the UF/IFAS Entomology Department’s Featured Creature website.

Perdue University: Fall Webworms

Muscadines Benefit From Timely and Artful Pruning

Muscadines Benefit From Timely and Artful Pruning

Muscadine cluster Credit: Peter C. Andersen, UF/IFAS Extension

Muscadine cluster Credit: Peter C. Andersen, UF/IFAS Extension

Muscadines are a terrific grapey treat this time of year ’till fall throughout North Florida. To grow muscadines well in the home garden, care must be taken when pruning to maximize spatial efficiency and yield.

August is the very beginning of the muscadine harvest in the Florida Panhandle, which may last until October. Therefore it is also the time to begin thinking about pruning.

Once harvest concludes, it is usually a gardeners’ natural inclination to immediately prune their muscadine vines. This fast action is not the best for plant condition and next year’s yield, especially if there is an early frost. Early frosts surprise the plant before sugars have been moved to the roots for storage during dormancy. Therefore, waiting to prune in mid January to mid March will ensure that the vine has had adequate time to go dormant and acclimate to the winter season. A good rule of thumb is to wait to prune until bud swell or even first leaves emerge. This will greatly reduce the chance that vines are damaged by late frosts.

 

K.T. Kelly and JH. D. Gray, MREC/ UF/IFAS Extension 2003

K.T. Kelly and JH. D. Gray, MREC/ UF/IFAS Extension 2003

Muscadines flower and fruit on shoots from current, not previous, years growth. These new bearing shoots arise from the leaf axils of the previous years’ growth. Pictured above is the bi-lateral cordon training system. This is the most popular system for muscadine production. Pruning must be performed to maintain this configuration. If vines are too vigorous, it is acceptable to prune lightly throughout the growing season.

Vines must also be trimmed before herbicide application at least 2 feet from the ground. Nonselective systemic herbicides don’t harm tissue with bark, but must not come in contact with green tissue or it will be translocated to the roots and damage the plant.

Using a bi-lateral cordon system, there are two main branches or “cordons” of the vine. Along each cordon, fruiting spurs should be spaced approximately every six inches. Each fruiting spur should contain 2-4 nodes.

If fruiting spurs become more than one foot from the cordon, it is time for spur renewal. This is typically done every 3-6 years. Entire spurs can be removed if they lose productivity and replaced by new shoots. Additionally, cordons may lose productivity or die off after 5 to 10 years of production. If this occurs, simply remove the cordon and train a new or existing branch into a new cordon.

Pruning with a design in mind and at the proper time will enhance performance and longevity of muscadines in the home garden.

 

Information from this article was derived from HS763 The Muscadine Grape

Peter C. Andersen, Timothy E. Crocker and Jacque Breman

Also see Basic Considerations for Pruning Grapevines