by Matthew Orwat | Feb 14, 2017
Dooryard citrus enthusiasts may be uncertain about late winter management of Satsuma and other citrus trees. Several questions that have come in to the Extension Office recently include:
- Should I prune my trees?
- Why are the leaves yellow?
- How soon should I fertilize?
The focus of this article is to provide some answers to these common questions.
Should I prune my trees?
This is a complicated question that is best answered with “it depends…” Pruning is not necessary for citrus, as it is in many temperate fruits, to have excellent production quality and quantity. Citrus trees perform excellently with minimal pruning. The only pruning necessary for most citrus is removing crossing or rubbing branches while shaping young trees, removing dead wood, and pruning out suckers from the root-stock. Homeowners may choose to prune citrus trees to keep them small, but this will reduce potential yield, since bigger trees produce more fruit.
Often, maturing Satsuma trees produce long vertical branches. It is tempting to prune these off, since they make the tree look unbalanced. To maximize yield, allow these branches to weep with the heavy load of fruit until they touch the ground. This allows increased surface area for the tree, since the low areas around the trunk are not bare. Additionally, weeds are suppressed since the low branches shade out weed growth. The ground under the trees remains bare, thus allowing heat from the soil to radiate up during cold weather events. The extra branches around the trunk offer added protection to the bud union as well. If smaller trees are desired for ease of harvest, ‘flying dragon’ root-stock offers dwarfing benefits, so that the mature scion cultivar size will only grow to 8-10 feet tall.
Heavy fruit loads were produced in many home gardens throughout Northwest Florida last year. When fruiting is heavy, citrus trees translocate nitrogen and other nutrients from older leaves to newer growth and fruit. Therefore, temporary yellowing may occur and last until trees resume growing in the spring. Remember, never fertilize after early September, since fertilizing this late in the year can reduce fruit quality and increase potential for cold injury. If a deficiency, as in the photo above persists through spring, consider a soil test, or consult a citrus production publication to determine if additional fertilizer should be added to your fertilizer program.
How soon should you fertilize?
Although most Florida citrus publications recommend fertilizing citrus in February, they don’t take into account the potential for late frost in the Panhandle. Thus it makes more sense to wait until mid-March for the first fertilizer application in this region. Citrus trees don’t require a fertilizer with a high percentage of nitrogen, so it is best for fruit quality if an analysis of around 8-8-8 with micro-nutrients is used. Fertilizer should be applied in the drip-line of the tree, not around the trunk. The drip-line of a mature tree is generally considered to extend one foot from the trunk out to one foot from the edge of the furthest branch tip from the trunk. For fertilizer quantity recommendation see the chart below.
Through awareness of the unique managements techniques inherent to dooryard citrus production in the Panhandle, home gardeners are offered an opportunity to provide their friends and family with a substantial portion of their annual citrus !
For more information on this topic please use the following link to the UF/IFAS Publication:
by Beth Bolles | Feb 14, 2017
Arapaho blackberry has chill requirements that match those received in our area. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension
Many of us are enjoying warmer temperatures this winter, but many deciduous fruit crops really need cold temperatures in order to break dormancy for the year. In areas that experience cold temperatures, plants have evolved the ability to survive by slowing growth and protecting sensitive tissues by going dormant. In order to break out of dormancy and begin growth again, plants experience an amount of chill hours (temps between 32 and 45 degrees F) that is suitable for specific areas. In our area, we normally range between 400 and 600 chills hours.
If we choose a fruit plant whose chill requirements match the amount of chill in our area, the plant will generally resume growth when it is safe for buds and tender tissues to develop. If we choose a plant with chill requirements higher than the amount our area receives, then the plant is not signaled to break dormancy and we end up with very sparse growth and no fruit.
So far in the winter of 2016-17, some areas have not received ‘normal’ amounts of chilling temperatures. Common fruit like apple, peach, some blueberries, and certain selections of blackberries may be affected by this by not breaking out of dormancy. This can impact your flower and fruit formation. For commercial growers, it can impact the amount of fruit available and even fruit prices at markets.
Since fruit trees are an investment of time and money, these are not plants that can be easily replanted to match chill hours with changing weather patterns. Perhaps planting fruit crops with a range of chill hours required might be beneficial Your future decisions to grow fruit trees may include crops that don’t rely as much on chill hours to be successful. For more information, please consult the Dooryard Fruit Varieties guide from UF / IFAS Extension.
by Matt Lollar | Feb 11, 2017
There are a number of reasons to remove large limbs from mature trees. The three most common reasons are to either remove dead wood, to keep limbs from interfering with one another and rubbing or growing together, or to keep the tree from having narrow crotch angles. (“Narrow crotch angle” is not a very charming phrase, but it simply refers to branches that grow at angles less than 45° relevant to the trunk.)
Photo Credit: Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Removing tree limbs larger than four inches in diameter should be done with care. Three cuts per limb are often needed to avoid tearing the bark down the side of the tree’s trunk.
- Make the first cut on the underside of the branch about 18 inches from the trunk. Undercut one-third to one-half way through the branch.
First Cut. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension.
- Make the second cut on the topside of the branch an inch further out on the branch; cut until the branch breaks free.
Second Cut. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension.
- Before making the final cut, identify the branch collar. The branch collar grows from the stem tissue around the base of the branch. Make pruning cuts so that only branch tissue (wood on the branch side of the collar) is removed. Be careful to prune just beyond the branch collar, but don’t leave a stub.
Final Cut. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension.
It is important to take your time whenever working with power equipment and trees in your landscape. You usually only have one chance to get the cut right and you don’t want to injure yourself or ruin your tree.
by Matt Lollar | Feb 10, 2017
BASIC HYDROPONIC GARDENING WORKSHOP
Bob Hochmuth shows one of the many hydroponic growing systems at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Live Oak Research and Education Center. UF/IFAS photo: Thomas Wright
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Learn hydroponic gardening basics.
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Identify suitable plants for hydroponic gardening.
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Learn plant food recommendations for hydroponic gardens.
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Go home with equipment for a small portable hydroponic garden.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 28, 2017
TIME: 5:30 – 7:00 PM (Sign-in begins at 5:00 PM)
WHERE: Jackson County Agriculture Center
2741 Pennsylvania Avenue
Marianna, Florida 32448
REGISTRATION FEE: $20.00 (Includes Mini-Garden Materials and Plants)
Class size limited to 20 people.
Registration deadline Thursday, February 23, 2017
To register or for information, call (850) 482-9620.
by Ray Bodrey | Feb 10, 2017
Yes, even with cool weather setting in, much can be done on the flower gardening front. Let’s kickoff 2017 by being the envy of the neighborhood with flower beds that are rich and vibrant in color.
Figure 1: Bedding Annuals.
Credit: Sydney Park Brown, UF/IFAS.
Annual bedding plants are plentiful in variety and come in an array of colors and forms. These plants will highlight home landscapes, whether in beds or in containers on porches, decks and patios.
Annuals are divided into two categories, warm and cold season. Warm season are tender, and damaged by the first frost. Cool season on the other hand, cannot withstand heat or excessive rainfall. Therefore, to be successful with annuals, you must plant at the right time. For this region, late March for the earliest warm season annual planting and late fall for the earliest cool season annual planting is ideal. For the Panhandle, most annuals only live through the season, not the year. For this time of year, some examples of annuals that enjoy cooler temperatures are the pansy, viola, petunia and snapdragon.
When shopping for annuals, pay close attention to how much sunlight the variety will tolerate. This should be displayed on the container. Be sure to plant your annuals under a minimum of partial light. No annual can tolerate heavy shade. Remember when deciding on which variety to purchase, that annuals are an accent piece or supplement to the landscape, and not the focal point. Think of harmony and balance among other plants in your landscape before coming to a decision.
Figure 2: Pot-in-Pot Method.
Credit: Sydney Park Brown, UF/IFAS.
As for care, be sure to water annuals after planting. Provide water on a routine basis until the root system has established. The best way to achieve this is making sure the topsoil layer stays moist early on.
Some gardeners prefer the “pot-in-pot” method with annuals. This method consists of sinking empty pots into the soil and then dropping potted annuals of the same size pot, into the empty pots. This works well for our area for two reasons. Often, our native soils, especially if you live closer to the coast, are not conducive to annual flower bed gardening. By using the pot-in-pot method, rich potted soil encompasses the annual throughout its life span and with no soil bed amendments needed. Also, this can make an otherwise long, laborious gardening day become very short regarding the change out planting from cold to warm season annuals and vice versa.
When supplying water to annuals, be careful with high pressure overhead watering systems, as this can damage petals and can cause bloom rot. A drip irrigation system or handheld hose watering is the best method. Fertilize annuals with a controlled release nitrogen fertilizer, so that a steady supply of nutrients is provided throughout the season. For weed control, mulching with use of pre-emergent herbicides is the best course of action. Depending on the size of landscape, hand weeding maybe the best practice. For pest management use a spot treatment insecticide for the entire flower bed once an insect infestation or disease problems emerge.
The information provided in this article will help your annual bedding plant efforts and in turn reward you with a beautiful flower landscape throughout the year. For more information on annual flower bedding plants, please contact your local county extension office.
Supporting information for this article can be found at the UF/IFAS EDIS Publication, “Gardening with Annuals in Florida” by Dr. Sydney Park Brown: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg319
UF/IFAS Extension, An Equal Opportunity Institution.
