by Larry Williams | Jan 13, 2016
Pecan trees are well adapted to our area, making beautiful large shade trees. And, if the correct varieties are planted, they can provide pecans.
Only those pecan varieties that show some real resistance to disease problems are recommended for planting here in the humid south. Select grafted trees of Desirable, Curtis, Elliott, Moreland or Stuart varieties.
Pecan leaves and fruit. Photo credit: Brad Haire, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Obtain and plant your pecan trees during the winter – December through February. Purchase trees that are three to six feet tall. Larger trees are more difficult to transplant.
Give pecan trees plenty of room to grow. The distance between trees should be approximately sixty feet because mature trees are quite large. Commercial producers sometimes use a closer spacing, primarily because they are using varieties that will bear at an earlier age. But most of those varieties do not have good disease resistance and still require pesticide spray at times. Homeowners will not have the needed equipment to spray a large pecan tree and the drift from such sprays would not be desirable around your home, so commercial varieties aren’t recommended for home plantings.
One of the keys to survival of a pecan tree is not allowing the root system to dry out before, during or after transplanting. Regular watering will be required for a period of at least six months or until the young tree is well established. The planting hole should be 18 to 24 inches wide and only as deep as the root system. Spread the roots so they are not matted together. The planting depth is critical. Place at such a depth that the uppermost root is at or near the soil surface. Excessively deep planting can result in eventual death of the tree.
When planting your tree, there is no need or advantage to using peat moss, compost, manure or other organic matter in the planting hole. Plant the tree in the native soil without amendments.
Do not fertilize when the tree is planted. Wait until May of the first year after planning to apply fertilizer.
Remember that pecan trees are large at maturity, with branches spreading 30 feet or so from the trunk. Also, because of the brittle limbs and failing nuts, it’s best not to plant these trees too near the home, driveway or sidewalk.
by Larry Williams | Nov 4, 2015
Fall is a good time to evaluate your landscape, learn from what has and what has not worked and formulate plans to improve your landscape.
Evaluate problem areas in lawn. Photo Credit: Larry Williams
Before your lawn and landscape plants go dormant, do a walk through of your landscape, make notes if necessary and visually inspect the plants. You get to see the plants that did great as well as the plants that were not so successful. You can make decisions on which plants to do away with, which to keep, which that might benefit from being moved to a more appropriate location, etc.
As you inspect your landscape, ask yourself questions. You can easily identify problem areas in the lawn now. As you identify problem areas in the lawn, attempt to determine why those areas aren’t doing so well. Begin formulating plans for correcting/improving those problem areas. Decide if renovating and replanting with grass is your best option. Or, something other than grass may be the best option, particularly if there is a history of problems with grass in a specific location.
It may be time to remove and replace an older, declining plant with something new. There may be a plant that hasn’t performed up to par but that would do better if moved to a more appropriate location – fall is a great time to relocate plants. Now is a good time to take a soil sample and take the guesswork out of liming or fertilizing. The UF / IFAS Extension Office in your County can provide information on how to have your soil tested.
This only represents a few ideas related to evaluating your landscape. You’ll probably think of many more as you’re out in the landscape. Taking notes will allow you to implement your ideas later.
Not only is fall a great time to enjoy the outdoors, there’s much that we can learn from our own landscapes this time of year. We can gather Information that will allow us to improve our own landscapes.
by Larry Williams | Oct 6, 2015
Fertilizer: Image Credit UF / IFAS
In Northwest Florida, all of our lawn grasses begin to fade and slowdown in growth during fall.They are supposed to go dormant. Some will go dormant earlier than others based on species, location and management.
The grasses we use to create lawns are warm season grasses such as centipedegrass, St. augustinegrass, bahiagrass, bermudagrass and zoysiagrass.
The cooler temperatures (particularly cooler night temperatures) and the shorter days of autumn trigger these grasses to slow down. Their color begins to fade and eventually they turn brown, usually after a frost or freeze.
Fertilizer Spreader: Image Credit UF / IFAS
As these warm season grasses go dormant, they don’t need to be fertilized, particularly with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Some of the so called “winterizer” fertilizers available in our area can cause more damage than good despite the advertisements.
Nitrogen encourages new growth and interferes with the dormancy process, forcing the lawn to produce new tender growth at the wrong time of year. This sets the lawn up for damage. That young tender growth is very susceptible to cold injury and is likely to be damaged by the first frost. This greatly weakens the lawn and many times the damage goes unnoticed until the following spring when sections of the lawn do not green up. If you insist on “winterizing” your lawn, use a fertilizer with low nitrogen (represented by the first number in the fertilizer analysis) and high potassium (represented by the last number in the analysis). In most cases the center number (phosphorus) should also be low. But never use a high nitrogen fertilizer late in the season.
Fertilizer: Image Credit UF / IFAS
Large patch disease is another reason to avoid fertilizing after September, particularly with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen at the wrong time promotes a common lawn disease called large patch, formerly known as brown patch. This disease is caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia. Large patch functions as a pathogen in our lawns during the cooler weather of fall and spring. Applying a high nitrogen fertilizer when large patch is active can be like applying gasoline to a fire, allowing this lawn disease to rage out of control.
In order for the fertilizer to do any good at all for the lawn, it needs to be applied while the grass is actively growing, when the grass can readily take it in. After the lawn is dormant and when the soil temperature is cooler, much of the fertilizer that could have benefited the grass is wasted.
by Larry Williams | Sep 3, 2015
Tropical storm season officially ends November 30. I’m not predicting a storm but even with our average winds during a typical thunderstorm, you’d be wise to prepare.
Falling trees and flying landscape debris during a storm can cause damage. Evaluate your landscape for potential tree hazards. Pruning or removing trees once a hurricane watch has been announced is risky and tree trimming debris left along the street is hazardous.
Photo credit: Larry Williams, UF/IFAS.
Now is a good time to remove dead or dying trees and to prune decayed or dead branches Also inspect trees for signs of disease or insect infestation that may further weaken them.
Professional help sometimes is your best option when dealing with larger jobs. Property damage could be reduced by having a professional arborist evaluate unhealthy, injured or questionable trees to assess risk and treat problems. Hiring a certified arborist can be a worthwhile investment. To find a certified arborist in your area contact the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) at 217-355-9411 or at www.isa-arbor.com. You also may contact the Florida Chapter of ISA at 941-342-0153 or at www.floridaisa.org.
Consider removing trees that have low wind resistance, are at the end of their life span or that have potential to endanger lives or property. For example, laurel oaks are relatively short-lived, usually showing considerable dieback as they reach 50 years. They tend to lose their strength and stability faster than most other oaks and have low wind resistance. Consider removing a big, old laurel oak within falling distance of your home before the next storm.
Tree species with the lowest wind resistance include pecan, tulip poplar, cherry laurel, Bradford pear, southern red oak, laurel oak, water oak, Chinese tallow, Chinese elm, southern red cedar, Leyland cypress, sand pine and spruce pine.
Pine species vary in their wind resistance, usually with longleaf and slash pines showing better survival rates than loblolly and sand pine. However, when pines become large, they may cause damage if located close to homes or other valuable structures.
by Larry Williams | Aug 3, 2015
Damage caused by azalea lace bug. Photo credit: James Castner, UF/IFAS
When azaleas are in a garden, azalea lace bugs are sure to follow. The good news is these insects, that discolor the leaves of azaleas, can be controlled.
Lace bugs live on the underside of leaves and damage their hosts by piercing leaves with their straw-like mouthparts and removing the plant’s juices. Infested leaves have tiny yellow spots on the top surface and are discolored with dark, varnish-like excrement and old insect parts on the underside. Azalea plants begin to look unhealthy as insect numbers increase through spring and summer.
Azalea lace bugs spend winter as eggs on the underside of azalea leaves. They hatch in early to mid-March and then begin to feed and develop into adults.
Lace bugs complete their first generation by late April. They increase in number throughout the remainder of spring, summer and fall. These insects can complete three to five generations in a single growing season. In late September adult lace bugs, in their final generation of the season, lay eggs that will carry the population through winter.
The key to easily controlling azalea lace bugs is to properly time control efforts.
Inspect plants in early spring to see if insects are present. Look for leaves that are whitish to yellow on the top surface (they may be mottled in appearance) and have small, dark, varnish-like spots on the undersides. If leave damage is heavy continue to check plants every week for small lace bugs, which should begin to be visible in late March through April.
Early to mid spring is the best time to control the first generation of the bugs. Proper insecticide application timing will reduce need for further sprays during the rest of the growing season.
Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, neem oil and most synthetic insecticides provide good control of lace bugs on azaleas. When using these types of chemicals, make sure to spray the backs of the leaves.
Azalea leaf with lace bugs. Photo Credit: James Castner, UF/IFAS
Systemic insecticides available for use against lace bugs include dinotefuran (Safari), imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control, Merit) and acephate (Lilly Miller Ready-to-Use Systemic, Orthene). When properly applied, one application may provide season long control.
When using any chemical treatment on plants, it’s best to apply the product during early morning or late evening under cooler temperatures but never during the heat of the day or when the plant is in full sun. And always follow instructions on the pesticide label concerning mixing, application and safety precautions.
