by Molly Jameson | Nov 24, 2015
Kale, mustard, and lettuce in fall garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
In North Florida, December can mark the peak in fall vegetable gardening. Early lettuce varieties are beginning to head and your later varieties are coming on strong. Radishes are starting to erupt out of the ground, and leafy greens are producing big beautiful leaves. But did you know that simple changes in how you harvest can greatly increase the longevity of your fall garden?
Here are a few harvesting tips for stretching out the fall harvest to ensure you will have plenty of greens all the way into spring:
Plant radishes and arugula as gaps form in fall vegetable garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
- Harvest leaves often: Leafy vegetables and herbs often produce more leaves the more you pick them. Harvest the lower, oldest leaves of vegetables such as leaf lettuce, kale, collards, and Swiss chard often. Be sure to maintain two to three leaves per plant; this method will ensure tender, pest-damage-free leaves, while encouraging the plant to keep producing.
- Thin to eat: Plants such as arugula and spinach are excellent vegetables to seed heavily and thin to eat. Once the plants have produced their first few true leaves, harvest the whole plant and use the leaves in salads. Continue this method until plants are about six inches apart, and then harvest leaves only. In this way, you will have salads filled with small tender leaves in the beginning of the season, and larger leaves for salads and cooking all the way into spring.
- Cut stems of florets high: Once your broccoli or cauliflower curds are ready to be harvested, cutting the stem high will often mean more secondary heads will form. Once your plants quit producing florets, start harvesting the leaves, which have great flavor and are highly nutritious. Also, with cauliflower, loosely tie the leaves around the curd. This forms a protective barrier from the sun and also improves color.
Assorted greens in fall vegetable garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
- Harvest in the morning: Plant moisture and nutrient content are often highest in the morning. Once harvested, these leaves are less likely to wilt, and flavor will be preserved. Submerge or run cool water over the plants to maintain vigor. Alternatively, you can harvest in the evening if you plan to prepare the food that night.
- Fill in the gaps: Once you begin harvesting frequently, you will notice space begins to open up in your garden. It is often too early to plant cold-sensitive spring crops, yet you can continue to plant some quick growing fall vegetables, such as radishes and arugula. Sow these seeds as space opens up to maximize your food production until it is warm enough for the new season.
- Use materials to extend the season: By using frost cloth, low tunnels, cold frames, and shade cloth, you can protect your vegetables from early cold snaps and extend the season into spring. These materials, as well as wire and netting, can also protect your crop from deer, squirrels, and rabbits.
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 Mary Salinas | Oct 14, 2015
Cogongrass dominating the landscape. Photo credit: Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org.
A U.S. Forest Service grant is again available to assist non-industrial private landowners with the cost of controlling cogongrass. Applications will be accepted starting October 15, 2015. The program reimburses landowners for 50% of the cost for two consecutive years with a maximum reimbursement of $10,000 for each year.
Cogongrass is one of the worst invasive plant species in Northwest Florida as it marches through natural areas and literally chokes out our desirable native vegetation as it goes. The underground rhizomes continually expand patches of the grass in every direction and its prolific seed production carries infestations to new areas.
Note the off center midrib along the leaf blade. Photo credit: Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org.
There are several ways to accurately identify cogongrass. The leaf blades are flat with serrated edges and tend to be yellowish-green in color. The midrib which runs lengthwise up each leaf blade is white and is distinctly off-center. The seed head which arises in the spring is a fluffy white plume. Since it spreads through rhizomes, cogongrass is often seen in expanding circular patches.
The fluffy white plume of the seedhead. Photo credit: Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org.
If you need assistance with the identification of cogongrass, please consult your local Extension office.
For more information:
Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program
Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) Biology, Ecology, and Management in Florida Grazing Lands
by Matt Lollar | Sep 23, 2015
Armyworms come in a wide range of colors and sizes. A few of the prominent species living in Florida are beet, southern, and fall armyworms. And the term “living” is not an exaggeration, because Florida is one of the lucky states where it is warm enough for armyworms to overwinter. They are the snowbirds that never leave!
Armyworm damage on a lawn. Credit: Purdue University
Armyworms are notorious for unanticipated invasions. They feed on most turfgrass species and most vegetable crops, but they prefer grassy vegetable crops such as corn. Armyworms feed in large groups and their feeding has been described as “ground moving” in lawns. They feed during cooler times of the day (morning and evening) and they roll up and rest under the vegetative canopy (in the thatch layer in turf and in the base of leaves in vegetables) during the heat of the day.
Armyworms are difficult to control because of their spontaneity. However, in the lawn they hide in the thatch during the heat of the day. Over watering and fertilization can increase the amount of thatch. It is important to follow UF/IFAS guidelines for home lawn management. A good weed control program can also help to deter armyworms, because weeds serve as an alternate food source.
Numerous chemical control options are available, but softer chemicals such as horticultural oils and insecticides containing the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis are recommended as a first line of defense. Insecticides should be applied in the morning or evening during feeding time. For additional control strategies and basic information please visit the UF/IFAS Armyworm Publication Page.
Armyworm feeding on a young corn plant. Credit: University of Illinois
by Sheila Dunning | Sep 16, 2015
“We have replaced this grass several times over the past few years; and it’s dying again.” I have heard this complaint too many times this summer. Last summer’s heavy rain, the stress of January’s icy weather, and this year’s extended summer have contributed to widespread outbreaks of Take-All Root Rot, a soil-inhabiting fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis.
Symptoms of Take-All-Root-Rot. Photo credit: Sheila Dunning, UF/IFAS.
This disease causes yellow grass patches ranging in diameter from a few inches to more than 15 feet. The symptoms first appear in the spring, but the disease can persist all summer and survive the winter. Over time, the entire area dies as the root system rots away. The pathogen is naturally present on warm-season turfgrass roots. High rainfall and stressed turfgrass trigger the disease.
Since the roots are affected, they are not able to efficiently obtain water or nutrients from the soil, nor are they able to store the products of photosynthesis, which result in the loss of color in the leaves. By the time the leaf symptoms appear, the pathogen has been active on the roots for several weeks, probably longer; the disease has been there potentially for years. If the turfgrass is not stressed, leaf symptoms may never be observed.
This disease is very difficult to control once the aboveground symptoms are observed. Measures that prevent or alleviate stress are the best methods for controlling the disease. Any stress (environmental or manmade) placed on the turf weakens it, making it more susceptible to disease. Remember, that every maintenance practice, fertilizer application, and chemical (especially herbicide), application has an impact on turfgrass health. Cultural practices that impact the level of stress experienced by a lawn include:
- proper turfgrass species selection
- mowing at the correct height
- irrigation timing, frequency and volume
- fertilizer: nitrogen and potassium sources and application quantities
- thatch accumulation, and
- soil compaction
The selection of turfgrass species should be based on existing soil pH, sunlight exposure, use of the area and planned maintenance level.
Mower blades must be sharp to avoid tearing of the leaves. Additionally, turfgrasses that are cut below their optimum height become stressed and more susceptible to diseases, especially root rots. When any disease occurs, raise the cutting height. Scalping the grass damages the growing point. Raising the cutting height increases the green plant tissue available for photosynthesis, resulting in more energy for turfgrass growth and subsequent recovery from disease.
If an area of the lawn has an active fungus, washing or blowing off the mower following use will reduce the spread of the disease to unaffected areas.
The amount of water and the timing of its application can prevent or contribute to disease development. Most fungal pathogens that cause leaf diseases require free water (rainfall, irrigation, dew) on the leaf to initiate the infection process. Irrigating every day for a few minutes is not beneficial for the turfgrass because it does not provide enough water to the root zone, but it is beneficial for turfgrass pathogens. It is always best to irrigate when dew is already present, usually between 2 and 8 a.m., and then only apply enough water to wet the root zone of the turfgrass.
Excessively high nitrogen fertility contributes to turfgrass diseases. The minimum amount required for the grass species should be applied. Potassium (K) is an important component in the prevention of diseases, because it prevents plant stress. Application of equal amounts of nitrogen and potassium is recommended for turfgrass health. When turfgrass roots are damaged from disease, it is beneficial to apply nutrients in a liquid solution. However, nitrate-nitrogen increases the severity of diseases, so their use should be avoided when possible. Ammonium-containing fertilizers are the preferred nitrogen sources.
Heavy liming has also been linked to increases in Take-All Root Rot. Since most turfgrasses can tolerate a range of pH, maintaining soil at 5.5 to 6.0 can suppress the development of the pathogen. When the disease is active, frequent foliar applications of small amounts of nutrients is necessary to keep the turfgrass from declining.
Additional maintenance practices that need to be addressed are thatch removal and reduction of soil compaction. Excessive thatch often causes the mower to sink which can result in scalping and reducing the amount of leaf tissue capable of photosynthesizing. Thatch and compacted soil prevent proper drainage, resulting in areas remaining excessively wet, depriving root systems of oxygen. Since recovery of Take-All-Root-Rot damaged turfgrass is often poor, complete renovation of the lawn may be necessary. Removal of all diseased tissue is advised.
As a native soil-inhabiting pathogen, Take-All-Root-Rot cannot be eliminated. However, suppression of the organism through physical removal followed by proper cultivation of the new sod is critical to the establishment of a new lawn. Turfgrass management practices, not chemicals, offer the best control of the disease.
It is acceptable to use fungicides on a preventative basis while rooting in the sod. Azoxystrobin, fenarimol, myclobutanil, propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, thiophate methyl, and triadimefon are all fungicides that can be utilized to prevent disease development while having to excessively irrigate newly laid sod. Ideally, the turf area should be mowed and irrigated prior to a fungicide application. Unless the product needs to be watered in, do not irrigate for at least 24 hours after a chemical treatment. Do not mow for at least 24 hours, to avoid removal of the product attached to the leaf blades.
With all the stresses that our lawns have experienced, it is very important to continue monitoring the turf and be cautious about the cultural practices being used. Take-All Root Rot is likely to flourish. Do not encourage its development. A pathology test with the University of Florida Laboratory can confirm the presence of the disease causing organism. Before resodding again, have the dying sod tested.
For information and the submission form go to:
Sample Submission Guide
For more information on the disease go to:
Take-All-Root-Rot
by Carrie Stevenson | Jul 27, 2015
Late summer brings hot, humid temperatures, and many Floridians are retreating from the heat into their air-conditioned homes. Unfortunately, those comforts of home also come with a price tag. When people think about energy efficiency, practices like turning off lights, purchasing energy-efficient appliances, good insulation and windows, and managing A/C temperature settings are the first things that come to mind. These are very important steps to take, not only to save money but also to conserve energy. The US Department of Energy has an excellent publication that can take you step-by-step through a home evaluation, and many energy companies offer a similar walk-through energy audit for free.
However, there are many best management practices that can be done outdoors to offset expensive home power bills. Planting trees is one example. Department of Energy studies have shown that when compared to a home in full sun, a shaded home may experience up to a 25% decrease in energy for cooling.
This home uses passive cooling from a front porch and numerous shade trees. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson
Trees planted to shade eastern and western facing walls of your home can be the most effective, as these areas receive direct sun in the morning and afternoon. By preventing heat from entering your home, you prevent straining an air conditioning system that would otherwise have to counteract that heat. It is also helpful to provide shade over an air conditioning unit. Deciduous trees are ideal, as they have leaves to provide shade in the summer but drop them by winter, when you might want sunlight to passively heat your home.
In addition to shade, transpiration—the process of plants emitting moisture as they release water from leaf pores—creates cool spaces around vegetation. Grasses and shrubs along the edges of a home, or vines on nearby trellises, can cool walls and windows in this manner.
Finally, consider sprinkler systems. A home irrigation system can use a significant amount of energy to pump water throughout your yard. Calibrating your system and even reducing run time or frequency can also conserve water and reduce water bills.
For more information on energy-efficient landscaping, please visit www.myfloridahomeenergy.com or contact your local Extension office.
