Not all trees and woody species are welcome in the landscape. In fact, some woody species can be pesky and problematic and for lack of a better term “weeds”. Despite the fact that some of these species are native trees, bushes, and vines, many can be aggressive and problematic in the home landscape and urban settings. If you have ever cared for a flower bed or garden in the Panhandle, you are probably well acquainted with these and have pulled seedlings and small saplings out of beds, hedges, and seemingly any other nook and cranny of your landscape. If you cut them off using loppers or a saw you also know how aggressively they resprout and how extensive their root system can become. Vegetation grows quickly and often aggressively in our humid sub-tropical climates. If you leave an area of land vacant for very long here, it quickly becomes a thicket in no time. Some of our oaks, particularly water and laurel oaks, can be pesky and troublesome. It seems like I am constantly battling problem oaks in my home landscape, with varying degrees of success. I will pull out, cut out, and apply herbicide only to look up and see a substantial oak sapling rocketing up through azaleas or other hedges. Without fail this is a water or laurel oak nearly 100% of the time, with some other hardwood trees and shrub species thrown in occasionally.
Oak sapling overtaking shrubbery in a local landscape Escambia County, FL Photo Credit: Ian Stone
What is the best way to tackle these pesky woody “weeds” when they cause persistent problems and pop up in undesirable spaces? The answer is to either mechanically removal them or employ very careful and targeted herbicide application. As a professional forester I have spent a large part of my career controlling these brush species using a host of mechanical and herbicide control methods and very well planned prescribed fires. Obviously using large heavy machinery and prescribed fire in urban and suburban settings and landscapes is not an option but using hand tools for mechanical removal and herbicides where needed and best suited is a winning combo for the home landscape.
First you want to determine what species you are dealing with and what stage of development it is in. As I mentioned, water oak and laurel oak are usually the problem oaks we encounter and can reproduce at extremely high rates and create undesirable crowded stands of stunted oak. These species are what foresters call early successional, meaning they tend to establish in forest openings and areas impacted by a disturbance such as a hurricane or windstorm. They produce large amounts of small acorns and grow very fast and they also have poor characteristics where they are susceptible to wind throw and disease. Effectively, they reproduce heavily, grow fast, and die young; that is their natural adaptation and life cycle and what causes them to be pesky and weedy in the home landscape. We don’t realize it, but our home lawns and flower beds create the perfect early successional habitat for these oaks and other brush species such as yaupon holly, titi, wax myrtle, and others. It doesn’t stop there – in heavily shaded areas, very shade tolerant oaks, brush, and vines tend to become established. Vines such as Virginia creeper, greenbriers (Smilax spp.), pepper-vine, and others are particularly annoying as these woody species also love to grow up in fences, particularly chain link, and are difficult to remove.
So what are the best methods to handle problem woody species in the home landscape? The best option is to catch them as seedlings and young plants and pull them up by the roots and all. If you can do this, you will avoid issues with resprouting. If you have larger, more well-established brush and small trees in your landscape, you can cut them back close to the ground, but you are likely to have issues with resprouting. This can be very frustrating and can result in a persistent problem. By consistently cutting these back you may be able to exhaust the plant’s reserve, but this is unlikely. Depending on the size of the root system you may be able to dig up the roots using some elbow grease and a shovel or mattock, but if significant roots are left behind, some woody species can resprout from the remaining roots. This is when simply cutting off the main stem or other mechanical methods often are not sufficient for long term control.
When dealing with well-established woody species with a significant stem size, using a properly labeled and effective herbicide can be a big time and hassle saver. You want to use a herbicide that is labeled for hack and squirt applications and/or cut stump applications. Many brush control and tough brush herbicides are labeled this way and can be applied using these methods. Herbicides with the active ingredients of triclopyr or glyphosate are the most effective for these methods and readily available for home use. Triclopyr products are usually the most effective on tough brush and woody species. Make sure the species you are targeting is listed on the label and follow the label directions exactly for the methods and concentrations to apply the herbicide correctly.
Oak resprouting from stump after herbicide treatment. Note the deformed leaves on the regrowth showing herbicide damage. Photo Credit: Ian Stone
Cut stump and hack and squirt applications require a bit of a different method of application. Instead of spraying foliage, you apply the herbicide into fresh cuts using a squirt bottle or a paint brush. You should wear proper protective equipment when working with any herbicide and this is also listed in the label. Long sleeves and pants along with chemical resistant gloves and eye protection is usually the minimum recommended. For hack and squirt, make a series of connecting cuts in a ring around the problem stem and squirt the herbicide mixture into the fresh cuts using the squirt bottle. For cut stump treatments cut the stem(s) of the problem tree or shrub off slightly above the ground and apply the mixture using a paint brush or squirt bottle, focusing on the outer portion of the stump right next to the bark. These methods work by introducing the herbicide to the cambium layer, which is the actively growing and live tissue just under the bark in woody plants. By doing this it will travel through the tissue and kill both the roots and stems. It is very important that the cuts are fresh, and the application must be made as soon as possible after the cuts are completed. Once the brush is killed back, you can wait for the stem or stump to rot or remove it once it has completely died. This method is effective at controlling resprouting but is not 100% effective on all applications. If the woody plant in question continues to resprout, you can make fresh cuts and reapply. An advantage of this method is it can be done in winter even when the plant is dormant, as it does not rely on foliage to uptake the herbicide. That means you can use it year-round, and you can take advantage of the cooler winter weather to do this labor-intensive work.
With careful work and proper technique, these methods can be beneficial to control persistent brush problems in the home landscape. When using herbicides it is very important to be aware of off target damage to desirable plants. One of the advantages of hack and squirt and cut stump applications is that they are very targeted and minimize issues with off target damage and drift. Care should be taken not to get the herbicide mixture on the stems of desirable shrubs and trees, and they can penetrate the bark and do damage, especially on thin barked species. If you have questions about how to properly use a herbicide or reading the label contact your local extension office.
It’s hard to have a great yard full of Centipedegrass isn’t it? All the fertilizer, watering, aerating, weed spraying, fungicide spraying, insect spraying, the list is never-ending and wallet draining. Except, it’s not hard and doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s easy. In fact, it’s so easy that people even make it hard because they think it should be. The list of basic tips to achieve a great yard of Centipedegrass is very short, let’s get into it.
FertilizingProperly – Keep it to a minimum! Centipedegrass has a very low Nitrogen (N) requirement for optimum growth and development (0.4 lbs – 2 lbs/1000 ft 2 per year). Centipede is naturally light green in color and trying to force the deep green of Kentucky Bluegrass upon it will almost certainly do it harm. There are many excellent quality Centipedegrass lawns in the Panhandle that have never received a single prill of fertilizer. Don’t take my word for it though, the UF/IFAS publication Centipedegrass for Florida Lawns says, “Established centipedegrass lawns require about 50% less nitrogen fertilizer than other lawn grasses grown in Florida. Centipedegrass is a low maintenance turfgrass and does not respond well to excessive use of fertilizer, especially nitrogen.”
Centipedegrass lawn that has never been fertilized and mowed regularly when it reaches 3″ to achieve a 2.5″ cut height. Photo courtesy Daniel Leonard.
Timely Mowing – Other than overfertilizing, the next easiest way to cause significant damage to a Centipedegrass lawn is to mow it incorrectly. Centipede prefers a mowing height of around 2.5” and actively growing grass should be mowed every 7-14 days, removing no more than 1/3 of the grass blade. In my experience, this is much higher and often less frequent than many people mow their lawns. All too often, I see Centipede lawns that are allowed to grow tall and unkempt and then mowed to near golf course fairway height with the occasional bare “scalped” spot where the mower ran across an unlevel area of lawn. Mowing short and infrequently is harmful because mowing is inherently a major stress to the grass. You’re asking a lot of a plant by removing a large chunk of photosynthetic leaf tissue and then repeatedly asking the plant to regrow. Be kind to your grass and mow correctly. *Additionally, try to not mow your lawn in droughty conditions as this can exacerbate mowing stress and cause serious lawn issues.
Right Plant, Right Place – Much of the bad rap turfgrass receives comes from people trying to force it to grow where it shouldn’t be. If your yard has areas of significant shade or receives significant foot or vehicle traffic, Centipedegrass (or most any grass for that matter) may not be for you, in those areas at least. Like all turfgrasses (though some are more shade and traffic tolerant than others), Centipedegrass does best in full sun and detests having the soil its roots are going in repeatedly trampled and compacted. In areas with those conditions, maybe having a mulched landscaped bed with shade tolerant plants or a rocked walking path would be more appropriate. You and the grass will certainly be happier working with those options than fighting against your site conditions.
Though maintaining a Centipedegrass lawn is simple, that isn’t to say that if you follow all these tips that your yard will be perfect all the time. There will still be the occasional dieback, weed ingression, mole cricket infestation and the like, however, following the above tips will make your grass much more resilient and equipped to handle those stresses. For more information about Centipedegrass or other horticultural topics, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office. Happy gardening!
As you eagerly await the bountiful harvest from your spring and summer garden, remember that pests are also eyeing your crops. Scouting for pests is essential to maintain plant health and ensure a plentiful harvest.
The Importance of Scouting
Scouting involves the early detection of pests and plant diseases through regular and systematic garden inspections. This proactive approach helps identify pests early and assess the damage they might be causing. Missing just a few days of scouting can lead to significant plant damage due to the rapid life cycle of many plant-eating insects.
Understanding Your Garden Environment
To effectively scout for pests, familiarize yourself with the plants in your garden and their common pest issues. Different plants attract different pests, so knowing what to look for is crucial. Monitor your garden regularly, at least once a week, paying close attention to the undersides of leaves, stems, and flowers. Look for any leaf discoloration, such as yellowing or browning, and any unusual color changes. Note any insect activity, including the presence of eggs, holes in leaves, skeletonized foliage, insect frass (droppings), and entry holes.
Photo: UF/IFAS
Tools Frequently Used in Scouting
Frequently inspecting your garden with the appropriate tools allows you to spot issues early and take steps to safeguard your plants. Common tools include:
Traps: Used to catch and identify flying insects.
Netting/Lures (Pheromones): Attract and capture specific pests.
Sweep Net: Collect insects from plants.
Containers: Collect samples to transport specimens for further examination.
Hand Lens: For close inspection of small insects and eggs.
Common Garden Pests
Here are some common garden pests you might encounter while tending to your garden:
Aphids: Small, soft-bodied insects that can be green, black, yellow, or brown. Often found on new growth, they cause curling and yellowing leaves and excrete sticky honeydew.
Caterpillars (e.g., Tomato Hornworm): Large, green caterpillars with white stripes and a horn-like tail. They create holes in leaves, remove foliage, and damage fruits.
Spider Mites: Tiny red or brown mites often found in clusters, creating fine webbing. They cause stippling on leaves, bronzing, and leaf drop.
Whiteflies: Small, white, moth-like insects that fly up when plants are disturbed. They cause yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and secrete honeydew.
Japanese Beetles: Metallic green bodies with bronze wings. They skeletonize leaves and damage flowers.
Cutworms: Fat, brown, or gray larvae found curled under the soil surface. They cut off young seedlings at the base.
Slugs and Snails: Soft-bodied, slimy creatures found in damp, shaded areas. They leave a trail of slime and create irregular holes in leaves and seedlings.
Scouting Techniques
Effective scouting techniques include:
Visual Inspection: Check plants thoroughly, including the undersides of leaves and leaf axils.
Sticky Traps: Place yellow sticky traps around the garden to catch flying insects like whiteflies and aphids.
Shaking Plants: Gently shake plants over a white piece of paper to dislodge and spot tiny pests like spider mites.
Soil Examination: Dig around the base of plants to look for soil-dwelling pests like cutworms.
Maintain a garden journal noting the types of pests observed, population levels, and control measures taken. Track the success of different pest management strategies to refine your approach in future seasons.
By consistently monitoring your garden and employing a combination of these strategies, you can effectively manage pests and enjoy a healthy, thriving garden throughout the spring and summer seasons. For more information, contact your local extension office. Happy gardening!
The mercury is starting to rise, and the days are getting sunnier. Likely, you are beginning to or have been fantasizing about the potential of your landscape. Visions of multicolored flowers or rows of vegetables lined up waiting to be picked are synonymous with these visions, but they are not free from planning or work. You are not the only one waiting and hoping your gardens become flush with flowers. A veritable army of insects are looking to your landscape for their next meal. Some of these are good, providing critical pollination services, but some seek only to devastate your plants by consuming the leaves or sucking the sap out directly. It’s important to know who these culprits are and to understand the strategies within integrated pest management used to overcome or avoid the damage they bring.
Aphid nymph UF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
The Bad Guys
First, let’s examine the perpetrators. Insects, like all subdivisions of animals, come in many forms. Those seeking to feast on your plant life are herbivores. They cause damage in several ways, and to understand them, a gardener should start by understanding the mouthparts of these creatures. Damage from chewers such as the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea microptera) will be obvious as parts of the leaves will be skeletonized or left with large holes. Others are much more subtle, utilizing hypodermic-style mouths to remove the sugary photosynthates. The damage caused by these insects is much more subtle. It may present as pathogenic, including but not limited to misshaped or discolored leaves, damaged buds, fruit drops, and blackened leaves from sooty mold (Capnodium citri). Insects in this category include stinkbugs (Pentatomoidea) and aphids (Aphidodea). At this stage, you’re probably convinced that gardening in Florida is pointless, but have no fear; there are strategies to overcome these threats.
Scouting
Defending your gardens and landscapes begins with scouting. It seems very simple, but getting into your gardens daily will alert you to burgeoning issues well before they become major concerns. Get out there and look through stems, on the undersides of leaves, and for discoloration. It is much easier to remove leaves covered with stinkbug eggs than the adults once they’ve hatched.
Southern Green Stink Bug eggs UF/IFAS Photo: James Castner
First Steps
Next, investigate your gardening practices. Keep plants stress-free with appropriate fertilization and irrigation; these plants will fare better with any insects escaping your scouting efforts. Remove stressed and diseased plants as well as any which have been harvested. This will deny habitat to herbivorous insects. These combined practices are collectively known as cultural controls and are among the best for preventing insect issues. Any insect still appearing through these controls may be removed by hand. This is considered a mechanical control and is the least environmentally taxing, though it is the most labor-intensive methodology.
Ask Nature to Help
Biological controls are next in this hierarchy. Although they may seem confusing, they are nothing more than letting nature take care of itself. This article focuses on herbivores, but the insect world is diverse and includes predatory species. Creatures such as ladybugs (Coccinellidae) and lacewings (Chrysoperia sp.) actively hunt and consume those pests in your gardens, keeping you from this task. This method is not limited to Insects. Numerous animals, such as frogs, birds, nematodes, and even household pets, can fill this role. Fungi and bacteria have also been found to fill this role, as anyone who has applied Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly called BT, has discovered. This control method is the most environmentally friendly and involves the least amount of physical labor.
Green Lacewing UF/IFAS photo
Chemical use in Landscapes
Finally, chemical controls are a viable method to control insects in your landscape. These should be used as a last resort when the controls listed above are just not working. When used, make sure you follow the label provided on the product you’ve purchased and that it is the appropriate product designed to control your specific pest. The concern with this control is that pest species may adapt to the chemical, thus rendering it ineffective. When applied, ensure it is done minimally, both in volume and across square footage thus minimizing risk to off-target species.
Controlling pests in your garden can seem a daunting task. The multipronged approach utilizing the above control methods is known as integrated pest management. Following this methodology will keep your plants pest free and your landscape healthy. For more information on integrated pest management, see these Ask IFAS documents, or contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any topic regarding your gardens and more.
Fall is just around the corner, and that means it is time to start kale and collards, root vegetables, and salad greens. Photo by Rachel Mathes.
In spite of this record-breaking hot summer, it might be surprising to realize that we are just a month away from the onset of fall. As the sun-soaked dog days gradually relinquish their hold to the inviting coolness of autumn, the allure of the new season comes into view.
If your thoughts are already conjuring images of vibrant leaves and the anticipation of robust greens and earthy root vegetables in your garden, we extend an invitation to explore our newly revamped edition of the North Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.
We’ve transformed the guide from a static PDF into a user-friendly website, making it easier than ever for you to tap into its wealth of gardening insights. Crafted by the adept hands of the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension, this guide serves as an invaluable resource catering to both seasoned horticulturists and aspiring gardeners.
Dive into an array of articles, planting schedules, images, and informative UF/IFAS EDIS publications – all thoughtfully designed to address your gardening questions. From the basics of getting started to the finer points of site selection, pest management, fostering biodiversity, soil testing, composting, harnessing cover crops, and mastering irrigation techniques – the North Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide website has it all covered.
For those who prefer a tactile experience, physical copies are available upon request at the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Office, located at 615 Paul Russell Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32301. A quick call ahead will help you ensure availability.
We’re also excited to announce our upcoming Fall 2023 Backyard Gardening Series, set for September 6 and 13, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on both evenings at the Leon County Extension Office (615 Paul Russell Road).
If you’re eager to explore the art of fall gardening in depth, this series will cover topics like site selection, soil enrichment, effective fall planting techniques, and more, including a hands-on planting activity.
Individual tickets are available for $10 per person if pre-paid online or $15 in cash or check at the door. For families of three to four, pre-paid online family tickets are $20 per family or $30 in cash or check at the door. This registration fee includes both evenings on September 6 and 13 and light refreshments will be provided.
For any further inquiries, please contact Molly Jameson at mjameson@ufl.edu or via phone at 850-606-5200.
A mole cricket has a face only a mother could love. They are so strange looking, in fact, that in the past week I’ve had two people ask me what they were. They have large, round, helmet-like heads, undersized eyes, and massive front claws used for digging. Unlike your garden-variety crickets, which really don’t cause any major damage to home landscapes, the mole cricket is quite the turfgrass menace. Instead of hopping about aboveground, they tunnel beneath the lawn and feast on the roots and leaves of grass, often destroying entire yards. They are also vegetable pests, going after tomatoes, cabbage, and peppers.
A young mole cricket. Its round head and large front claws distinguish it from other cricket species. Photo credit: Lucy Adams StevensonA) Horizontal and B) vertical view of a generalized tawny mole cricket burrow showing 1) horn, 2) 1st constriction, 3) bulb, 4) 2nd constriction, 5) turn-around, 6) surface tunnel, and 7) deep tunnel. Figure 1 from Nickerson et al. 1979. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 72(3):438-440.
Mole crickets spend most of their time below ground and form burrows for hiding, laying eggs, and traversing through their territory. In mating season, males create a monotone song that averages 88 decibels—as loud as a motorcycle! The call comes from their burrows, which have funnel-like openings that expand at the surface, creating amplification comparable to a horn.
Beneficial larra wasp parasitizing a tawny mole cricket. Photo credit: UF IFAS
The tawny mole cricket (Neoscapteriscus vicinus) is the most common to our area and is an invasive species from South America. UF IFAS has had a specific research program related to mole cricket management since the late 1970’s. One successful outcome of this program has been the introduction of a biological control species, the larra wasp (Larra bicolor). The wasp manages mole cricket populations by stinging and temporarily paralyzing crickets. A female will then deposit an egg into the mole cricket’s body. The cricket recovers and goes about its daily routine until the egg hatches, at which point the larval wasp feeds on and eventually kills the mole cricket. Along with the wasp and release of flies and a nematode that also manage mole crickets, the biocontrol methods introduced between the 1980’s and 2004 have resulted in a 95% reduction in mole cricket populations in north Florida.
If you are seeing mole crickets, you can attract larra wasps to your property by planting shrubby false buttonweed or partridge pea plants, which the wasps feed on. If you have serious damage from mole crickets, check out this thorough Mole Cricket Integrated Pest Management Guide, or contact the horticulture agent at your local county extension office to get a site-specific recommendation for management.
