by Gary Knox | Feb 3, 2015
Figure 1. Topping is the drastic removal of large-diameter wood (typically several years old) with the end result of shortening all stems and branches. Topping is not recommended for crapemyrtle.
As the holidays fade and the New Year begins, we often see crapemyrtles being “mutilated” from improper pruning: main stems that are several years old are cut back, often leaving branch stubs 2 – 5 inches or more in diameter. This form of crapemyrtle mistreatment goes by various names, including topping, heading, stubbing, rounding, dehorning and (my favorite) “crape murder”.
Whatever you call it, topping a crapemyrtle is almost always unnecessary. Over the years, many people viewed this type of improper pruning and unthinkingly perpetuated the practice in their own yards, not realizing the unfortunate consequences.
Research at the University of Florida found that topping crapemyrtle delays flowering up to one month. For example, unpruned trees may begin flowering in June whereas topped trees begin flowering in July. This research also found topping reduced the number of flowers and shortened the flowering season. Finally, topping stimulated more summer sprouting from roots and stems. Sprouting results in greater maintenance since sprouts are usually removed to maintain an attractive plant appearance.
Figure 2. With proper cultivar selection and placement in the landscape, crapemyrtle develops into a beautifully shaped tree that rarely needs pruning. This crapemyrtle is Red Rocket®.
If a crapemyrtle is located where it requires routine pruning to fit into its surroundings (for example, under the eave of a roof), it should be replaced with a smaller growing crapemyrtle. A dwarf crapemyrtle (maturing at a height of 5 feet) would fit this location well. Medium crapemyrtle cultivars (growing up to about 15 feet in height) and tall or tree-size crapemyrtle cultivars (often growing 20 – 30 feet tall in 10 years) are best reserved for open areas.
Crapemyrtle thrives under full sun conditions in areas with ample room for the cultivar size and away from walkways and roads. Proper selection of crapemyrtle cultivar and proper placement in the landscape can result in a low maintenance crapemyrtle without the need for significant pruning.
For more information, please see Crapemyrtle Pruning.
by Sheila Dunning | Dec 23, 2014
A frozen perennial plant. Photo credit: Taylor Vandiver UF/IFAS Extension.
When you look out at your landscape nobody has to tell you that winter temperatures in Northwest Florida Afterwards, the temperatures warm up and you feel compelled to do something about it. You just need to “turn your back and slam the door”. “Conceal, don’t feel; don’t let them know”. Cold injury can affect the entire plant or just certain plant or parts such as fruits, flowers, buds, leaves, trunks, stems, or roots. Many plant parts can adapt to tolerate cold. Root systems in the landscape are seldom ‘frozen’ in Florida. “The cold never bothered” them “anyway”. While dead, unsightly leaves may be removed as soon as they turn brown after a freeze, the remaining dry looking stems serve as food storage and should be allowed to remain. If they are removed before the weather is warm enough for the plant to resume growth, the root system may not be enough to support the plant and it will die. So, “let it go, let it go, let it go”. “The perfect” landscape “is gone”. “The past is in the past”. “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem so small”.Tropical plants and summer annuals do not adapt or harden to withstand temperatures below freezing, and many suffer injury at temperatures below 50°F (10°C). Subtropical plants can harden or acclimate (become accustomed to a new climate) to withstand freezing temperatures, and properly conditioned temperate plants can withstand temperatures substantially below freezing.
Recently planted, unestablished plants may be more susceptible to cold injury. One type of winter injury is plant desiccation or drying out. This is characterized by marginal or leaf tip burn in mild cases and totally brown leaves in severe cases. Desiccation occurs when dry winds and solar radiation result in the loss of more water from the leaves than can be absorbed and/or transported by a cold root system. Plant water needs should be checked after a freeze. Plants may have lost substantial moisture during a windy freeze. Plants will transpire (lose water vapor) on a sunny day after a freeze. Cold injured wood can be identified by lightly scraping the bark with your fingernail and examining the color of the cambium layer (food conducting tissue) just underneath. Green tissue indicates the plant is still alive at that point; black or brown coloration indicates dead or injured tissue. 
After a particularly harsh cold event, some plants may be very slow to recover, so some patience is required. “It will rise” with “the break of spring”. Branch tips may be damaged while older wood is free of injury. Delay pruning until new growth appears next spring to ensure that live wood is not removed. In the meantime, take Elsa’s advice and “let it go, let it go, let it go”. You may be “too relieved to grieve”. I hope I haven’t infringed on any copyrights by letting you know “It’s okay to put off the yard work in the name of plant physiology”.
Enjoy the holiday season!
For more information please see:
Treating Cold Damaged Plants
by Taylor Vandiver | Feb 25, 2014
Considering it is the month of Valentine’s, roses are an appropriate subject to discuss. Not bouquets couriered to various locations all over town, but bushes in the landscape that have been strategically neglected over the winter. Now their time has come; pull on the gloves and get to work.
February is the perfect time to prune rose bushes. Pruning is a step that is required to maintain healthy roses. When roses are pruned, new growth is promoted by removing dead, broken or diseased canes. Pruning also allows the gardener to give their plant an attractive shape and encourage flowering, which is ultimately the reason roses are planted!
Belinda’s Dream rose before pruning. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Deciding which roses to prune will depend on their class. Hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses are repeat bloomers and need a moderate to heavy annual pruning this time of year. Some old-fashioned roses and climbers that bloom only once a year should be treated differently and pruned immediately after flowering. They set their buds on old wood from the previous year’s growth; therefore, pruning them would remove most of this year’s blooms. An exception to this would be dead, diseased or damaged wood on any rose bush or canes that are crossing and rubbing. This should be removed immediately upon notice.
There are certain techniques that should be used when pruning any type of rose, no matter the time of year. Any pruning shear, saw or lopper you use should be sharp and sterile. Always wear protective gloves when dealing with roses, unless you don’t mind coming back bloody and mangled.
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Crown gall and canker can be spread between gardens and individual plants by dirty shears. To prevent the spread of disease, always disinfect pruning shears when beginning to prune with a 5-10% bleach or 20% rubbing alcohol solution, especiallly if they have been used in any other garden. If crown gall or canker has been found in one’s own garden, shears should be disinfected between each plant, no exception. This should also occur when bringing new plants into the garden, until they have been observed to be disease free.
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The first step when pruning any rose is to remove dead, damaged or weak stems leaving only the most vigorous, healthy canes. Try to cut the stems one inch below darkened areas, making sure to cut back to green wood. Always make your cut at a 45-degree angle; this will keep water from sitting on top of a stem and causing rot. When pruning try to open up the center of the rose bush. Pruning like this will increase air circulation and help prevent diseases.
Pruning Cut on Belinda’s Dream rose. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Since roses send out new growth from the bud just below a pruning cut, try to make pruning cuts above a leaf bud facing out from the center of the plant. Make your cut about ¼ inch above the bud and at the same angle as the bud. If any rubbing or crossing branches are noticed, the weakest of those branches should be removed.
Deadheading, or removing spent flowers, can also be done at this time of year. When deadheading, remove the flower by making a cut just above the next five or seven-leaf branch down on the stem. This will allow for a strong and healthy cane to grow in its place. If no live buds remain, remove the entire cane.
Modern reblooming roses (hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras) should be pruned just as the buds begin to swell, which is around mid to late February. When practicing hard pruning, try to leave about four to eight large, healthy canes the diameter of your finger or larger on the shrub. For a more moderate approach, prune shrubs as discussed earlier and cut them back to about 12 to 24 inches from ground level. Generally, any cane thinner than a pencil should be removed.
Belinda’s Dream rose after pruning. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Don’t worry about pruning recently purchased new roses. Newly purchased roses have most likely been pruned, and no further cutting is necessary. Hopefully with the help of this article you can make a date to spend some quality time with your roses this season. The price of neglect is overgrown roses that are not nearly as attractive.
First flush of properly pruned Belinda’s Dream shrub rose. Image credit Matthew Orwat
Article written by Taylor Vandiver with additional content about sanitation by Matthew Orwat
by Gary Knox | Feb 11, 2014
This is the time of year when we often see crapemyrtles unnecessarily topped: main stems that are several years old are cut back, often leaving branch stubs 2 – 5 inches or more in diameter. Topping is sometimes called heading, stubbing, rounding and dehorning.
Figure 1. Topping is the drastic removal of large-diameter wood (typically several years old) with the end result of shortening all stems and branches. Topping crapemyrtle is often referred to as “crape murder” because topping usually is not recommended for crapemyrtle. Image Credit Dr. Gary Knox
Figure 2. Topping is the drastic removal of large-diameter wood (typically several years old) with the end result of shortening all stems and branches. Topping crapemyrtle is often referred to as “crape murder” because topping usually is not recommended for crapemyrtle. Image Credit Dr. Gary Knox
In the case of crapemyrtles, another name for this practice is “crape murder”. Topping a crapemyrtle is almost always unnecessary. Because people have seen this done in previous years, home owners often mimic this practice in their own yards, not realizing the unfortunate consequences.
Research at the University of Florida, detailed in this linked publication, found that topping crapemyrtle (“crape murder”) delays flowering up to one month. In other words, unpruned trees may begin flowering in June whereas topped trees don’t flower until July. This research also found topping reduced the number of flowers and shortened the flowering season. Finally, topping stimulated more summer sprouting from roots and stems. Sprouting results in greater maintenance since sprouts are usually removed to maintain an attractive plant appearance.
Unfortunately, landscape professionals and home owners often must maintain crapemyrtles that others planted, and so must deal with the consequences of poor cultivar selection and/or placement. If a crapemyrtle requires routine pruning to fit into its surroundings, it should be replaced with a smaller maturing cultivar. Dwarf crapemyrtles mature at a height of 5 feet; medium crapemyrtle cultivars grow up to about 15 feet in height, and tall or tree-size crapemyrtle cultivars exceed 15 feet and often grow to 20 – 30 feet tall in 10 years.
Best locations for crapemyrtle are areas in full sun with plenty of room for the cultivar size and away from walkways and roads. Proper selection of crapemyrtle cultivar and proper placement in the landscape can result in a low maintenance crapemyrtle without the need for significant pruning.
Figure 3. With proper cultivar selection and placement in the landscape, crapemyrtle develops into a beautifully shaped tree that rarely needs pruning. This crapemyrtle is ‘Muskogee’. Image Credit Gary Knox
For more information, see ENH1138, Crapemyrtle Pruning.
by Matthew Orwat | Sep 16, 2013
Azaleas pruned late in the fall will have little or no bloom in the spring. Image Credit: Matthew Orwat
Although Northwest Florida is well known for its beautiful Azalea displays every spring, many do not understand that these shows of bloom could be sacrificed completely by pruning at the wrong time.
Pruning Azaleas in the fall will result in a loss of spring bloom the following year because most bloom on previous years’ wood. This means that they flower on growth put on throughout the previous growing season. If a gardener removes the previous season’s new growth, they are removing the blooms as well.
Fall Pruned Azalea. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
So, when is the proper time to prune Azaleas? The ideal time to prune is directly after the spring bloom. This will give the plant enough time to generate abundant new growth, thus maximizing bloom next spring.
For more information on pruning Azaleas or on general Azalea culture, please read the UF / IFAS publication Azaleas at a Glance or check out the Pruning Azalea page on Gardening in a Minute.
