Fall is here – peanuts are being picked and football season is in full swing. With fall being synonymous with the end of the growing season, it is a surprisingly good time of year to start many vegetation management operations. Fall is a particularly good time of year for a land manager to chemically control unwanted perennial vegetation.
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General Comments & Caveats
I know plants can’t read calendars and to my knowledge they don’t watch football, so how would they even “know” it’s fall? Why does the season matter? In very general terms, perennial plants (those that live for many years) respond to shortening day length; the decreasing amount of sunlight stimulates the plants to begin storing more energy for the winter ahead. This process increases the downward flow (from leaves, towards roots and rhizomes, etc.) inside the plant. This phenomenon pairs very well with how systemic herbicides need to move within the plant to be effective. Put another way, again in very simplified terms, fall applications of systemic herbicides to perennial plants build on the plants’ natural processes associated with transitioning to winter dormancy and provide the herbicide with excellent access and opportunity to affect the plant.
While fall can be an excellent time to control perennial vegetation, taking advantage of this opportunity does require some additional attention to detail, as compared to mid-summer herbicide applications. For herbicides to work properly the chemical must be able to enter the plant and the plant must then be able to move herbicide though its xylem and phloem cells.
In the fall it is not uncommon for it to become very dry. Drought stress can impede both necessary processes described above. Fall herbicide applications only work when adequate moisture is available. –
Foliar herbicides, like glyphosate, must enter a plant through a functional green leaf. At some point in the fall, the leaves of deciduous plants lose their functionality and thus their ability to convey herbicide to the rest of the plant. Chinese Tallow (popcorn tree) comes to mind here – if the leaves have changed color, they have been cut off from the rest of the plant making them useless for receiving herbicide. –
Cold temperatures (particularly below freezing) can cause plants to go dormant. Dormant plants do not circulate herbicide effectively. Plants vary greatly as to what temperature induces dormancy and how quickly they regain functionality after temperatures increase. When controlling perennial grasses, it is generally recommended to make fall applications before first frost and the browning of leaves that closely follows. For plants that retain green leaves after frost (privet, for example), make sure temperatures are well above freezing at the time of herbicide application.
NOW is the time to treat cogongrass – fall, with good soil moisture. Don’t miss this ideal window for herbicide application. Photo Credit: Mark Mauldin
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Specific Vegetation Management Practices to Consider this Fall
Kill Cogongrass. Almost every year, about this time I write an article reminding folks that now is the best time of year to kill cogongrass. I won’t rewrite the article this year, I’ll just include links to previous iterations – see below. Cogongrass is bad, if it’s on your property kill it now. In my opinion, it is the most troublesome weed we have here in Northwest Florida. It is very difficult to control; so, you need to do everything you can to improve your chances of success. Spraying in the fall (not mid-summer) really helps. –
Control Trees and Brush. Fall and winter are excellent times of year to employ several different methods which allow you to apply herbicide directly to induvial woody plants with relatively little risk to surrounding desirable vegetation. While very effective, all these individual plant techniques are quite labor intensive, making the cooler temperatures associated with the fall perhaps more important to the applicator than the plant physiology and herbicide efficacy discussed earlier. Use these links to access videos that discuss each technique in detail. –
Foliar applications (to the leaves) of herbicide to small trees and woody brush can be very effective in the fall, for the reasons mentioned earlier and provided all of the caveats mentioned earlier are accounted for. That said, foliar applications have their limitations and generally shouldn’t be used on trees over 8ft tall. Foliar applications also generally carry more risk of damage to surrounding desirable vegetation. All that said, there are times when there is no surrounding desirable vegetation – think about doing site prep for a silviculture planting or clearing an opening for a wildlife food plot planting. In these kinds of situations fall timed, broadcast, foliar applications of systemic herbicides can be highly effective.
During the fall and winter trees and woody brush can be controlled via a variety of highly selective techniques, including basal bark, hack-and-squirt, and cut stump treatments. Image Credit: IFAS CAIP
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Mow??? I very infrequently recommend mowing for weed control but if weeds have not already made seed (many already have), fall mowing can clean up open spaces while helping to lessen the seed bank available for next year’s crop of weeds. Granted, mowing is great for quick aesthetic benefit, but it must be timed correctly to provide any long term, meaningful vegetation management. Most perennial plants can and will recover after being mowed, so mowing them after they have made seed provides little lasting benefit. Along the same lines, annual plants naturally die after making seed making timing very important to providing any meaningful weed management. –
Fall is always a busy time year, but between tailgate parties and trips to the pumpkin patch be sure to take advantage of the opportunities the season provides for the highly effective management of some otherwise very hard to control vegetation. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of these concepts in more detail, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at mdm83@ufl.edu or 850-638-6180.
The North American Coastal Plain. Diagram courtesy Musa Jundi, UF Biodiversity Institute.
According to Conservation International, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide. These are defined as areas with “at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable. It must have 30% or less of its original natural vegetation. In other words, it must be threatened.”
An exhibit at the Biophilia Center in Walton County highlights the biodiversity of our region. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Only two of these 36 biodiversity hotspots lie within the United States, including the North American Coastal Plain, which stretches from Texas along the Gulf Coast and up the Atlantic coast. The state of Florida rests fully within the coastal plain. Within that region, northwest Florida is the hottest “biodiversity hotspot,” one of just six designated regions in North America.
Why us? How did our little corner of the state earn such notoriety? If you’ve ever spent August here, you know how very hot and humid it gets in the summer. As we experienced with the snow and freeze a couple of weeks ago, the Panhandle endures some rather extreme temperatures that fall within our natural range. Our coastal communities sit just above sea level, but we’ve also got hills—while not terribly high (345 feet), the state’s highest point is in Walton County. Along the bluffs of the Apalachicola are whispers of the last Ice Age, where fingers of the Appalachian Mountain range are visible in the same hardwood species and geologic formations typical of north Georgia and Tennessee.
Florida Master Naturalist students visit Britton Hill, the highest point in Florida. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
As they say, variety is the spice of life, and this wide spectrum of livable habitats, from coastal marsh to high and dry ridges means we have more options for plants and wildlife to inhabit. The Florida panhandle is home to more than 2500 plant species, 300 species of birds, and 25 species of salamanders, including many endemic species found nowhere else in the world. The oxygen-deprived soils of our flatwood bogs give rise to dozens of carnivorous plant species. They’ve adapted to poor nutrition in the soil by supplementing with insects. Vast waterways mean we have 500 species of saltwater fish and at least 85-90 freshwater fish, including those that live a portion of their life cycle in both.
In the wild world of pitcher plant bogs, frogs compete with plants for insect prey. Photo credit: UF IFAS Extension
A project known as the Northwest Florida Greenway Corridor is actively being funded and set aside to create a 150,000 acre conservation region connecting two million acres of protected land including Blackwater River State Forest, Eglin Air Force Base, and Apalachicola National Forest . Along with coastal barrier islands and inland areas of Gulf Islands National Seashore, these huge swaths of land enable large species like bears, alligators, and cats to roam with less interference from human development. Restoration of longleaf pine and dune ecosystems mean the land and waters are managed to ensure the survival of smaller endangered species like flatwoods salamanders, beach mice, gopher tortoises, red cockaded woodpeckers, and sea turtles. The confluence of less development (compared with densely urban areas to our south), large state and national parks, and protected military bases have allowed plants and wildlife to thrive unlike any other region.
The presence of dragonfly larvae is a sign of good water quality. Photo credit: UF IFAS Extension
In science, we measure both species richness (the number of different species in an area) and abundance (actual number of individuals) to come up with an index for species diversity. Generally, the higher these numbers, the healthier the ecosystem. A clear example of this can be seen when monitoring water quality in streams. If you sample the macroinvertebrate population of a creek and find only bloodworms, you know water quality conditions are terrible. These species can survive in sewage water. But, if you find dozens of species, particularly the larvae of pollution-sensitive caddisflies, mayflies, and stoneflies, this indicates the water is clean and hospitable to a wide variety of species. These insects serve as the basis of the food web for fish, crabs, and larger animals that maintain a healthy ecosystem.
The layered canopies of trees with diverse fruit and flowers provide habitat for thousands of bird, reptile, mammal, amphibian, and insect species, making it the most biodiverse habitat type on the planet. Photo courtesy Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.
It’s generally understood in ecology that the “higher the diversity, the greater the stability.” When we create monocultures—ecosystems containing one or only a handful of dominant species types—these systems are weak and susceptible to attack. Agricultural operations that grow one crop are prime examples of how monocultures can be highly vulnerable—orange groves devastated by disease or freezes; chicken farms wiped out by avian influenza. They cannot adapt to threats, and being genetically similar they can be easily devastated by a single disease or environmental threat. Having a diversity of species creates a redundant “back-up” system for crucial ecosystem services, like providing pollen, erosion management, or shade from extreme heat if other species suffer from pathogens or parasites.
Agriculturists recommend rotating crops annually or seasonally to increase soil health and prevent the weaknesses brought on by monocultures. Photo credit: Ann Blount, UF IFAS Extension
Just like economists measure the health of an economy by productivity, ecologists can analyze ecosystems mathematically. And where are those most productive ecosystems located? It’s not the extreme habitats of tundra, grassland, and desert, where only a handful of species survive. The most productive ecosystems—those cycling nutrients, producing oxygen, and converting solar energy to biomass, are the most diverse ones. At the top are tropical rainforests, coral reefs, and estuarine swamps and marshes. These ecosystems have thousands of moving parts and are virtually impenetrable to a single disease or pest wiping them out. If one species suffers, there are so many backups to fill in and perform the important roles. In fact, the only disturbance any of these systems can’t defend against are complete clearing or extreme pollution by humans.
The world is much bigger than humanity. It is wise to consider the words of my favorite biologist, E.O. Wilson. An expert on insects, especially ants, he once said, “If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”
The sweetly scented, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers on the cascading, fine textured foliage of Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) covering fences and trees in open woodlands and along roadsides from late January to early April makes it one of the most beautiful vines throughout the Southeast. Carolina jessamine’s growth rate is moderate, reaching 20 feet or more when maintained as a vine. It can also be grown as a ground cover by cutting yearly in the late spring after flowering.
Carolina Jessamine – Photo credit: Mary Keim (Flickr ID Mary Keim).
This vine is very adaptable and will grow in a variety of conditions. Carolina jessamine tolerates either full sun or partial shade. Flowering is more prolific and foliage growth is denser in full sun. It grows best in rich, well-drained soil. But, it can grow very quickly up into the canopy of young trees. You may want to limit how many vines are allowed to establish around the trees that are being raised for future shade or harvesting.
Yellow jessamine has been used by herbalists to treat eye ailments and as natural, perfumed hair oil. The essential oils of the plant are extracted for use in the perfume industry, since the pleasant odor is difficult to reproduce synthetically.
Insects or diseases rarely trouble Carolina jessamine. All parts of this plant are extremely poisonous, especially to livestock, if eaten; however, the bright yellow spring blossoms are a source of nectar for butterflies and deer often browse on the vegetation for food and fiber. The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. People, especially children, can be poisoned by sucking the nectar from the flowers. This should be considered when choosing a location to allow the Carolina jessamine to grow.
Recently Jennifer Bearden, our Agriculture & Natural Resource Agent in Okaloosa County wrote a great article on “Common Wildlife Food Plot Mistakes”. The following information is a mere supplement in establishing food plots. Planting wildlife forages has become a great interest in the Panhandle. North Florida does have its challenges with sandy soils and seasonal patterns of lengthy drought and heavy rainfall. With that said, varieties developed and adapted for our growing conditions are recommended. Forage blends are greatly suggested to increase longevity and sustainability of crops that will provide nutrition for many different species.
Hairy Vetch – Ray Bodrey
In order to be successful and have productive wildlife plots. It is recommended that you have your plot’s soil tested and apply fertilizer and lime according to soil test recommendations. Being six weeks from optimal planting, there’s no time like the present.
Below are some suggested cool season wildlife forage crops from UF/IFAS Extension. Please see the UF/IFAS EDIS publication, “A Walk on the Wild Side: 2024 Cool-Season Forage Recommendations for Wildlife Food Plots in North Florida” for specific varieties, blends and planting information. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AG/AG13900.pdf
Winter legumes are more productive and dependable in the heavier clay soils of northwest Florida or in sandy soils that are underlain by a clay layer than in deep upland sands or sandy flatwoods. Over seeded white clover and ryegrass can grow successfully on certain flatwoods areas in northeast Florida. Alfalfa, clovers, vetch and winter pea are options of winter legumes.
Cool-season grasses generally include ryegrass and the small grains: wheat, oats, rye, and triticale (a human-made cross of wheat and rye). These grasses provide excellent winter forage and a spring seed crop which wildlife readily utilize
Brassica and forage chicory are annual crops that are highly productive and digestible and can provide forage as quickly as 40 days after seeding, depending on the species. Forage brassica crops such as turnip, swede, rape, kale and radish can be both fall- and spring-seeded. Little is known about the adaptability of forage brassicas to Florida or their acceptability as a food source for wildlife.
Deer taking advantage of a well maintained food plot. Photo: Mark Mauldin
For more information, contact your local county extension office.
UF/IFAS Extension is an Equal Opportunity Institution.
Coastal wetlands are some of the most ecologically productive environments on Earth. They support diverse plant and animal species, provide essential ecosystem services such as stormwater filtration, and act as buffers against storms. As Helene showed the Big Bend area, storm surge is devastating to these delicate ecosystems.
Hurricane Track on Wednesday evening.
As the force of rushing water erodes soil, uproots vegetation, and reshapes the landscape, critical habitats for wildlife, in and out of the water, is lost, sometimes, forever. Saltwater is forced into the freshwater wetlands. Many plants and aquatic animal species are not adapted to high salinity, and will die off. The ecosystem’s species composition can completely change in just a few short hours.
Prolonged storm surge can overwhelm even the very salt tolerant species. While wetlands are naturally adept at absorbing excess water, the salinity concentration change can lead to complete changes in soil chemistry, sediment build-up, and water oxygen levels. The biodiversity of plant and animal species will change in favor of marine species, versus freshwater species.
Coastal communities impacted by a hurricane change the view of the landscape for months, or even, years. Construction can replace many of the structures lost. Rebuilding wetlands can take hundreds of years. In the meantime, these developments remain even more vulnerable to the effects of the next storm. Apalachicola and Cedar Key are examples of the impacts of storm surge on coastal wetlands. Helene will do even more damage.
Many of the coastal cities in the Big Bend have been implementing mitigation strategies to reduce the damage. Extension agents throughout the area have utilized integrated approaches that combine natural and engineered solutions. Green Stormwater Infrastructure techniques and Living Shorelines are just two approaches being taken.
So, as we all wish them a speedy recovery, take some time to educate yourself on what could be done in all of our Panhandle coastal communities to protect our fragile wetland ecosystems. For more information go to:
The University of Florida/IFAS Extension & Florida Sea Grant faculty are reintroducing their acclaimed “Panhandle Outdoors LIVE!” series on St. Joseph Bay. This ecosystem is home to some of the richest concentrations of flora and fauna on the Northern Gulf Coast. This area supports an amazing diversity of fish, aquatic invertebrates, turtles and other species of the marsh and pine flatwoods. Come learn about the important roles of ecosystem!
Registration fee is $40. You must pre-register to attend.
