Bromeliads and mosquitoes

With the heavy summer rains and mosquito season ramping up, concerns about this biting fly and its potential associated diseases are in the public domain. One place that certain mosquitoes may use as a breeding area are the water cups located in the rosette of leaves formed by bromeliad plants. But before you run out and yank out all of those beautiful ornamental bromeliads, there are ways to manage this problem with fairly easy techniques.

Bromeliads are plants in the same family as pineapples and Spanish moss. Many ornamental varieties are cultivated by hobbyists and bromeliads are common plants found in many local landscapes. Some grow on trees and some are more terrestrial in nature. A colorful whorl of leaves, accented with brilliant, long-lasting, flower heads, make these shade-tolerant landscape plants favorites among gardeners.  In the center of some of these vase-like plants is a cup-like opening that can actually hold small, temporary pools of water. These cups often house minute aquatic life including the larvae of some mosquitoes. This is where you can step in and take control.

First, you can actually flush out each cup with fresh water on a regular basis. This practice will prevent any mosquito larvae from reaching maturity. But perhaps the best way for convenient long-term protection is the use of Bacillus thuringiensis israaelenses (BTI), a microbial product under a variety of brand names that only targets mosquito larvae. This least-toxic product is available at most garden centers as either donut-shaped rings for larger containers of outdoor water such as a water garden, or a granular crumble. Granules of BTI, applied as per label directions, are normally placed in the bromeliad cup with residual control of mosquito larvae for some period of time. As with any pesticide, please read the label as it is the law.

Again, not all types of mosquitoes use bromeliads to host their larvae. Not all bromeliads foster the development of mosquitoes either. Simple techniques as outlined above can suppress and eliminate the concern of container-borne mosquitoes developing in bromeliads. For more information on mosquito control, please contact the Charlotte County Mosquito Control Division at 941.764.4370. For more information on all types of plants, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.


Resources:
Park Brown, S. (2013) Bromeliads at a Glance.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.
Swanson, Y. (2008) Simple precautions prevent bromeliads from becoming mosquito nurseries.  Tampa Bay Time. http://www.tampabay.com/features/homeandgarden/simple-precautions-prevent-bromeliads-from-becoming-mosquito-nurseries/483443 .
Frank, J.H. Bromeliad-inhabiting mosquitoes in Florida. Published on WWW at http://BromeliadBiota.ifas.ufl.edu/mosbrom.htm
Bromeliads – Gardening Solutions - The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.  http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bromeliads.html

Portulca – a sparkling summer annual flower that takes the heat

The annual flowering plant known as Portulaca is a well-known favorite found in all garden centers.  This plant is particularly successful here as it takes the heat and full sun of summer.  The sparking, florescent flowers produced by the Portulaca are new every day.  Should this flower be in your garden?

To begin, there are several species of Portulaca which tend to get lumped together.  For instance, Portulaca grandiflora has a cylindrical leaf (almost needle-like) and is commonly called the moss rose.  Another species is Portulaca oleracea which has a flat leaf and is most commonly called purslane.  While some varieties of purslane are ornamental, some are known for their edible qualities.  Some purslane may even show up in your yard as weed!  Just to keep it simple, let’s call of these just plain Portulaca. 

As a general statement, Portulaca have bright colored flowers ranging from red to yellow, orange, pink and white in both single and double flowering forms.  There are even some with attractive bicolor flowers with spots and stipes of other colors.  Most if not all of these have a habit of opening when the sun is bright and closing on cloudy days.  Newer cultivars such as ‘Sundance’ and ‘Afternoon Delight’ were developed to stay open longer on into the afternoon as well as in cloudier weather.  The use of Portulaca as a groundcover works well as most are barely six-inches tall and around twelve- inches wide.  Best sites for the annual include those in full sun and well-drained soil. 

Portulaca seeds are available and very easy to germinate.  The seeds are very small, so plant enough in sterile potting medium in pots to transplant later to the final bed, or start them direct-seeded where you intend them to grow.  Established plants will produce thousands of seeds which may volunteer the next year.  Cuttings can also be rooted to expand your planting stock. 

One note on the edible varieties grown specifically as a vegetable.   Just like the ornamental types, the leaves are very fleshy and succulent.  They also tend to have smaller yellow flowers.  Cultivated varieties are available from some seed catalogs if you are interested.  The plants are eaten raw or cooked and are said to taste like watercress or spinach.  The tiny seeds are also reported to be edible. 

If you have had no success with other summer flowering annuals, the Portulaca is sure not to disappoint!  For more information on all types of summer-hardy flowers, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. & Howe, T. (1999) Portulaca grandiflora. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Stephens, J. M. (2015) Purslane - Portulaca oleracea. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2014) Portulaca oleracea. Floridata.com, Tallahassee, Fl.

Christman, S. (2003) Portulaca grandiflora. Floridata.com, Tallahassee, Fl.

Mason, S. (2016) Purslane – Weed It or Eat It? University of Illinois Extension Service.  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

A universe of cosmos

One bedding annual flower that I have really had good success with in Charlotte County has been Cosmos.  This annual flowering plant comes in many sizes, shapes and colors.  Originally from the southwestern United States and Mexico, Cosmos are not only sun-lovers, but also do well in our sandy, low fertility, soils. 

The Common Cosmos or Cosmos bipinnatus is the type most often offered in seed catalogs and garden centers.  This Cosmos can grow from three to six feet in height and has fine thread-like leaves.  Cosmos plants tend to be very open and sprawling with weak stems that sometimes need support in the form of stakes.  Large growing Cosmos provide excellent cut flowers and can be used in the landscape as long as you stake them.  Early pinching can help somewhat as this helps promote a bushier and denser plant. 

There is generally an excellent selection of Common Cosmos at your local seed rack or gardening catalog.  Some cultivars to look for are included in the various "series" such as Imperial Pink, Sensation, Sonata and Vega. 'Sea Shells' actually has curled petals that produce unique, tube-like shapes.  Some Common Cosmos cultivars even have double the normal amount of petals. 

Another species of Cosmos, Cosmos sulpureus is also available.  Also called the Orange Cosmos, it has orange and yellow flowers.  The foliage of this Cosmos is a bit more feathery than the Common Cosmos.   I tend to favor the orange flowering types and have tried both dwarf ('Cosmic Orange') and large varieties such as 'Bright Lights'. 

While you may be able to find some started plants at local garden centers, I most often locate seed packs of selected Cosmos to start my own plants.  Cosmos are extremely easy to start from seed either as transplants or planted directly from seed just where you want them.  In fact, Cosmos are often found in wildflower mixes and, in some communities, I have seen them planted along highways in colorful drifts of pink, lavender and white colors.  Cosmos can reseed themselves and this makes them ideal for those looking to establish a "mini-meadow".  The site you select for your cosmos planting should be in full sun; well-drained, but of low fertility.  Too much fertilizer will actually cause the plant to produce foliage at the expense of flowers.  Cosmos seeds will germinate in as little as one week.  From seed to the first bloom, Cosmos will take from eight to twelve weeks. Plant or thin Cosmos to about eighteen-inches apart for best growth. 

With bright and easy-to-grow flowers and the ability to thrive in difficult growing conditions, all types of Cosmos belong in your garden!  For information on common flowering annuals and perennials suitable for growing in our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata White', Mexican Aster.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Gilman, E. F. & Howe, T. (1999) Cosmos bipinnatus .  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Scheper, J. (2005) Cosmos binpinnatus.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, Florida

Scheper, J. (2003) Cosmos sulphureus.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, Florida

It’s wild, but not coffee

A native wild shrub that has worked its way into the nursery trade - and our hearts - is the wild coffee.  While it is a plant native to Florida, it is not coffee.  However, it is an attractive shrub resembling the gardenia, a close relative.  Popular in native landscapes for attracting wildlife, wild coffee, listed as a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant, should also have a place in every garden design.

At a glance, the wild coffee does indeed look like a gardenia in consideration of its leaves.  The six-inch long, evergreen leaves are shiny and dark green with very deep veins. The small white flowers develop in clusters followed by small fruits that eventually turn bright red.  These fruits are favored by wildlife such as birds.  Keep in mind that although the scarlet fruits look like real coffee berries, they are not edible.  The shrub grows as a multiple-stemmed woody plant that can be planted in either sun or shade.  More sun will develop a compact plant, but some leaf yellowing may result.  A planting site of moderate shade on the north side of your yard will provide the optimal growing conditions.  Although wild coffee can be pruned to the shape you want, it barely gets over five-feet tall and really will not need much if any pruning.  If you want to develop a hedge, plant them about four feet apart on center for best results.  Plant wild coffee at least four feet from foundations as well.

Wild coffee will often wilt during the dry season without supplemental watering, but will usually come back quickly with rain or irrigation.  This shrub will on occasion get insect pests such as scale insects – green scales, croton scales and wax scales.  These can be treated with horticultural oil (not in the heat of day as the leaves can burn) or insecticidal soap as per label directions.  

In addition to seeds started as a result of bird activity, you can start your own plants from seeds.  The seedlings are reported to transplant well.  I started mine from cuttings which rooted fairly quickly and are now in my landscape.  

I once saw a collection of wild coffee plants found in the wild from across Florida at a Research and Education Center.  There was so much variation including very upright selections, dwarf types, different leaf characteristics, and even a variegated form.  You may find a few wild coffee specimens at local garden centers or check regional native plant nurseries for greater availability.  As wild coffee becomes more mainstream, selected cultivars may be more available on the market.  Check this plant out for your landscape today!  For more information on all types of shrubs – both native and non-native - suited for our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Brown, S. H. (2011) Psychotria nervosa.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.

Gilman, G. F. (2014) Psychotria nervosa – Wild Coffee.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.