Doveweed – gentle name, aggressive weed!

Weeds have a way of slowly squirming themselves into your landscape.  A small patch of weeds today soon becomes a large patch of weeds in a month and then it often becomes a bigger problem.   I remember soon after Hurricane Charley in 2004  a new unfamiliar weed took hold in my yard.  At first I thought that is was some new type of grass and it sort of looked good.  And then I saw the telltale purple flowers -  I had an infestation of the dreaded doveweed!

At first doveweed looks like a fine-bladed grass eventually almost looking like St. Augustine.  As such, it can go unnoticed for some time.  Preferring moist conditions, doveweed is actually a sedge-like weed with shiny leaves  attached to creeping stems that spread over the ground.  As these stems spread they can root down at the nodes.  A mower can chop doveweed into pieces and these segments can propagate themselves vegetatively all over the place.   Doveweed is actually a summer annual, so it also produces flowers and  seeds.  The seeds are also moved about by lawnmowers, birds and water.  These seeds can survive in the soil for years, so complete management is an on-going process. 

Once doveweed is identified in your lawn, what is the next step?  As this weed loves moist areas, see what you can do to improve drainage and/or reduce overwatering.  Also, be careful about your mowing height.  Mowing too short (scalping) is a bad practice and allows the doveweed to out-compete the grass.  If the infestation is small, you can eradicate it by spot treating with a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate to “surgically” remove these offensive weeds.  Another herbicide strategy would be a properly timed pre-emergent such as atrazine in the case of St. Augustine lawns (not Bahia grass) on February 1^st .  Using atrazine as a post-emergent herbicide would also work, but not when the temperatures exceed eight-five degrees F.   As with any pesticide you use, read the label, the label is the law.

It will take more than a year to get rid of a serious doveweed infestation.  Using cultural controls hand-in-hand with chemical options should help suppress this weed.  Once under control, keep your turf in vigorous and healthy condition and monitor for future small infestations as needed.  For more information on all types of weed management information, 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:

Leon, R. G. & Unruh, B. (2015) Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) Control in Warm-Season Turgrass Species.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Jordi, R. Weeds (2015) Doveweed. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Nassau County.

Futch, S.  H. & Hall,  D. W. Identification of Sedge and Sedge-Like Weeds in Florida Citrus.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Trenholm, L. E.,  Cisar J. L. & Unruh,  J. B. St. (2014) Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Sweetgum as a shade tree

A valuable hardwood, sweetgum also makes a great landscape tree in its southern range here in Southwest Florida.  Also called alligator-wood, star-leaved gum, and gumtree, sweetgum is a deciduous tree with a narrow pyramidal shape and interesting corky projections on the branches.  This Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ native tree can fit into many residential yards.

You do not see too many sweetgums in Charlotte County – perhaps a few in landscapes, but it is uncommon.  We have a few at the East Port Environmental Campus in Port Charlotte which have developed at a moderate growth rate and are now just making an impact in the landscape.  Their star-shaped leaves make for a beautiful foliage display in season and the corky, wing-like twig outgrowths add winter interest. While they could grow upwards to seventy-five feet tall in central and northern Florida, ours specimens are around thirty feet after fourteen years of growth. I have seen a few individual landscape sweetgums upwards to forty-feet tall in our area, but that is the biggest that I have observed.   This is about the southernmost edge of where sweetgum trees occur other than what you  see installed in landscapes.  Another “plan before you plant” alert - keep in mind that sweetgum do have large, aggressive roots which can lift sidewalks and curbs.  As such, plant these trees at least ten feet from curbs in urban areas.  Allow plenty of space for this specimen tree.

Mature trees will produce a round, golf ball-sized prickly fruit which provides numerous seeds for wildlife.  However, this fruit can be a nuisance on roads and walkways and unpleasant to walk on if barefoot – ouch!  Interestingly enough, there is a solution to this problem – a cultivar called ‘Rotondifolia’ does not produce the spiny fruit and has interesting rounded foliage. While sweetgums may be too tall for some residential lots, an  uncommon cultivar called ‘Gumball’ is a good small variety with shrubby, rounded, slow growth barely topping out at fifteen feet tall.   Another cultivar called ‘Variegata’ has interesting variegated foliage –  an additional twist on this old favorite.

Sweet gum trees can provide a pleasing shade and grandeur when properly placed and given time to develop.  For more information on all types of trees suitable for  southwest Florida, 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. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Liquidambar styraciflua: Sweetgum.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2012)  Liquidambar styraciflua.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, FL.

Sweetgum. 4-H Forest Resources.  UF-SFRC.  

Roof rat best management practices

Did you know that rats can squeeze through cracks one-half of an inch wide?  Did you realize that rats have been known to jump eight feet from a tree to a house?  While these facts may be more of a curiosity than a concern to most homeowners, preventative measures can pay off to keep rodents away from your property.  Rodent proofing, sanitation, and encouragement of predators are good practices to ensure a rat- free future.

The roof rat is a non-native species originally found in southern Asia.  Roof rats are now the number one rodent pest in Florida. By nature, these rats are nocturnal and very secretive preferring to live and travel above ground in trees, and across wires, vines and fences.  Roof rats are up to fourteen-inches long which includes a tail that is longer  than their body.  The fur color ranges from black to brown to gray with a light colored underbelly.  The droppings are fairly easy to identify being  black, banana-shaped, and a quarter to a half-inch long. Having up to forty babies per year, female roof rats are highly prolific. 

While roof rats really like fruit (aka fruit rat) they will eat a wide variety of domestic animal feeds, bird seed and garbage.  Roof rats will travel up to one-hundred and fifty yards from their nests to forage for food or water.  They also prefer to keep their nests in attics, soffits, hollow trees, and the old fronds on palm trees, but will also nest  in piles of debris stacks on the ground.

Prevention is always the best practice.  Before rat activity is detected, consider rodent proofing using materials such as twenty-six gauge or heavier sheet metal, nineteen gauge or heavier hardware cloth with openings no more than one-quarter inch, and brick with mortared joints.  These materials are placed where rodents gnaw such as the edges of doors, windows, holes where pipes enter buildings, ventilation holes in foundations, roof vents, exhaust fans, and eave vents.   Fruit trees can be protected by twenty-four inch wide sheet metal rat guards secured around the tree.  Keep fruit trees branches from touching fences or wires where rats could access these runways.  Also prune lower tree branches so that rats cannot climb up into the trees. 

Sanitation is also an important task where food items are kept away from rodents.  Many of these practices are common sense such as cleaning up garbage and rubbish and keeping it in metal garbage cans with tight fitting lids.  Keep all pet food and birdseed in rodent proof containers.  Pick ripe fruits and vegetables before rats get to them, and locate and eliminate sources of water.  Also keep hiding places removed such as general junk and garbage in your yard. 

Beyond the juvenile rats that cats may occasionally catch, local natural predators can be very helpful in suppressing this pest population.  Birds of prey, especially owls, feed on rats.  The literature indicates that a pair of barn owls can kill several hundred rats a year.  Many non-poisonous snakes are also great rat controllers.  Snakes such as rat snakes, king snakes, pine snakes, black racers and coach whips catch and eat rats. 

If you have an infestation of rats, and  find gnawed areas, droppings, etc.,  it is time to take action.   Rat traps are good first step.  Attach traps to tree branches or fences with rubber bands for best results.  Limiting trap setting from dawn to dusk will help avoid accidental trapping of birds and squirrels during the day.  The use of live traps will also  help with this issue.  If you choose to use rat poison, certain precautions must be taken.  Rat poison must be secured in a tamper-proof bait station so that children, pets and wildlife cannot gain access – this is stated on the label and it is the law. 

Keeping roof rats away is a worthwhile venture.  Some simple preventative measures, as outlined above, will go a long way in controlling these four-legged pests! For more information on all types of pest control, 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:

Koehler, P.G. & Kern, Jr., W. H. (2013) Rat and Mouse Control, The University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.    

Kern, Jr., W. H. (2015) Control of Roof Rats in Fruit Trees, The University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.     

The pitch apple

Some plants have names related to uses they no longer have -  the pitch apple is an example.  In the old days, pitch-apple “pitch” was scrapped from the seeds and used to caulk boats.  The “apple” portion of the plant is misleading as the fruit is poisonous.  However, pitch-apple has been given a new use as a landscape plant.  While it can only be dependably used in the warmer parts of the County, the pitch-apple is a broadleaf evergreen that can make wonderful hedges and privacy screens, as well as an ornamental subject for planters.  Have you heard about the pitch-apple?  Let’s talk.

The pitch-apple is considered a native plant normally found in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe County Keys and regions well south of there.  It has thick, dark green leaves noted to retain written words gouged into the leaf tissue – aka autograph tree.  During the summer, the pitch-apple produces three-inch pink/white flowers at night.  These nocturnal showy flowers are followed by three-inch diameter fleshy, green, poisonous fruit.  When ripe, the fruit turns black and splits open revealing red seeds and  black, sticky pitch. 

This native plant is a relative newcomer to the market in our area.  About six years ago I noticed a hedge of pitch-apple planted around a commercial property in Port Charlotte.  It looked great and seemed to grow beautifully.  However, after several cold winters, it had frozen down to the ground and did not grow back.  Not far from this sight around another commercial property, I noticed pitch-apple was planted with other some other landscape plants within beds situated throughout  a vast asphalt parking area.  These plantings survived because of the simple fact that the warmth stored in the pavement during the day was sufficient to protect these pitch-apples from freezing on cold winter nights.  The lesson learned was that pitch-apples are hardy from zones 10 b and southward.  This means that will do well right along the immediate coast in Charlotte County, but as you move inland, unless you have them planted in known “micro-climates”, provide some type of protection during cold spells, or have them potted in containers that can moved indoors, they will most likely freeze. 

With that in mind, the biggest pitch-apple trees that I have seen planted in our area are about six-feet tall.  Compare that to some I saw in Naples which were over fifteen–feet tall.  As such, it can easily be pruned to the size you want.  Adapted to full sun to part shade, the pitch-apple is tolerant of sandy soil, and best of all, it is very salt-spray tolerant and fits well with seaside plantings.  Once established, this native is highly drought-tolerant as well.

Besides your standard pitch-apple, Clusia rosea, there are some cultivars available including a variegated form called ‘Variegata’ with yellow and green foliage.  There is also a cultivar with smaller leaves called ‘Nana’.  As with many tropical plants in our area, location is very important in regards to cold tolerance and ultimately, sustainable survival.  For more information on ornamental plants suitable 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:

Gilman E. F. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Clusia rosea: Pitch Apple.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS. 

http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?ID=2180 - Clusia rose.

Pipoly III, J. J. &  Granson S. (2008), Urban Horticulture Technician Florida-Friendly Shrubs for Perimeter Plantings.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS - Broward County Extension

The only orchid tree you will ever need

Often plants are listed as invasive due to their ability to drop their seeds (and subsequent seedlings) all over the place.  What if there was a variety or cultivar of a particular plant that was sterile and had no seeds to cause a weedy infestation?  Such is the case of the Hong Kong orchid tree – a beautiful flowering tree with gorgeous orchid-like blossoms, but no seeds!  What is the Hong Kong orchid tree all about?

Originally found in China, every Hong Kong orchid tree is an identical clone via  air-layering or grafting.  Vegetative reproduction was the only method to multiply this tree as no seeds are ever produced.  Growing up to thirty-five feet tall and twenty-five feet wide, the Bauhinia x blakeana has large, up to six-inch, lavender-pink flowers.    In fact, the Hong Kong orchid tree is in flower for over one-hundred days a year – on or about October to March.   The two-lobed leaves are very notable and unlike any other foliage you may have seen before.

Honk Kong orchid trees are usable as a lawn specimen tree, a medium-sized shade tree, or one planted in conjunction with a patio or deck. They are relatively fast growing and thus have moderately weak wood.  Somewhat awkward and open as a young tree, proper pruning and training will help develop more wind-tolerant branches.   This Bauhinia can be semi-deciduous to completely deciduous for a very short time and a bit messy in consideration to the old blossoms and leaves. 

Our relatively alkaline soils may cause some nutrient deficiencies to develop in the leaves – especially potassium and iron.  As such, some supplemental fertilizer may be needed to keep the foliage in good color.  The Hong Kong orchid tree is moderately salt-tolerant and is noted to be very drought tolerant once established. 

While the Hong Kong orchid tree is the recommended Bauhinia, there is one type to avoid -  the orchid tree or mountain-ebony.  Known as Bauhinia variegata, this one is considered a Category I invasive as listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.  It does not bloom as long as the Hong Kong orchid tree and produces many seed pods capable of making lots of invasive orchid trees. 

The Hong Kong orchid tree will be the only orchid tree you will ever need!  For more information on all types of woody ornamental flowering 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:

Gilman, E. F. & Watson, D. G. ( 2014) Bauhinia  blakeana: Hong Kong Orchid Tree.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Brown, S. H. (2015) Bauhinia x blakeana.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.

Caldwell, D. (2013) Hong Kong Orchid Trees Are Long Flowering for Snow Birds.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Collier County.

Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.  http://fleppc.org/ .

Broschat,  T. K. (2014) Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms of Woody Ornamental Plants in South Florida.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Jaboticaba – funny name, tasty fruit

One of the weirdest and most interesting small fruit trees we have in our Demonstration garden is the jaboticaba.   Hailing from southern Brazil, the jaboticaba is a smallish, slow-growing, shrub-like tree with unique, grape-like fruit.  Our tree produced fruit for the first time this year and it was delicious! 

Jaboticaba or Brazilian grape tree is an evergreen tree growing no more that fifteen feet tall in our area.  Arriving in Florida in about 1928, jaboticaba started to appear in home landscapes in the 1940’s.  Still fairly rare in our area, it is hardy from zones 9b to 11.    The literature mentions that brief events of twenty-six degrees F.  have not damaged

Jaboticaba – good news for our area.    Plant this tree in a full sun to light shade site.   Jaboticaba  is well adapted to a wide range of soils as long as irrigation is available.   Use jaboticaba as a large shrub, a small tree, a hedge or even as a large container plant.   This tree is not tolerant of salt, so watch your water quality and keep it protected from salt spray. 

It will take several years for your jaboticaba to begin to bear fruit.  A five to six foot jaboticaba may be eleven years old.  Support the slow growth with supplemental irrigation as needed after establishment.  Established trees are tolerant of temporary flooding.  Fertilize no more than three times per year or as per label directions with a slow-release fertilizer suitable for citrus or tropical fruit.  When jaboticaba reach fruiting age, small white puffy flowers will develop and cover the branches and parts of the lower trunk in late winter and spring.  This is followed by large green berries which grow and ripen into one to one and one-half inch dark purple fruit which look just like Muscadine grapes.  Inside the tough skin is a white pulp with several seeds.  The fruit is very much like a Muscadine grape both in texture and taste.  Eat them fresh as they do not keep well for long once harvested.  The gelatinous pulp is a thick and juicy.  Accordingly, I understand why the name jaboticaba supposedly means “like turtle fat” in the native language. 

I am not sure what cultivar of jaboticaba we have in our Demo garden.  There are at least nine varieties available with different characteristics – fruit size and color, taste, leaf size, etc.  As far as availability, check local family-run garden centers and regional tropical fruit tree venders.  There are also a number of Internet mail-order sources available where small specimens can be secured.  They can be started from seed which will germinate in about one month.  Then, prepare to wait at least eight years for that seedling to begin to produce fruit.  Cuttings and air-layering are also propagation methods.  Grafted trees may quicken the pace a bit with fruit in as early as six years.  The fruit is worth waiting for as I found out with our first crop and my first taste of this rare oddball. 

If you have the patience, consider growing a jaboticaba – a tasty treat from Brazil!  For more information on all types of tropical and subtropical fruits suitable to grow 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:

Brown, S.H. (2015) Myrciaria cauliflora.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFA.

Morton, J. (1987) Jaboticabas. Fruits of Warm Climates.  Purdue University.  

Got to love those heart-shaped leaves!

There are nothing like caladiums to brighten up a shady landscape!  Caladiums come in background shades of pink, red, green and white with similar color blotches and veins within the heart-shaped leaf.  These South American beauties adapt well to both an organic matter rich landscape as well as to pot culture and can be purchased as started plants or tubers.  Many cultivars are available within two distinct types - fancy and lance-leaf.  The fancy variety have the usual heart-shaped leaves, while the lance-leaf types have narrow leaves on short stems on an overall compact plant. New cultivars are released on a regular basis through breeding programs.  It would not be a Florida garden without some caladiums!

Let's start at the beginning with the tubers.  Interestingly enough, caladium tubers are graded and come available in different sizes like eggs.  While all size tubers are fine for landscape beds, generally, you want to choose a tuber size that fits the pot size if you are containerizing them.  For example, one "mammoth" tuber (which is three and one half to four and one half inches in diameter) fits well in a six-inch pot.  A "jumbo" tuber is two and one half to three and one half inches and is best started in a five-inch pot. 

Caladiums need a soil mix that is high in water-holding organic matter such as peat.  Drainage is also important with additions of sand or perlite.  A sterile commercial mix good for caladiums should be available at any garden center.  Proper soil moisture is very important because if caladiums are allowed to wilt, the plants may go dormant.   Plant the tubers upright (you may notice some sprouts already formed on the tuber) with one to one and one-half inches of soil over the top of the tuber.  Roots will form on the top and side of the tuber. While most caladiums thrive in either shade or partial shade,  some cultivars even do well in full sun if proper water is provided.  Also, plants grown in partial shade, for example, will develop deeper color than those in full shade.  Feed caladiums a balanced liquid fertilizer as recommended on the package.   After a nice summer of growth, if and when temperatures drop below 65 degrees F, caladiums will begin to go dormant.  The foliage will die back and the tubers will over-winter in the pots with some protection provided by storing them in a garage.  Those in the landscape are perfectly hardy and will over-winter on their own.

There are so many wonderful cultivars to choose from that to highlight any would not do this plant any justice – I don’t have a favorite, and I don’t know of one I dislike.

Resources: 

Evans, M.R., Harbaugh, B.K. & Wilfret, G.J. (2006), Caladium As Potted and Landscape Plants, University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.  

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Caladium xhortulanum Caladium.  University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2003) Caladium bicolor.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, FL. 

Black,  R.J. & Tjia, B. (2003) Caladiums for Florida. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.