From pineapple tops come pineapples

Did the pineapple originate in Hawaii?  No, actually the pineapple, which is a type of bromeliad like Spanish moss, originated in the tropical Americas and the Caribbean.  Explorers moved the pineapple around the tropical parts of the world and export from the West Indies developed through the 19^th  Century. By the end of the 19^th Century, significant production moved to Hawaii, Asia and Africa. Central America and Puerto Rico are also now major producers of this fruit. It was not until 1860 that pineapples were first introduced into Florida. In fact, there was even a pineapple industry for a time in early days of our very own Punta Gorda. Pineapples in Florida these days are pretty much a backyard crop. One of the pineapples in our Demonstration Garden at the East Port Environmental Campus on Harbor View Road is setting flowers right now, so I thought it timely to share some information on this interesting fruit.

Even if they never produced any fruit at all, pineapple plants are attractive subjects for the landscape all by themselves. A whorl of sword-like leaves form the actual pineapple plant which may grow up to six feet wide. Once the pineapple plant produces about 70-80 leaves, a flower is produced. Cool weather and short days naturally help induce a pineapple to flower. The flower is another very ornamental sight as a compressed reddish oval of flower buds emerges from the center of the plant. The individual flower is comprised of white and violet colored florets that open as the pineapple fruit forms. The fruit develops as a result of a fusion of smaller individual fruitlets into one big fruit. The green peel eventually ripens to a golden color accompanied by an attractive scent. With a fruit weight of up to five pounds, staking may be required to keep it from tipping over. A pineapple may take anywhere from 18-36 months from planting to harvest. On average, you can expect a pineapple from flower to ripe fruit in about seven months. Wait until 1/3 to 2/3 of the pineapple peel have turned from green to yellow for best sweetness. Then, allow the fruit to completely ripen at room temperature indoors. Once fully ripe, you can store the fruit in the refrigerator for a week.

There are numerous varieties of pineapple, but many may be difficult to find. However, one called 'Smooth Cayenne' is the most commonly available pineapple worldwide. This cultivar has high sugar content with yellow flesh. The leaves have some spines on three foot long leaves. Another variety, not as available as 'Smooth Cayenne', is 'Red Spanish' which is noted for a square-shaped fruit and spiny leaves. A very different type is 'Sugarloaf'. The leaves of 'Sugarloaf' are completely smooth and the flesh is white in color. There are even some super sweet new varieties in commercial production noted for retaining their quality when shipped. 

We can grow pineapples here in Charlotte County! To start pineapples, you first need either a crown from the fruit, slips, hapas, or suckers. The crown from the fruit is of course the pineapple top that you would ordinarily cut off and throw away. A slip is a sprout that comes from below the fruit on the fruit stalk. Hapas are like slips, but develop below the base of the fruit. Suckers form at the base of the leaves of the old mother plant. Don't be too quick to remove slips, hapas, or suckers from the mother plant. The bigger and more developed that all of these propagation materials are, the quicker they will develop into a fruiting plant. Whichever plantlet type you use, detach it from the mother plant and let it dry in a shaded location for about two days. Pot these plantlets up in clean potting medium to start new plants. Set rooted plants out in full sun locations situated in planting beds enriched with compost about 36 inches apart to help develop large and vigorous plants. The larger the pineapple plant at flowering, the larger the resulting fruit. Pineapples are also well suited to small space gardening and can be easily grown in a seven gallon container. Pineapples can produce a second fruit or ratoon crop if a sucker that emerges from below the fruit is allowed to grow. Make sure to remove all of the suckers and hapas except one which is then allowed to develop and produce a second fruit. A granular fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or its equivalent every eight weeks will help plants grow well. Also consider using a liquid fertilizer as per label directions. There are also foliar nutrient mixes with micronutrients that will benefit pineapple plants. Applying an organic mulch will also help maintain moisture and suppress weeds.

So, don't through away that pineapple top! While there is certainly an investment in time, growing your own fresh pineapples is a worthwhile effort! For more information on growing all types of backyard fruit, 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.

Resource:

Crane, J.H. (2013) Pineapple Growing in the Florida Home Landscape. UF/IFAS Extension

Service.

Little umbrellas of dread

The broadleaf perennial weed known as dollarweed is a taxing problem for many local lawns.  How do we deal with one of the most recognizable turf weeds in our area?  Can we suppress this out of place plant to a level we can live with? 

By nature, dollarweed is very successful as its perennial characteristics allows it to spread around via seeds, underground stems and even tiny tubers.  The green scalloped leaves are a telltale sign that this pernicious weed has invaded your turf.  You may actually be part of the problem.  Dollarweed loves moist to wet areas and overwatering is a great way to provide an environment they like best.  Some of this may be over-irrigation, and some may actually be the nature of the landscape which is simply a site with poor drainage.  Hand-in hand with this cultural management effort, proper mowing can also help turf out-compete dollarweed.  As an example, mow St. Augustine grass so that it is maintained at three and one-half to four inches for best results.  Mowing lower than that can stress the turf and allow weeds to dominate.

Once you have exhausted the noted cultural control options, herbicide control can also be considered.  There are a number of chemicals that can used to manage dollarweed.  A important thing to remember would include the benefit of spot-treating versus a broadcast application.  Often only a certain area of the lawn may be infested, so target just the weedy zones instead of treating the whole, mostly, weed-free area.  At this point in the calendar year, selective, post-emergence control is the most feasible.  This option controls the dollarweed without hurting the grass.  As most people seem to have dollarweed problems in St. Augustine grass, some suggestions will be offered for this grass only.  While atrazine is one of the most commonly used selective, post-emergence materials, there are other herbicides, some combined for extra effectiveness.  It is imperative that you read the label before using any pesticide – it is the law and you need to know all about the ingredients, its uses, limitations and precautions!  If you do not feel qualified to safely apply such materials, either have a properly certified and insured applicator do the work, or stick with the non-chemical options.  Atrazine, and other similar post-emergent herbicides, should not be applied when temperatures exceed eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit. 

The use of “weed-n-feed” products may not be warranted unless dollarweed is infesting  the entire lawn. Again, spot treating with the herbicide only may be the best strategy. 

To wrap up this article on dollarweed, keep in mind that dollarweed’ s other name is actually “pennywort”.  If all else fails, simply change the name of your weed and embrace your newly found pennywort – a weed is just a plant out of place after all!  For more information on all types of landscape and turf weed management ideas, 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:

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

Brecke, B. J., Telenko, D. E. P. Unruh, J. B.  and Leon, R. (2013) Pennywort (Dollarweed) Biology and Management in Turf. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Unruh, J. B.,  Leon, R.G., Brecke, B. J., and Trenholm, L. E. (2015)Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Brown, S. H. (2015) Selective Herbicides for Florida’s Lawn Weeds. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.

Snapdragons should be a number one winter annual

I saw a wonderful mass planting of dwarf snapdragons at a commercial site in Port Charlotte the other day that really caught my eye and reemphasized my belief that this often underutilized cold-hardy winter annual needs more promotion.  These cool season annuals have come a long way from their native southern Mediterranean origins.  Cold-tolerant and best grown in our area in fall and winter, this colorful flower does well as a bedding plant, in planters or a cut flower subject.  Available in many heights and colors, snapdragons love our winter weather.

Although garden centers and nurseries presently have a large supply of snapdragons ready-to-plant in your garden, they can be started from seed or even by cuttings.  Snapdragons do best in slightly acid soil in a full sun site.  Amending the soil with organic matter will help keep the soil moist, but well-drained, as preferred by these plants.  Water frequently until the plants are established and then as needed.  Set individual plants about fourteen inches apart and place them in the soil at the same depth they were in the pot as stem rots can develop if planted too deeply.  Pinching of young plants will force branching and subsequently more flowers.  Tall types of snapdragons may need to be staked to help support the blooms.  As a bonus, once the old flower heads fade, cut them back so that only six nodes (a point where a leave attaches) remain and your snapdragons will experience a second bloom.  Fertilize at this point to support this second blooming period. 

Snapdragons can be divided up into tall types which grow to about two to three feet tall, intermediate sizes from one to two feet tall, bedding types that fit into the six to fifteen inch range and rock garden varieties that grow only about six inches tall.   The tall types include cultivars such as 'Rocket', 'Burpee's Topper', 'Spring Giant', 'Bright Butterflies', and 'Panorama'.  These snapdragons not only look good in the garden, but also make great cut flowers in bouquets.  For intermediate snapdragons, you might find 'Liberty', 'Monarch', 'Pixie', 'White Wonder', 'Black Prince' and 'Vanity Fair'.   You may also be able find some of the popular dwarf cultivars such as 'Tahiti', 'Tom Thumb', 'Floral Carpet', 'Magic Carpet', 'Little Gem' and a bi-colored variety called 'Peaches and Cream'.  As a general rule-of-thumb, snapdragons with dark colored flowers have dark green or reddish stems and those with white or pale flowers have pale green stems. 

Snapdragons do fine by themselves, but also make great companions for plants such as pansies.  Add some of these colorful and winter-hardy flowers in your landscape beds today!  For more information on all types of annual 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. (2014) Antirrhinum majus Snapdragon.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Antirrhinum majus 'Tahiti', Tahiti Snapdragon.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Antirrhinum majus 'Liberty', Liberty Snapdragon.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2004) Antirrhinum majus .  Floridata.com

Klingaman, G. (2004) Plant of the Week: Snapdragon.  The University of Arkansas.

Winter, N. (2002) Southern Gardening - Snapdragons Make Ideal Fall Plantings.  Mississippi State University. 

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The well-dressed pittosporum

While many landscape plants have one or more common names that people recognize, the pittosporum is most often called just “pittosporum”.    Many other names such as the Japanese mockorange, Japanese pittosporum, and tobira have been used, but I don’t think that I would respond if I heard one of these aliases.  The pittosporum is a hardy plant with several forms that make it a great landscape feature with a few fragrant flowers thrown in for good measure .

While I have seen the pittosporum kept as a houseplant inside up north, they make truly great landscape subjects in our area.  This evergreen can be grown as a shrub or even a small tree up to fifteen feet tall with some training.  The leaves, arranged in a whorl, are oblong in shape and up to five inches long.  The edges of the leaves curl downward and inward adding to the attractive nature of the green foliage.  Most of the pittosporum in local landscapes are the popular variegated types with glossy, creamy white and grey-green leaves. Young specimens will produce  rapid growth and then slow as they reach the ten-foot tall range.  Although easily maintained to the size you want with selective pruning, some cultivars are normally dwarf by nature.  ‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ for instance grows to only about two feet in height .  This variety makes a great mounding specimen suitable for low-maintenance landscaping. 

The pittosporum is highly salt tolerant and is an ideal plant for coastal planting.  Once established, this woody ornamental is also highly drought tolerant.  However, the pittosporum does not tolerate wet soil and poor drainage.  Too much water will initiate root rots, so be careful about site selection.  For best results, plant in a part shade to sun location with spacing from thirty-six to sixty inches between plants. 

An added feature of the pittosporum is the spring flowers.  While the white to creamy yellow flowers are sometimes less noticeable on variegated types, they are very apparent on the all-green pittosporum.  In addition to the showy nature, these flowers are highly fragrant reminding you of orange blossoms – thus the name Japanese mockorange. 

Besides specimens trained as a small tree, pittosporum are often used as hedge material, for mass planting and even in large containers or planters.  Pittosporum is clearly a great woody ornamental plant that will make a nice addition to your Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant palette!  For information on all types of shrubs 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. ( 2014) Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’ Variegated Pittosporum. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Christman, S. (2004) Pittosporum tobira. Floridaata.com, Tallahassee, FL.

Lawns can get stressed

Is your lawn looking a little tired and stressed?  Are you, pests and the  environment not playing nice with your turf?  One of the factors that can get turf down is stress.  Just like us, stress can weaken their nature and result in poor quality growth.  Lawns get stressed, you can help!

First, if you are at pre-planting stage, or could go back in time, select a turf that best fits the site conditions in your yard. For instance,  Bahia grass does not like growing in highly alkaline soil and will tend to yellow a bit during the summer often requiring supplemental iron applications.  A soil test would help you get a better idea of the what the soil conditions are before you install a lawn.

Many grasses don’t do well in heavy shade.    Some turf, such as the St. Augustine dwarf cultivars, ‘Delmar’, ‘Seville’ and ‘Captiva’, can tolerate shade better than other selections.   Reduced irrigation and fertilization will help turf in shade better tolerate low light conditions.   Too much shade can cause thin, unattractive turf to the point where perhaps some alternative groundcover might be preferable.  Heavy shade may even require the use of just mulch.

Both St. Augustine and Bahia grass do not tolerate traffic well.  Constant walking over the turf, driving or parking on it is stressful to these grasses resulting in thin or declining lawns.

Proper fertilization will keep lawns healthy and vigorous.  Nutrients such as nitrogen are necessary for good growth, but too much can force excess growth to the detriment of the lawn as it may exhaust energy reserves.  Excess nitrogen may even enhance and trigger conditions in which insect and disease pests take advantage of succulent tender tissue.  A less dense turf is an invitation to weed invasion as well.  Potassium is another required nutrient in turf fertilizer formulas.   Potassium is a nutrient that actually helps turf tolerate stress – cold, drought, etc. 

One big stress-maker for turf is improper mowing height.  Scalping turf at two inches or less when it should be cut at three and one-half to four inches hurts grass by reducing its ability to make and store food.  Scalping can actually trigger opportunistic turf disease infections.  Mowing at the proper height is so important – higher mowing heights also produce deeper roots and better drought tolerance.  A sharp mower blade also makes a good clean cut – no more shattered and ripped grass blades.

Proper watering is another variable that supports a healthy, stress-free lawn.  As a general rule-of-thumb, (if needed) apply one-half inch to three-quarters of an inch of water per irrigation.  This amount of water gets down to the roots, but not beyond.  Always check your local watering restrictions for how many times a week this is allowed.  Lawns will actually show visible signs that they need water.  Grass blades will fold in half when water is needed.  Grass blades will also take on a blue-green appearance.  When you walk across a lawn needing irrigation your foot prints will remain and not spring back to normal. 

So are you or other factors disrespecting your turf?  Give it a break and treat it right with proper mowing, fertilization, irrigation and other cultural actions!  For more information on all types of turf questions, 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:

Trenholm, L. E. Environmental Stresses and Your Florida Lawn (2016) The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Trenholm,  L. E., Unruh, J. B. & Cisar,  J. L. (2015)  Bahiagrass for Florida Lawns.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

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

Trenholm,  L. E., (2014) Homeowner Best Management Practices for the Home Lawn. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Tart, but beautiful - the calamondin

The first citrus I ever tried to grow as a child was a calamondin brought back from Florida by my grandparents.  I thought that it was a miniature orange and was thrilled when it produced even a couple of fruit indoors in Rhode Island.  Since then, I have expanded my citrus knowledge, but still like the little charmer also known as the calamondin orange, Chinese orange, Panama orange,  golden lime or the  scarlet lime. Both edible and ornamental,  the calamondin is hardy, well-adapted to both the landscape and container culture, has wonderful fragrant white flowers in season and produces truly abundant fruit.  To see a calamondin in full fruit or flower (or even both at the same time) is a treat that reemphasizes the value of such a tree in your yard.

As far as I understand, the calamondin is a hybrid resulting from a cross of a mandarin and a kumquat.  Originating in China, and later traveling to Indonesia and the Philippines,  the calamondin was brought to Florida in 1899 and has since become very popular as a bushy, dense evergreen ornamental.  One of the hardiness citrus trees, calamondin can tolerate temperatures down to twenty degrees F.  Growing about a foot a year to no more than twenty feet tall, this small-fruited citrus can begin to produce fruit in as early as two years.

The fruit, which  is small, bright orange in color, and one and one-half inches in diameter, can take almost a year to fully ripen.  The peel of the fruit can actually taste sweet and is edible.  The pulp is very acid and the flavor reminds me of a mix of tangerine and lime – just very,  very tart!  This tartness makes calamondin fruit work well as a lime substitute for making refreshing beverages, pies, cakes, marmalades, preserves and sauces.  Some people may even use the cut fruits to liven-up iced tea or seafood.  Harvest fruit as it is just beginning to show some color as overripe fruit is soft and less flavorful.  Clip the fruit off the tree with scissors as otherwise the thin peel will rip at the stem end and the fruit will not keep as well. 

Grow your calamondin in a full sun location with good drainage.  Calamondin trees grow very upright and are almost naturally columnar in shape.  They will flower and fruit year round with a spring flush producing an abundance of fruit.  The white flowers are intensely fragrant and will permeate your yard with that classic citrus blossom scent. 

In addition to the normal green-leaved variety, there is a variegated form which adds another attractive dimension to this classic plant.  For more information on this and other citrus, 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:

King, M. & Oswald, M. J. Florida Food Fare – Calamondin.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Sarasota County.

McEachern, G. R. (2004) Calamondin – The Most Versatile Citrus.  Texas A&M University.

Christman, S. (2006) Citrofortunella microcarpa.  Floridata: Tallahassee, FL. 

Morton, J. (1987) Calamondin. P. 176-178. Fruits of warm climates. Miami, FL. via Purdue University.