Dickerson Landscape News
October 2010 |
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Do or Die
WARNING: Sod webworms (aka lawn moths) are rampant in our area right now and will continue to haunt us until first frost. What we have now are the adults, hovering just over your grass, dropping their eggs by the plenty! After 6 to 10 days, the eggs develop into very hungry caterpillars. Active only at night, they immediately begin feeding on grass blades. As they feed, they build silk-lined tunnels in the thatch near the soil surface. During the 35 days or so that the webworm lives as a caterpillar, it can eat about 4 square feet of grass. The damage caused by sod webworms may first appear in early spring. The damage shows up as small dead patches of grass among the normally growing grass. The summer generation may cause general turf thinning or even irregular dead patches in late June into early August. Heavily shaded turf is seldom attacked by the larvae. Take control now or lose it later. Control should only be directed towards the feeding larvae, not the flying adults. Your main weapons of defense... water and fertilizer. Damage can often be outgrown if water is continually available. Considerable damage may occur if irrigation is not possible during periods of drought or close mowing is used.
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Feast or Famine
Florida is blessed with temperate autumns and winters, which make fall an ideal time to plant cool-season vegetables. Start preparing your garden today and you'll be feasting on fresh vegetables in no time. Here are a few of our favorite fall selections:
Lettuce is a hardy cool-season crop that grows well during cool weather. Several varieties of it are grown in practically every garden. Lettuce does best on a fertile soil, well supplied with fertilizer and moisture. The four principle types of lettuce are crisphead, butterhead, leaf, and romaine. While all four types do best in the cooler months, to produce firm heads, crisphead varieties should be tried only during the coolest season. The leaf varieties grow exceptionally well here in Florida. They are colorful and decorative both in the garden and in salads. Sow seeds very shallow as they need light for germination. Intercrop lettuce with long-season vegetables. Mustard is one of the best cooking greens for fall through spring production. 'Florida Broadleaf' is a favorite variety due to its extraordinary large leaves that may span 24 inches in width. 'Curled Leaf' produces smaller, deeply notched, light green leaves. Unlike turnips, mustard does not produce edible roots. Consider planting in a wide-row system. Broadleaf types require more space. Cook as "greens." Mizuna is a Japanese green used in salads. It's damaged by freezing temperatures. Recommended varieties include: Southern Giant Curled, Florida Broad Leaf, Tendergreen, Giant Red, Green Wave, and Mizuna. Onions may be grown from seeds, sets, or plants. Time of planting is important for bulb formation. Bulbing varieties that grow best in Florida are the short-day varieties. Therefore, they must be started in the fall (August to November) so that bulbing is induced by the short days of winter. Subsequent harvest of bulbs follows in the spring or early summer. For extra-large onion bulbs, try moving the soil away from the bulb as it grows. Spring onions, or green onions, may be started in fall, winter, and spring. Plant them close, and thin as needed. For straight plants, place the sets upright in the planting furrow. Multiplier onions are hardy perennial bunching onions which do not form enlarged bulbs. The shallot is a special form of this type. Multipliers need to be divided and reset every year. Turnips are a quick-growing, cool weather crop grown both for the tops and for the roots. Space plants 4-6 inches apart for good bulb production. Thinned plants can be eaten as greens. Roots should not be allowed to become over mature, as they become hot, pithy, and stringy. Some varieties such as 'Shogoin' don't form tuberous roots. For both roots and tops, 'Purple Top White Globe' is the leading variety. A "Swede turnip" is more commonly known as a rutabaga. Broadcast seed in wide-row system or single file. |
Keep ghoulish creatures out of your water feature by calling Dickerson Landscaping today and we'll give you 10% off your next pond cleaning.
Happy All Hallows Eve Tallahassee!
Sincerely,
Karen Miller
Dickerson Landscape |
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