Feature Article - for release the week of  September 14, 2008

Angela Sachson & Dan Culbert – Florida Yards & Neighborhoods

 

Help, my drought-tolerant plants are very wet!

 

It has been awhile since our last true Florida rainy season.  We are accustomed to saving water and watering sparingly.  Now we may need to divert water away from some plants!  And some plants may need to be moved, fertilized or sprayed with fungicide...  Here are some concerns and here are some recommendations:

• My plants are turning yellow from too much water.  If this is a small plant you can dig it up and plant it in another part of the yard.  Larger plants are not so easy.  Do not assume that your plants are dying.  Most will come back when the soil dries a little. When we do have a dry spell start thinking about constructing a rain garden or swale to give rainwater a place to sit away from your plant beds.

• How did all these weeds get here?   Weed seeds sit for months, sometimes years, waiting for rain so they can sprout.  After a couple of years of drought they have proliferated.  Use a hoe and get them while they are tiny.

• Where is my mulch?  Was it carried away by the mosquitoes?  Mulch floats—it is probably piled up in a corner waiting for you to redistribute it.  The mosquitoes are awful.  Make sure you have no standing water—empty flowerpots, tires. 

• Are the mosquitos still forcing you to retreat indoors?  Be sure to use an insect repellant, dress in light colored clothes and were long plants , shirt and a hat.  If standing water is unavoidable, purchase some Bt pellets.  Bt (or Bacillus thuringiensis) in pellet form prevents mosquito eggs from hatching.

• Do I need to fertilize now?  Yes, chances are the fertilizer in your soil has washed away.  So feed your plants and turf again now.  Especially nitrogen, which is notoriously fast moving.

• What else might the heavy rain bring?  Look out for plant diseases.  Even in relatively dry times in Florida our humidity invites bacteria and fungi to settle here.  Be on the lookout for signs of these pathogens.  If you “spot” something, it may be a good idea to treat surrounding plants with an appropriate fungicide available where you buy plants.  The fungal diseases can usually not be treated—only prevented. Contact us for suggestions.

• Can I eat the nice big mushrooms in my yard?  No.  Some are poisonous and most of us cannot tell which are or are not.

Enjoy the lush growth brought by this rainy season and also remember that it will end. We have some upcoming Workshops that gardeners may want to attend. 

If you need additional information on the “fungus amungus”, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. In Highlands County call 863-402-6540 and in Glades County call 863-946-0244.  Okeechobee residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons. Go Gators!

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Trade  names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 09/18/2008.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert