Q/A column – for release September 2, 2009

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent 

Finding plants, seeding lawns and screening the Yard:

 How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

Bash the Peppers; Plant the Fire   

Hello:  I am interested in removing some invasive Brazilian peppers and replace them with the native Florida Fire bush.  I am having trouble sourcing them and I was wondering if you can point me to a local dealer.  Thanks in advance, Tony.

Since you live south of here, you will find many different nurseries that ought to have the Florida native Firebush in its inventory.  Our local residents can consult our Okeechobee Green Pages to find local nurseries and garden centers: http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/Okeechobee.Markets.htm

Here are a few other ways to track down plants: I receive monthly WHOLESALE nursery lists that give quantities and wholesale prices of available plants. Local nurseries often use these guides in setting their prices and finding hard-to-find plants.  You can stop by our office to see the latest issue of PlantFinder and the Plant List.

Another source for the retail customer is to consult the Association of Florida Native Nurseries.  If you go to the AFNN website - http://www.afnn.org/find-plants - chose the “RETAIL source” option, then look for “Firebush.”  (There are currently two native plant nurseries in Lake Worth that carry this plant.)  For a wider source of nurseries, try going to an Internet search engine and look for the plant by its botanical name, Hamelia patens.

This is an excellent time to “Bash those Peppers”, as they will be blooming in the next few months.  The flowers are now starting to produce their annual crop of small red berries, and around Christmastime the new peppers will pop up all over our area.  Removing the tree now reduces the number of seedlings that could show up in future years.  In case you would like some additional information on how to remove Brazilian Peppertrees, please request the UF bulletin on this subject:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AA219

 

Seeding our Lot.

Our church recently renovated the grounds with a new parking lot and softball field.  We added some fill dirt and had it smoothed out. Would a mixture of ryegrass and fescue be good choice for greening up our lawn? ~ Bill

 Ryegrass is a cool season grass that will not survive here year-round; it can be used in the wintertime for greening up a dormant lawn.  Fescue is a great grass for the north, but will NOT work in our Florida Yards.  Bahiagrass seed would be the least expensive way to get the parking lot going.  Choose the Argentine variety of Bahiagrass. 

For the ball field, you told me you wanted bermudagrass for the infield.  Common bermudagrass seed is what you can easily find locally, and choose hulled seed so it will start to grow more quickly.  (Improved varieties of bermudagrass come only as sod, which will be more expensive.)  Also look for “scarified” Bahiagrass seed and hulled bermudagrass, which will get growing more quickly

 At this time of year you can get both of these grasses started, but don’t wait too long, as your success with these warm season perennial turfgrass will be less when the weather cools down. You will need 7-10 pounds of Bahiagrass seed and 2-4 pounds of bermudagrass seed for every 1000 square feet of lawn area.   Be sure that the soil pH is not too high (alkaline), and keep the soil irrigated but not soaked if rain is not available.  Since you have added some good rich topsoil, it will not be necessary to add fertilizer until the grass is up and growing.  For lots more tips, stop by our office for a copy of our bulletin, Establishing your Florida Lawn. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH013 .  

 

A yard without a view.

 Can you identify this plant? I’ve seen it at a neighbor’s house and want to plant them along a chain link fence in my back yard.  I’d also like to find a local source so that I can plant a screen along my property line. ~Teresa

 

The plant you showed us is called “Yew Podocarpus”.  It works well in our area as long as the soil does not stay wet for too long.  Once established, podocarpus can be kept sheared as a formal hedge, but it also can be left along to grow into an evergreen tree that can reach 30 foot heights.

 There are several different species of Podocarpus found in the nursery, so be sure to ask for Podocarpus falcatus, a.k.a. Yew Podocarpus.  Other forms are more tree-like or have larger coarse foliage that will not look good if sheared.  Podocarpus also has separate male and female plants.  The female plant will produce a berry (part of which is edible), but in some Florida Yards, the fruit may create a seasonal mess. So, chose plants that are grown from male cuttings, which is normally what the nursery grower offers.

Podocarpus will be available form our local nurseries and garden centers.  Check the Okeechobee Green Pages (above) for the names and contact information, and support our local Green Industry. Contact our office if you want fact sheets on this landscape plant.

 

Send us your favorite garden question by fax (863-763-5901), email ( okeenews@newszap.com) or just drop it off at the Okeechobee News office at (107 SW 17th St. suite D, Okeechobee, FL 34974).  The questions for today are REAL questions that have been asked in the past few days.  To continue the column, we need YOUR real questions. Be sure to include your name and phone or email address in case we need more information

More information is available on the Okeechobee Extension web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on velvet ants, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local 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! 

-30-

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. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.

 References