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TRANSCRIPT
With the possibility for issues related
to hurricane Dorian impacts loom-
ing, we really want to make sure
everyone in the county is prepared.
It’s still a possibility we will get
significant impacts, particularly from
storm-surge and flooding. Be safe,
pickup any loose debris before they
become projectiles and make sure
you have enough food, water and
fuel in case roads are temporarily
impassible or power outages occur.
Please stay informed and follow any
evacuation orders.
Heavy rains and saturated soils can
cause us a number of problems in the
lawn and garden as well so keep an
eye out for issues. Injury from water-
logged soils usually appears very
similar to drought-stress, except
watering cannot correct the issue and
fungal rots can persist. Most of our
landscape plants can rebound from
short periods of water-logging but a
few are particularly sensitive. Give
them time to recuperate and feel free
to reach out to the Master Gardener
volunteers if you have any concerns.
Well, the votes are in and it appears
the majority of our Duval County
Master Gardener volunteers were not
fond enough of any of the new
newsletter names proposed, and
“A New Leaf” prevailed, but “Yard
& Garden” came in a close second so
we agreed to compromise and use
them both! Mr. Green suggested the
name and won the prize, a free copy
of “Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses”.
Find the full results on page 5.
In this Issue
Title Page
Fall Lawn Preparation ... 2
Out on a Limb ................ 3
Leafy Greens ................. 4
Chocolate Strawberries.. 5
Name that Newsletter .... 5
What to Plant ................. 6
Upcoming Classes ......... 6
“What’s That” Answer ... 6
For more information contact: UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
Chris Kerr - [email protected] - (904) 255-7450
Extension Update by Chris Kerr Volume 1, Issue 1 Sept-Oct 2019
LARVAE
What’s That?
Larvae Adult Damage
2
Fall Lawn Preparations
Fall officially begins this month on September 23rd.
Our lawn’s growth will start to slow down but that
doesn’t mean it’s a time to neglect. In fact, this is one
of those critical times where we either put in a little
work now, or get ready for a lot of work later. Dur-
ing this fall transition, our lawns are
preparing themselves for the winter
dormant season, storing up energy
reserves as their color fades out for the
year. It’s a stressful time for the lawn
and it’s important that we continue
appropriate cultural practices during
this transition. Improper irrigation,
fertilization and mowing can put the
lawn at risk for a variety of pests and
diseases that, if allowed to proceed,
will impact next spring’s green-up.
What exactly should you be looking
out for? In terms of pests, watch out
for sod webworms and
fall armyworms when populations generally start to
peak during September/October. The lawn just won’t
have much time to recuperate from the pests damage
if it happens during the fall. In terms of diseases, be
on the look out for large-patch as it rears its head one
last time for the year; and as always...so long as it
remains warm, take-all root rot will
keep the pressure on. Remember,
cultural controls are key to 90% of
the lawn problems encountered and a
healthy lawn can grow past these
issues. See our key thoughts for these
months below and be careful not to
over fertilize now, knowing a green
lawn going into a frost is not a good
thing. Do you have a lawn issue you
need help with? Bring in a sample or
reach out to the Extension office and
we will be happy to perform identifi-
cations and offer additional manage-
ment guidance.
Proper Lawn Management is the Key!
Maintaining the lawn correctly and taking a few simple preparations now will help to avoid getting stuck
with a horticultural dilemma next spring! Here are a few things you can do to prepare your lawn for 2020:
Fertilization
If you have been fertilizing well throughout the season, you probably don’t need to fertilize more. Remem-
ber no more than 2-4lbs of N for the year! If it has been a while, now is the time to give that final applica-
tion before winter. In north Florida, don’t fertilize past mid-September and remember “N-P-K”. Make sure
you are applying a fertilizer with no phosphorus (P), and the same or higher Potassium (K) than Nitrogen
(N). There are “Winterizer” fertilizers out there that have a lot more nitrogen than should be applied so
don’t be fooled by their labels. Remember to dial the spreader down; if you go with a 15-0-15, 3lbs per
1000 sq. ft. should be more than enough.
Irrigation
Irrigation needs for the lawn are always changing, as temperatures start to cool off in late September. There-
fore, irrigation needs drop as well. Adjust your irrigation events based on need, as long as you don’t see
symptoms of drought stress. If so, start reducing irrigation to just once a week.
Preemergence Herbicide
Applying a preemergence is a great way to reduce weed pressure, but timing is critical! To control winter
annual weeds, it should be applied when temperatures at night are 55-60°F for several consecutive days.
This usually occurs in early to mid-October in north Florida. The choice of compound is based on the lawn
species and the target weeds, so you’ve got to know your lawn! For more information check out the UF/
IFAS Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep141.
Around the Yard by Chris Kerr
A calibrated fertilizer spreader
helps to ensure proper
application rates.
3
BEWARE of the Chinese Tallow
Not all trees that produce fall color are good. One in particular is the Chinese
Tallow Triadica sebifera . In China, Chinese tallow is cultivated for seed oil. During
the 1700’s, Chinese tallow was introduced to the United States primarily for use as
an ornamental tree. It was also introduced for making soap from the seed oil. Not
only has Chinese tallow become naturalized in the southern coastal plain from South
Carolina south to Texas, it has become naturalized in over half of the counties in
Florida. Even though it has beautiful fall coloration, the displacement of native
species through vigorous growth and spread are characteristics that helped place
Chinese tallow on FLEPPC’s List of Invasive Species and the State of Florida
Noxious Weed List.
FALL COLOR in Florida:
There are three primary factors that influence
fall leaf color in plants. They are leaf pigments,
weather and the length of the night. While most of us
think it is the cooler weather that stimulates fall
coloration, the most important factor is the lengthen-
ing of the night. While length of night stimulates the
fall color, the weather does play a part in the amount
of color that is shown. Cool crisp nights followed by
sunny warm days produce the most brilliant fall
color. Unfortunately fall color in Florida is not
predictable. Our fall weather can be sunny and warm
or cool and rainy. If you want to view fall color
throughout the country, the US Forest Service has a
Fall Color Hotline at: 1-800-354-4595, and a website
at: https://www.fs.fed.us/fallcolors that provides
timely information. If you want to plant trees that
may give you a bit of fall color in your landscape,
here are a few to try:
Red Maple: This is a large native tree. Its leaves
turn yellow, red, orange or purple. It provides lasting
color in winter with red
flowers, then seeds. The
‘Florida Flame’ variety is
supposed to have some
consistent fall color.
Sugarberry: This large
tree is a relative of the
elm, and is native to Flori-
da. Its leaves turn a pale
yellow.
Hickory: The hickory is a
large tree that has yellow
fall foliage.
Carolina Silverbell: This
is a small understory
tree that is native to the
SE. It provides early
yellow fall color.
Persimmon: Both the
native and oriental va-
rieties turn color. The
native may reach 50 ft.
in height. The fall col-
ors are yellow/green to
reddish/purple.
Sweetgum: This prov-
en native is a large tree
with star-shaped
leaves. The leaves can turn red, yellow, or purple.
Wild Cherry: This is a large native tree that may
have yellow and red foliage. Its messy fruit may be a
problem for some.
Florida Maple: This tree is somewhat smaller than
the Red Maple. It is a Florida version of the Sugar
Maple. Its leaves turn yellow.
Dogwood: This tree is better known for its flowers in
the Spring, but both the fruit, and the leaves turn
purplish-red in the fall.
Sassafras: This small tree forms clumps of yellow,
red, orange and purple foliage.
Sweetshrub: This north Florida native is a shrub up
to 8 feet tall. Its leaves turn yellow.
Oakleaf Hydrangea: This multi-stemmed native
shrub has orange to purple foliage in the fall.
Shumard Oak: This large native tree has red fall
color.
Crape Myrtle: This non-native tree is not only a
summer flowering tree, but has red, orange, or yel-
low foliage in the fall.
Blackgum: This slow-growing large tree produces
red fall color early in the season.
Out on a Limb by Larry Figart
Florida Maple
Chinese Tallow Fall Color
Crape Myrtle Fall Color
4
Leafy Greens by Beth Marlowe
Further Reading
An overview of leafy greens with specific guidance on collards, mustards, kale, vegetable bolting concerns
and more can be found at http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/greens.html
Need more? Read up on Swiss Chard (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv143), Arugula (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
mv010), Orach (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv103) and Sorrell (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv136)
Leafy greens will also be featured in our exhibit this year at the Jacksonville Agricultural Fair, which will be
held from Nov. 7-17. We will have a wide variety of familiar and lesser known greens on display, so if you
would like to see it before you try it, come visit us in the Florida Crops Expo.
Any list of the healthiest foods includes ‘leafy greens.’ If you are
looking for ways to incorporate more of these nutritious foods in
your daily diet, fall is the perfect time to do it because many of them
are easy to grow in Florida this time of year. Many are also beautiful
foliage plants, so they can be used as fillers in the fall and winter
landscape bed. Because they are grown for their leaves rather than a
fruit, they can usually handle partial shade, especially during the
warmer parts of fall and spring.
You may already be familiar with
the Southern trifecta of collards,
mustard and turnip greens. All
are in the cabbage family
(Brassicaceae). They are easy to
start from seed, though turnips are
best started where they will grow.
Begin harvesting lower, outer
leaves in 6-8 weeks and continue
throughout the winter and spring.
Kale is another member of this
same family, and it is grown and
harvested similarly. If you are
ready for something new, try
Swiss chard. Although its large
leaves may remind you of collards,
the plant is a member of the spinach family (Amaranthaceae) and is
the same species as beets. Swiss chard’s colorful stems and veins
are especially pretty, and the leaves can be eaten fresh in salads or
cooked as you would spinach. It continues to grow well into the
warmer weather of May, but it’s susceptible to root-knot nematodes.
Fall is also the time to grow salad greens of all sorts. From arugula
to lettuce, from orach to sorrel—you are certain to find at least a
few that grow well in your garden and that taste great. Another
advantage of these salad greens is that they can be grown hydropon-
ically. A simple floating system in a five-gallon bucket can provide
enough greens for 1-2 people.
New State Law on
Vegetable Gardening in
Home Landscapes
A new law was passed by the
Florida Legislature and signed by
Governor DeSantis earlier this year
that may affect placement of
vegetable gardens in your yard.
Effective July 1, 2019, this law
prohibits city and county govern-
ments from restricting where you
may place a vegetable garden. If
your backyard is too shady, but
your front yard is sunny, you may
now be able to put vegetables in
your front yard. There are, how-
ever, limitations. This new law
does not apply to homeowner
associations (HOAs) or community
development districts (CDD)
requirements. It also only applies
to city and county laws expressly
aimed at vegetable gardens. It does
not apply to local laws that are
more general in nature and that are
not explicitly about vegetable
gardens. Click here to read the full
statute (Section 604.71).
Bottom line: as we all—citizens,
municipalities and counties—work
to understand the specifics of the
new law, be sure to follow all your
HOA, CDD or deed restriction
requirements when considering or
planning a new vegetable garden.
Swiss chard ready for harvest
5
Did you know that Florida is the winter strawberry capital of the world? Mid-September to mid-October is
the perfect time to plant bare-root strawberries in north Florida. The strawberry, a member of the rose family,
needs our cooler, shorter days to produce flowers and fruit. You can grow strawberries in the ground, in
raised beds, in containers, hanging baskets, or even in hydroponic systems. Whatever growing medium you
choose, strawberries need 8 hours of sun, consistent water and regular fertilizer. Although strawberry plants
are hardy here, cover them with a sheet or blanket anchored to the ground if a frost or freeze is predicted.
This will help protect the more fragile flowers and fruit. The first fruits should ripen 90-110 days after plant-
ing. Harvest when berries are at least three-fourths red. Unlike some other fruits they don’t continue to ripen
after they are picked. Dip them in that chocolate or put them in a pie within a few days because they don’t
last long.
Strawberries can be successfully grown in the home garden, but
they can suffer from a wide variety of fungal, disease and insect
pests. Keys to avoiding problems are: planting in soil that has
been solarized; rotating strawberry crops from year to year, not
planting where tomatoes, eggplants or potatoes have just been
grown, starting with healthy transplants, scouting frequently to
stay on top of insect pests, keeping the fruits off the ground,
and using netting to deter birds. Just think how proud your
Valentine will be to learn that you grew those luscious
strawberries yourself!
Chocolate Strawberries by Beth Marlowe
The Urban Gardening Program will be offering a hands-on Grow your Own Strawberries workshop on
Thursday, October 24 from 10:00 -11:30 am at the Duval County Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave.
Cost of the workshop is $15 and includes 10 plants per registrant. Space is limited. Register at:
www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-your-own-strawberries-tickets-70140119987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch or call
Sarah at 904-255-7450.
For more information about growing strawberries in Florida see Growing Strawberries in the Florida Home
Garden. There are as many recipes for making chocolate covered strawberries online as there are cooks, so
check out several. Click here for a recipe I have used myself. Enjoy!
Diggin it N Duval15%
Yard & Garden
19%
The Vine8%
This Old Yard2%
The Garden Master
15%
Solutions4%
Outdoor & Indoor
2%
The Pollinator
0%
A New Leaf23%
Bee Mindful
Month to
Month2%
Garden Wisdom
10%
Name That Newsletter Results
Well, it was a tight race for several really good
names, but in the end the votes were tallied and “A
New Leaf” remained the majority preference. You
can see the results in the pie chart to the right. I felt
that in the spirit of turning a new leaf we still had to
change, even if ever so slightly. The second place
contender really fit with our newsletter focus and
with the current name. This allows both the under-
standing of continuity and our continuous growth.
Thank you to everyone who participated and
suggested a name, and to our MG volunteers who
helped guide the selection.
6
Upcoming September/October Classes
For all classes call 255-7450 to register and pre-pay
Canning Classes: $20 per person, pre-payment & pre-registration required.
Saturday, September 14, 9:00 am - 12 pm - Pear Marmalade
Monday, September 16, 9:00 am - 1 pm - Beautyberry Jelly
Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Garden Mistakes Others Make…
Not You! Regency Square Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd. Free program but
pre-registration is requested.
Tuesday, September 24, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Do you know 19 ways to Compost?
West Branch Library, 1425 Chaffee Rd. Learn about vermicomposting and the
benefits to improving your soil. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.
Tuesday, October 1, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Weed ID and Management. Garden
Club of Jacksonville, 1005 Riverside Ave. Learn about the identification of
commonly encountered weeds and an integrated pest management approach to
long-term control. Free program but pre-registration is required.
Thursday, October 10, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Who Are the Busy Pollinators &
Their Plants? Pablo Creek Library, 13295 Beach Blvd. Free program but pre-
registration is requested.
Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Florida Container Gardening. West
Branch Library, 1425 Chaffee Rd. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.
Thursday, October 24, 10:00 am - 11:30 am. Grow Your Own Strawberries.
Learn everything you need to know to grow your own strawberries and get 10 bare-
root strawberry plants. Cost is $15. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
grow-your-own-strawberries-tickets-70140119987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Monday, October 28, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, All About Wildlife...Encourage the
Desirable, Discourage the Undesirable. University Park Library, 3435 University
Blvd. N. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.
It’s the melonworm! This pest commonly causes a type of damage called “skeletonizing” on cucurbits, such as
squash and pumpkin, which results from the feeding of all leaf tissue until only the leaf veins remain. Due to its
foliar feeding it can actually be managed fairly easily with pesticides, but in home gardens and organic opera-
tions they can be a serious pest for fall cucurbits. They rarely cause an issue in the spring, so one tactic is to
simply grow squashes early. Monitoring is key; look for their damage and take action quickly. If you don’t want
to use chemicals, manually squishing the larvae works for small plantings. They are often found inside the flow-
ers or in webbing on the underside of leaves.
Further Reading:
Melonworm, Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in320 )
What to Plant in
September & October
Annuals - Ageratum, celo-
sia, zinnia and wax begonia
(Remove spent blooms be-
fore they seed to reduce
volunteer plants)
Bulbs - Elephant ear, calla,
narcissus, zephyr lily, daf-
fodils
Vegetables - Broccoli, car-
rot, cabbage, collards, on-
ions, arugula, lettuce, and
spinach.
Herbs—Dill, fennel, orega-
no and sage.
Now is the time to get
strawberries in the ground!
What’s That?