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...for discerning weeders

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The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....An equal opportunity institution.

SPRING IS ALMOST HERE! Spring is on its way! Honest! While the recent cold weather has produced its share of challenges, we here on the Emerald Coast know that it won’t last forever. The up-side is that we don’t have to shovel sunshine! That being said, it’s important to remember that we have quite a few folks who have moved here from the balmy northern climes. As with most things, we would all like to grow our favorite plants that we are used to. Remember that is not possible with some things (like most apples) BUT we can always recommend something else that will perform well in our climate and perhaps become a new favorite for the gardener!

Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 8th! Enjoy the snooze time while you can...Spring Ahead!

It’s also a good time to change those batteries in smoke detectors and other items that we tend to forget about until we need them. While you’re changing the clocks in your home don’t forget those in your vehicles and the ones you wear on your wrist!

We are entering into the busy time of the year. Don’t forget the advanced diagnostic training that will be this month as well as a lot of other activities that we, as Master Gardeners, will be involved in!

A reminder! If you have ideas for field trips send them to S. Taylor, D. Gordon, and/or Dick H.! We’ve had so many great trips...let’s keep that going!

This month’s edition of The Compost Pile has a plethora of information for you to enjoy and hopefully learn something new. A reminder that articles and pictures are due by the 24th of each month.

Summer’s heat will be here before we know it so enjoy the Spring weather and increased sunshine time!

S. Berry M. Evors L. Kulaw E. Smith L. Vanderpool

Plentiful Plantings Your Editor

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Events Calendar

2

That’s Corny!

Wildlife Happenings

5

Kyllinga

5

Chickweed

5

Fragrant and Feisty

6

Advice

6

All-Abuzz

Spring into action!

Sign in to VMS and log in your hours!

You may access the VMS site by clicking on the link below:

3-4

7-8

Book Review

8

Updates and Info

9

The Big Reveal

10

The Last Word

11

https://florida.volunteersystem.org/ UniversalLogin.cfm An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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March, 2015

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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March, 2015

You may access our interactive Events calendar by visiting http://www.ocmgamembers.org/Calendar.html

THAT’S CORNY! Growing up in Missouri with family roots in Iowa, we grew corn! We had a couple of acres devoted to our vegetable garden and orchard and we grew spectacular sweet corn as well as some very beautiful and decorative Indian corn. Back then you had a pot of water boiling in the kitchen before you ever went out to the garden to pick the corn. Then you husked it quickly, brought it into the kitchen and dropped it into the boiling water for a few minutes. Drain it and apply some butter and salt and pepper and you were in sweet corn heaven. But I digress… If you have the room now to grow corn, I am very envious! I don’t have the space available in my Florida garden unless I were to devote my entire summer growing season to corn. And then what about tomatoes and peppers and eggplants and cucumbers and blackberries? Sigh.

Sidebar to the space-challenged: There is a very cute dwarf sweet corn for container growing that hit the seed market a few years ago. Of course I had to try it. The plants grew well in containers but were very susceptible to blowing over even in a very moderate breeze. They’d have taken flight in anything over 20 mph. And then when it was harvest-time, the ears on my plants turned out to be very miniscule, about ¼ of the promised 7”-8”. I tossed them into a Chinese stir-fry and pretended they were those (expensive) canned baby corn you find in the gourmet aisle. So, my experience with growing corn in containers was less than stellar but if you want to try your luck, the seeds are available at Burpee: http://tinyurl.com/pdveoay See http:// www.garden.org/articles/articles.php?q=show&id=3025 for more information on growing corn in small spaces.

Why does corn take so much space? Well, first of all, the plants are huge! Not only are they tall (maybe not quite as tall as the elephant’s eye in the song, but most healthy corn plants are sixfooters at a minimum), they also need substantial space widthwise as well. Because corn is pollinated by the wind, it does best when planted in blocks of at least four rows rather than longer single rows. Pollen from the male tassels needs to make contact with the female silks and close planting means more contact.

Now factor in the fairly lengthy time from planting to maturity (80 – 90 days is common although there are some varieties that mature faster) and you can see that considerable space must be devoted to corn for much of the growing season. However, if you have enough space in your garden to plant a block of at least four rows of corn with four hills of seeds each, I hope you’ll give it a try. And invite me over for dinner this summer. Note: Here is an intriguing corn fact that I didn’t know: Each kernel of corn is connected to a corn silk. These fine hairs help transport the corn pollen to the kernel for proper development. The pollen drops down onto the silks from the tassels at the top of the plant. In order to have properly filled out corn ears, pollen needs to fall on all the corn silks.

So you’ve got the space available and you want to tackle growing some sweet corn. Here are some guidelines: Selecting Varieties: This will of course depend on your individual tastes but there are significant differences among the most cultivated sweet corn varieties as to the amount of sugar contained in each. This article has brief descriptions of several varieties according to sweetness: http:// www.gardenguides.com/112677-different-types-sweet-corn.html Wikipedia has an even more extensive list of varieties, grouped according to sugar content: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_sweetcorn_varieties An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

by K. Harper Planting and Cultivating: Corn is generally direct-seeded, after all danger of frost is past. It is definitely a warm-weather plant so don’t even think of sowing corn seed until it’s also time for your tomatoes and peppers to be planted out. Wind pollination also results in easy cross-pollination, so keep different types of corn separated by at least 25 feet or plant varieties that mature at different times. The soil should be loose and well-tilled with a neutral pH (6.0 - 7.0). Heavy soils will inhibit the long tap root of corn. The shallow roots you will see forming on the soil surface are mainly there to anchor the tall plants against wind. As noted above, sweet corn is a long season crop. To extend the harvest, plant varieties that mature at different rates. You can expect one to two ears of corn per plant. The somewhat stingy harvest is another reason people can’t or won’t devote a lot of space to this project!

Fertilizer & Feeding: Corn is a heavy feeder, requiring rich soil. Nitrogen is especially important, since corn is basically a grass. Remember learning in grade school about how Native Americans would bury a fish head with the corn seeds during planting? That supplied nitrogen to the growing plant. You can also use compost or rotted manure at planting time. Water regularly and apply nitrogen fertilizer once the plants are about 8 inches tall and again when they start producing tassels. Keep the area free of weeds that will compete for food and water.

Pests & Problems: Varmints will be your biggest problem.

Raccoons love corn as much as we do and they think it’s very kind of you to grow it for them. We had the luxury of being able to grown enough corn that we didn’t mind (much) if the raccoons took some of it but you’ll probably want to try some of the raccoon repelling tricks, such as using a scarecrow or a motionactivated sprinkler, or hanging aluminum pie plates here and there to scare the ‘coons, or perhaps sprinkling hot pepper on the corn ears as they grow to discourage the ‘coons from sampling them. Good luck with all of that. I think urban raccoons are pretty savvy when it comes to such practices and might actually be amused by your efforts. You could consider pitching a tent and standing guard all night in the garden when the corn is reaching peak ripeness because the raccoons will be watching for that prime moment as well.  Corn smut (Ustilago maydis) is an ugly fungus growth that may plague your corn plants. It looks like this: http://tinyurl.com/o6lsyv7 According to the Organic Gardening website: “Spores of this fungus overwinter in infected plant debris and the soil. Wind and manure from animals that have eaten infected corn can also introduce the spores into the garden. The fungus infects the plant through wounds caused by cultivation, hail, or insects. It can also infect newly formed silks.

Galls are usually larger and more obvious on the ears, but you may also find them on the leaves, stalk, tassels, and aerial roots.

Higher rates of infection occur during years with warm, dry early summers followed by rainy weather. If you wish to control the fungus, remove any galls before the dark spores form inside.

Burn or bag and throw away the diseased plant parts to prevent spreading the disease. Many sweet corn varieties, including 'Silver Queen and 'Golden Beauty', are very susceptible to the fungus. Rotating your corn crops and planting sweet corn varieties with a built-in resistance to the disease, such as 'Silver King', 'Seneca Sensation', and 'Fantasia', can help control the problem.”

We were always appalled by corn smut when it struck and we immediately destroyed the infected ears.

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CORNY However, in the course of researching this article, I discovered that corn smut is actually considered an edible delicacy, especially in certain authentic Mexican dishes. My comment on that is ‘ewwwww” but given the prevalence of the corn smut fungus during some years, I suppose it made sense to discover a use for it rather than writing off the entire corn crop. To me, considering corn smut to be ‘gourmet’ is a stretch. I’d file it under ‘making the best of a bad situation.’ But to each his own! See http:// www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/corn-smut for more corn smut information. Other corn pests such as corn borers and flea beetles can be controlled with Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT spray) or insecticidal soap.

Harvesting Corn: Harvest your corn the day before the raccoons do. Or, look for fat, well-filled dark green ears that have rounded, not pointy tips (a sign that the rows of kernels are well-developed, plump and filling up the husk as they should). Tassels will be brown. Peel the husk back and puncture a kernel with a fingernail. If it spurts milky liquid, it's ready to pick.

Aside from the sweet corn we are most familiar with, there are several other types of corn.

Flint Corn is the one we sometimes called ‘Indian Corn’. It comes in a beautiful range of colors. The kernels are covered in a hard shell which preserves it well for ornamental use, however it is also edible when ground into cornmeal. Pop Corn is another type we’re very familiar with. Its kernels can be yellow or white and they have a soft, starchy center covered by a hard shell. When heated, the center expands until it explodes from its shell, making movie time more fun for us.

Flour Corn has soft, starchy kernels and is one of the only corns that can be ground into a fine flour. Flour corn is primarily white, although it can be grown in other colors, for example, blue, thus explaining those gourmet (i.e. expensive) blue tortilla chips. Dent Corn is a high yield, yellow or white corn, characterized by a dent in the top of each kernel. This is what we always knew as ‘field corn’ to distinguish it from sweet corn. It’s a top agricultural crop in the U.S., used for animal feed, industry, and some human foods, as well.

Finally, some fun facts about corn. There is a Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD: http://cornpalace.org/ I’ve been there. I suppose many Midwesterners have. Corn is pretty important to us. It was built in 1892 to display the products of the harvest of South Dakota's farmers, in murals on the outside of the building. The murals are made from thousands of bushels of corn and other grains and grasses such as wild oats, rye, straw, and wheat. Each year these corn decorations are completely stripped down and entirely new murals are created. The murals are really amazing!

There is also a Corn Museum: http:// www.wyandotpopcornmus.com/index.html.

And here are many more things you probably didn’t know about corn: *One bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds - more than a large bag of dog food. *Corn is America's largest crop and accounts for more than 90 percent of the total value and production of feed grains. *The United States produces 40 percent of the world's corn, more than any other country. *In the United States, 87 percent of all the corn is grown utilizing only naturally occurring rainfall. *Reduced tillage has resulted in a 44 percent reduction in soil erosion in the last two decades. *Ethanol, a renewable biofuel made from corn, is currently blended into more than 80 percent of the nation's fuel supply.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

cont’d *According to the USDA, one acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season, more than is produced by your car annually. *An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows. *A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels. *100 bushels of corn produces approximately 7,280,000 kernels. *In the U.S., corn production measures more than 2 times that of any other crop. *Over 55% of Iowa's corn goes to foreign markets. The rest is used in other parts of the United States. *Corn is a major component in many food items like cereals, peanut butter, snack foods and soft drinks. *U.S. researchers have led the way in finding many uses for corn - like in vitamins and amino acids. *Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota account for over 50 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. Other major corn growing states are Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky make up the rest of the nation’s “Corn Belt.” *Corn is produced on every continent of the world with the exception of Antarctica. *Nearly one third of our nation's corn crop is targeted for exports. The area known as the "Pacific Rim" region (in Asia) is emerging as the world's fastest growing market for U.S. corn.

There, most of the corn is fed to livestock to produce food for humans. The majority of the world's population is located in the Pacific Rim region. *Fresh corn on the cob will lose up to 40% of its sugar content after 6 hours of room temperature storage. The sugar is converted to starch. *There are 5,638 people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name 'Corn.' *The official grain of Wisconsin is corn. *Nebraska is the 'Cornhusker State.' *Washington, Missouri, is known as the Corn Cob Pipe Capital of the World. *Each tassel on a corn plant releases as many as 5 million grains of pollen. *Corn is the 3rd most important food crop of the world measured by production volume, behind wheat and rice. In terms of acreage planted, it is second only to wheat. *In the 1930s, before machines were available, a farmer could harvest an average of 100 bushels of corn by hand in a nine-hour day. Today’s combines can harvest 900 bushels of corn per hour—or 100 bushels of corn in under 7 minutes! *New evidence has been found for the earliest domestication corn in Mexico about 8,700 years ago (6,700 BC). Domesticated maize (corn) had reached Panama by 5,600 BC and northern South America by 4,000 BC. The oldest remains of corn found at archaeological sites in Mexico resemble popcorn type corn. *The world record for eating corn on the cob is 33 1/2 ears in 12 minutes and is held by someone named Cookie Jarvis. No word on whether Cookie was a man or a woman and if he or she survived this feat but there ARE more (nauseating) eating contest winners described here: http://www.foodreference.com/html/ food-eating-contests-records.html And a few more corny facts: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/corn.html http://www.foodreference.com/html/fcorn.html http://swampyacresfarm.com/RandomCornFacts.html

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WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS With warmer weather beginning, we should start seeing a lot of animal behavior we haven’t seen since...well, since last spring.

Here are some activities you should look for in March: Birds Migrating birds from central and South America visit the state. Mourning doves nest now through November. Carolina wrens are nesting now. Summer tanagers and great-crested flycatchers arrive to breed. Listen for newly-returned chuck-will’s-widows calling after sunset. Wild turkey and quail begin breeding.

Mammals Look for red foxes emerging from remote beaches. Striped skunks are fightin gover mates-watch out!

courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension Amphibians/Reptiles Male frogs and toads move to ponds, streams, and ditches to breed during rainy nights. Snakes become active and move to favorite feeding areas.

Fish Largemouth bass spawining.

KYLLINGA

by L. Morris

Green kyllinga, Lyllinga brevifolius, and Perennial Kyllinga, Cy perus brevifolius.

A mat-forming perennial up to 6 inches (15cm) tall that forms from reddish purple rhizomes. The leaves and stems are dark green. The seedheads are simple, nearly round or oblong, usually with three short leaves just below. This weed reproduces by seed and rhizomes. It likes moisture. http://www.floridaweeds.org http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu

The Jokester Coffee (n) The person upon whom one coughs.

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FRAGRANT AND FIESTY Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a shrub with showy, fragrant flowers that is used for shrub borders, groupings, or mass plantings. Highway designers, wildlife managers, and landscapers use honeysuckle for a variety of reasons. Highway designers use the plant in order to control erosion and stabilize banks and managers of wildlife areas plant Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) as it provides winter forage for deer. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) is a favorite of gardeners and landscape architects because of its fragrant, beautiful flowers and fast growth.

by D. Stever japonica) a strong competitor against native species.

Alternative plantings include Pink Jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and Evergreen wisteria (Millettia reticulate).

More Information: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/239 http://www.floridata.com/ref/L/loni_jap.cfm

Even though Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a highly desirable, highly utilized ornamental, it has quickly become a problem in the U.S. due to its fast growth rate and ability to displace native plant species. Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) has been placed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s list of invasive species because of these characteristics.

The species is capable of reproducing vegetatively by underground rhizomes, and aboveground runners. It also has the ability to develop a rather large seed bank after becoming established and seeds germinate after soil disturbance. Birds help with the spread of the species as well when they consume the fruits and disperse the seeds. Wide habitat adaptability, wide seed dispersal, rapid growth rate, extended growing season, and lack of natural enemies make Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera

ADVICE FROM AN OLD FARMER Some sage advice for living a happy and healthy life: 1. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

2. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

3. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

4. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

5. Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

6. Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

7. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

8. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

9. It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

10. You cannot unsay a cruel word.

11. Every path has a few puddles.

12. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

13. The best sermons are lived, not preached.

14. Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

15. Don't judge folks by their relatives.

16. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

17. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

18. Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

19. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

20. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

21. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

22. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

23. Always drink upstream from the herd.

24. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

25. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

26. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

27. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

The Jokester: Be tolerant of the human race. Your whole family belongs to it—and some of your spouse’s family does too.

(Anonymous)

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ALL A-BUZZ We will continue with our overview of basic honey bee anatomy this month while addressing some of the honey bee’s abdominal structures. Although first, I wanted to offer a little more information on the structures contained within the thorax.

As some of you may know, all the legs are attached to the thorax.

In addition, so are the 2 sets of wings (fore & hind wings). The thorax is divided into four parts: prothoracic, mesothoracic , metathoracic and propodeum segments. The front two legs are attached to the prothorax. The 2nd pair of legs and the 1st pair of wings are attached to the mesothorax and finally, the last set of legs and the hind wings are attached to the metathorax. The propodeum is basically a large back plate that unites with the metathorax.

I have mentioned the little hooks and pads on their feet in last month’s article, but in reality, the legs are much more complex. It continues to amaze me how their little body parts are so intricately designed to fit a specific purpose. The forelegs have “notches” that serve to help clean the antennae. I’ve often seen bees rubbing their front legs over their heads/antennae (they look so adorable doing this), and surmised it was some sort of hygienic chore, but now I know for sure! On the legs, there are many other brushes and spines used for everything from cleaning pollen or other particles from the head, eyes and mouth parts to loosening pellets of pollen or resin. Some long spines also clean the spiracles (remember those breathing tubes?) on the thorax.

Some of you may remember I spoke of a bee’s corbiculae, or “pollen basket”, during my pollinator presentation last year. I have also heard beekeepers’ call this area a “bee basket”. This is the area on the hind leg that stores pollen (or even propolis) for transport back to the hive. The pollen attaches to the hairs and is scraped into the bee basket area until it is full. Later, back at the hive, the legs scrape the pollen from the bee basket and the worker will back her body into a cell, remove the pollen and begin to pack it in. Hive bees then arrive to complete the storage of the pollen by packing the pollen in more tightly and sealing with honey for later use (their “bee bread” or protein source for consumption).

by P. Garrett inflammatory, antifungal and antihistamine properties and some beekeepers “trap” it with a special trap and sell it. All I know is that it is a gooey mess in the hives and unless one takes time to do a little housecleaning periodically and scrape it off with a hive tool, it makes working a hive very difficult and more time consuming.

As mentioned before, there are 2 fore wings and 2 hind wings held together by little hooks called hamuli. The veins in a wing are used to help differentiate European honey bees from African honey bees. Interesting to note that a vein’s patterns are like fingerprints! When at rest, the honey bee’s wings are folded over its back.

A honey bee’s first abdominal section is fused to the thorax. This first segment is in front of the “wasp waist”. Everything past this waist is referred to as the “gaster”. On the ventral side of the abdomen, there are wax secreting cells (ventral side is underneath - on humans this would be our front, the dorsal side being our back). Upon secretion, a small wax droplet hardens when it comes in contact with the air. Pictures I have seen of emerging wax looks like a fish scale.

The worker bee (her age at this time is usually 8-17 days, when her wax glands are at their peak) then transfers this wax plate to her forelegs where it is then passed to her mandibles. She mixes it with salvia, masticates on it for a while, and then the wax is ready to construct new honeycomb or add to existing comb or cover (cap) honey cells for storage of honey needed for future use.

I see now I am not going to have time to address internal organs, glands, pheromones, etc., but I did promise to talk about the stinger.

I just love to get asked questions about honey bees and love for people to tell me they “hate honey bees” or something similar because of stings they have received in the past. I then begin to question them and most of the time, find out that it wasn’t a honey bee at all, but a yellow jacket or even wasp that was the culprit! Yes, honey bees will sting, but usually only if mashed OR when they feel threatened, which is usually when we’ve been working the hive and have it open for too long. There are guard bees at the entrance whose primary job is to detect and eradicate I apologize, as this is an overly simplified explanation of the leg. intruders. The guards exude the alarm pheromone and the entire hive knows something is amiss. That is why we “smoke” our The leg could have been an entire article or two on its own. For further information, please check out references listed at the end hives when working them. This blocks the alarm pheromone and keeps the bees much calmer as they are not as able to communiof this article. cate. M and I can work all around in our yard, with bees foraging I believe I have mentioned propolis before, but if I haven’t, it is a and flying around everywhere and they could care less about us. substance made by bees after they collect resins from trees (such We’ll even put frames out at various places in the yard for the bees to “clean” sometimes and while foraging, they aren’t interas some conifers, alders, and poplars). Propolis is used in the ested in what we’re doing near them. Please don’t swat at honey hive by bees to seal up cracks primarily, but it is also used if a strange critter has made its way into the hive and dies (such as a bees. Trust me they do not like this. It is best to try to remain mouse, snake or large insect). They essentially cover this invader calm when one is flying around your head and just walk away. If with propolis and it sort of mummifies or embalms the intruder. it is a guard bee, they will follow you for a while, but finally give up.

It is known that propolis has antibacterial, antiviral, antiContinued on next page An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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BUZZ (I usually walk into the trees/heavy foliage area and they have trouble following me there). Honey bees are not aggressive while foraging, but will defend their hive. Also, hives seem to have varying dispositions and some of our hives I can work easily without gloves and some I won’t go near without full body armor! I have heard from old beekeepers that their honeybees recognized their scent and got used to them. One even told me of his Dad always using Old Spice and his bees were gentler. Sorry folks, but these are insects, and like Dr. Jamie Ellis says, this just doesn’t happen, as much as we would like to hope so. Plus, during the months we are working the hives, the entire population except for the queen turns over in about 4 to 6 weeks! I don’t think I’d bite something with Old Spice on it either LOL (sorry Grandpa). There is so much more to wax production, but I hope you at least you have an idea of how wax is made now.

cont’d. when we have the talk). Interestingly, a queen or a drone does not have wax glands. The queen doesn’t have pollen carrying structures on her legs either (why would she need them?). Incidentally, wasps & yellow jackets have smooth stingers, and we all know now what that means!

We will delve into sting anatomy and physiological reaction (local and systemic) next article, and hopefully finish up with internal anatomy.

Interesting fact: It takes approximately 8-9 lbs. of honey to make one lb. of beeswax!

References: Sammataro, D. and Avitabile, A, The Beekeeper’s Handbook, 3rd Ed., 1998.

Ellis, J, Dr., University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology, Honey Bee Anatomy,

11/18/2011 th Oh dear, I am running out of room, but will quickly say that yes, Graham, J and Dadant & Sons, The Hive and the Honey Bee, 4 Printing, 1999. it is true a honey bee dies after it stings someone as the stinger is a barbed lancet. There is a poison sac attached to this lancet and as she fights to free herself, the sac is pulled from her body. A queen bee can sting, but her stinger is smooth which makes her able to sting repeatedly. Queens do not usually sting humans, but will sting another queen! A drone doesn’t even have a stinger, as his endophallus takes us the room (more on that later

BOOK REVIEW Thanks to Dick H. we don’t have a book to review this month.

Instead we have a web site! http://www.architecturendesign.net/27-diagrams-that-makecooking-so-much-easier/ The above link will take you to a site that contains 27 Diagrams That Make Cooking So Much Easier posted by MMK on Jan 25, 2015.

by Staff As you can see, the images transfer very well. I really thought this particular image was a bunch of hooey but lo and behold! It works!

I encourage everyone to take a peek at this site and I’m sure that you’ll find something useful for your own culinary efforts.

This site gets 4 leprechauns out of 5. I only take off points due to the set up being more for use on a Smartphone than for a computer.

That being said, save this as a faThis site has 27 info-graphics on everything from making a vinai- vorite on your phone or I pad and grette, how to tell the doneness of meat (without cutting into it), you’ll have it handy AND portable. and even a food storage guide! I especially liked the ingredient substitution guide. There are times when a recipe will call for self If you happen across a site or article that you think would be useful -rising flour and I just don’t have any. The substitution graphic to our Master Gardeners, send us actually has the ratios and ingredients for this ingredient and the link! We can all use more many more! knowledge and helpful hints in our homes AND in our gardens!

I tried an experiment and discovered that you can copy the images onto a Word document and then print out that way, or you could try printing the graphics directly from your computer. I prefer not to have all the other stuff print that is on the screen so I did the copy and past method. I now have all the info-graphics tucked into my cookbook rack for easy reference!

Now you might be wondering why we would review this particular site. Well, to be honest, Dick had sent in the link. After a day or two I decided to check out what it was all about. Boy was I surprised!

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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March, 2015

UPDATES AND INFO NEW/UPDATED PUBLICATIONS Smutgrass is a serious weed of improved perennial grass pastures, roadsides, natural areas, and waste areas in Florida. A 2003 survey found that smutgrass was second only to tropical soda apple as the most problematic weed species in Florida pastures, but now that practices to control tropical soda apple have been widely adopted in Florida, smutgrass is likely the most problematic weed species in Florida pastures today. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Brent Sellers, J. A. Ferrell, and J. J. Mullahey, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, January 2015. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa261 Checking your blood glucose levels is an important part of managing diabetes. Your blood glucose values let you know how well your care plan is working and if you need to make any changes.

This 3-page fact sheet was written by Jennifer Hillan and Linda B. Bobroff, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, February 2015 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy868 Simply designating open space in a development is not enough to provide long-term protection for a variety of wildlife. New policies need to be developed that encourage developers of conservation developments to adopt long-term management practices that support biodiversity conservation. This 5-page fact sheet discusses policy options that could be used to support conservation management practices and reports on a survey of Colorado landowners who have created conservation developments and their opinions about a policy option to support the implementation of management practices. Written by Daniel Feinberg and Mark Hostetler, and published by the UF Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, December 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw401

by Staff can make it difficult to implement some changes by mandating types of plants, percentages of turf and plant material, location of plant materials, and restricting specialty gardens to back yards. More environmentally sound landscapes are possible with careful planning and design and by using an educated and knowledgeable approach to working with the HOA board to gain approval for a new landscape. This 9-page fact sheet offers several strategies for working within HOA regulations to gain approval for a Florida-Friendly landscape. Written by Gail Hansen and Claire Lewis, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, February 2015. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep513 Eclipta grows aggressively in containers and can outcompete nursery crops for water, nutrients, and light. Plants flower in as little as five weeks after germination and produce thousands of seeds over the course of a growing season, and stem fragments left on the soil or media surface following hand-weeding or cultivation can root and reproduce vegetatively. This 4-page fact sheet describes the plant, its biology, and recommendations for physical, cultural, and chemical control. Written by Chris Marble, Shawn Steed, and Nathan S. Boyd, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, January 2015. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep512 APPS AND WEB SITES

A new Florida gardening app is now available for Android and iPhones. Developed by the UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology (CLCE), the Gardening Solutions app helps Florida homeowners stay on top of their lawn and garden maintenance. The app provides Florida residents with the ability to create and manage their own virtual landscape. It also pushes helpful landscape maintenance notifications to users based on The kentia palm is considered one of the best interior palms for their zip code and the plants in their virtual landscape. Currently, the app contains 50 common landscape plants with plans its durability and elegant appearance. The dark green graceful crown of up to three dozen leaves gives it a tropical appearance. to add another 100 in the next release. Push notifications are provided, with basic reminders such as when to plant, fertilize, Containerized palms can be used on a deck or patio in a shady and prune ornamental and edible landscape plants. Many of the location or the palm can be planted into the landscape. This 3notifications include links to other UF/IFAS resources where page fact sheet was written by Samar Shawaqfeh and Timothy homeowners can read more in-depth information. The app also Broschat, and published by the UF Department of Environallows users to view plant information. Details such as botanical mental Horticulture, January 2015. family, growing conditions, and bloom time (if applicable) are http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st297 available for each plant, as well as a link to more information the Gardening Solutions website (gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu).

The warm southern states provide an ideal environment for a The app is free to download and is available for Android and iOS wide variety of pests — and because almost everyone has probsmartphones and tablets. Planned updates to the app include lems with pests, most urban areas are sprayed with pesticides.

30 to 40 percent of pesticide use is in urban areas, but most pes- adding more plants users can receive notifications for. To download the Florida Gardening Solutions app, visit the iTunes ticide applications are unnecessary and can result in environmental contamination and human exposure to pesticides. This 5- store or Google Play store on your smart phone or tablet page fact sheet from Pests in and around the Southern Home Folks want apples. We get a lot of calls regarding different varieintroduces integrated pest management practices that can help reduce pesticide use in the home. Written by P.G. Koehler, and ties of apples. Here’s a link to a great chart on an A to Z listing of published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematolapple varieties (some I’ve never even heard of) with their Zones ogy, October 2013. listed. Some have the actual chilling hours listed as well. It would http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1073 be easy to go through the list and add in the actual chilling hours Ten Strategies for Working With Your Home Owner Association for the variety when you find it. http://tinyurl.com/pk6chbr to Convert to a Florida-Friendly Yard The Jokester Many homeowners are beginning to rethink their landscapes for several reasons, including mandated water and fertilizer restricWhy do croutons come in airtight packages? tions, increasing maintenance costs, and concern for the enviAren’t they just stale bread to begin with? ronment. But over sixty million people now live in neighborhoods governed by Homeowner Associations, whose regulations An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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March, 2015

THE BIG REVEAL!

By Staff

Tired of the so-called ‘red’ Encore® Azaleas? Would you like to have a true red azalea? You might have to wait until next year, but keep your eyes and ears open for when Autumn Flame ™ will be hitting the nurseries and stores. Featured at a recent tradeshow, Sheila Dunning, Okaloosa County Extension Agent, reported that pictures would not do this beauty justice. It is a true 7 Pines Native Plant Nursery—Grand Opening Days April 17 & 18 from 9am to 5pm. This nursery is located at 2435 County HighRED azalea. way 192, DeFuniak Springs, FL. Owned and operated by Lloyd and Dara Dobson, this nursery carries a huge selection of Florida native palnts. They will be open every 3rd Thurs-Fri-Sat of each month from 9am to 5pm or by appointment. On site native plant, native tree and wildflower programs are presented by Dara Dobson, Native Plant Consultant, for groups of 15 or more Another new plant that will be hitting the market next year is Medinilla. Medinilla Magnifica is the single bloom version while by appointment. This nursery is also a distributor of SEA-90, Medinilla Dolce Vita is the double bloom variety. Again, pictures OMRI approved natural fertilizer. You can call then at 850-859don’t do this plant justice. It was also featured at a recent trade- 0096 or 850-830-8996.

Email wildflowersmatter@defuniak.com The current list of show. To view this plant go to www.medinilla.ca I’ll warn you now, you are going to want this plant. It’s definitely tropical but available varieties is literally to long to insert here. They carry a large variety of native flowering perennial species, native vine who could resist such a beauty as a houseplant or on a shady species, native ferns, native grasses, and a large assortment of porch? native shrubs and trees. Mark your calendar and grab your checkbook!

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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March, 2015

M. Stewart —Editor S. Farrell , K. Harper and S. Berry—co-editors

Have pictures or an idea for an article?

Send it in!

Articles and pictures are always welcome.

Mission To assist Extension Agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents.

Vision To be the most trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.

LAST WORD I wish whoever is doing the rain/wind dance would knock it off! Every time I have free time and the temperature will be nice...it rains. If it isn’t raining, the wind is howling. Granted, as a fluffy person, it will take a lot of wind to knock me over.

But the sand-blasting effect that goes along with the wind is something I can do without. My teeth are white enough, thank-you -very-much!

Okay, so we don’t have tons of snow to deal with. That’s a plus—still enough with the cold temperatures! I need to make room in the greenhouse for the new seedlings. I’m tired of feeling like I’m auditioning for Cirque du Soleil every time I have to water in there! Yes, folks, it isn’t pretty...trust me.

In the meantime, I know there are things that I should be doing inside the house.

Chores that should be done, could be done...boo! Getting dirty cleaning the kitchen floor isn’t the same as getting dirty working in the garden.

How is it that when we WANT to do something, we rarely consider it work? We are still expending time and energy but if the ‘job’ facing us is something that we enjoy—we never call it a chore.

Did I mention that I’m also dealing with an aging feline who has decided that her normal kitty kibbles do not agree with her digestion? That has resulted in (a) the human mom getting very tired of cleaning carpets. (Side note here: when I’m at home the upset tummy is always realized on the carpet….in various places. When I’m not at home and Happy Hubby falls victim to the kitty tummy troubles it always happens on the tile/linoleum! Seriously! It’s a conspiracy! Back to the topic at hand.) (b) the human mom has found a wet food that agrees with Ms Puss.

Determined to make this work for both of us. I set up a feeding schedule. Breakfast and dinner for said persnickety puss with the option of a lunch-time small snack. The only problem with this schedule is convincing Madam-Meows-A-Lot to stick to it.

The key here is that she decides that she is hungry and therefore will meow/howl/ yowl and otherwise vocalize in the kitchen.

If I happen to be in bed...this occurs at the foot of the bed. I ignore her. I do...she just knows that she can outlast me. A cat can make over 100 different vocalizations and TRUST ME...she has hit all of them in varying degrees and pitches! So the battle of the bowl continues.

I know that eventually the weather will start cooperating and I’ll be able to head

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

By M. Stewart outside. Whether or not the cat cooperates is a whole other ballgame.

And while we are all going to be heading outdoors enjoying the warmer weather, you know that everyone else will be catching Spring Fever as well. Folks will be planting all sorts of things that probably will do okay for a while and then succumb to the summer heat. Or, we’ll have another freaky cold snap that will send the tropicals into a dither. The phones will ring and plant clinics will be filled with unhappy gardeners. Gardeners may just consider the jobs outside to be just that, jobs. They may or may not get the same satisfaction that we do over growing plants.

The first spell of warm days will bring out the pruners and mowers. Even if you try to convince folks to wait...who can wait when the sun is shining and the warm breezes are blowing? But tell them we will and some will listen...most will scalp the lawn and prune the azaleas at the wrong time.

Folks will be impatient for their landscapes to wake up and when things don’t start greening up when they think they should...they’ll want to know what they can spray or apply to take care of the problem.

The lawn fertilizer will be applied too early as will weed control. After all, we had to set all our clocks ahead so Spring is here! Time to get things done! Hurry!

Hurry! Time to hit the big box stores and the nursery. Look at all those plants! One of these and two of those...there’s still room in the trunk for some more!

And all that it is going to take is one freak cold snap or a prolonged dry spell to turn all this frenzied activity into despair and gloom.

Admit it, there’s nothing prettier than a freshly planted garden bed. After the cold of winter, seeing the new plants and freshly turned soil just screams about renewal and fun in the sun. You can’t really blame folks for being a bit quick on the trigger when it comes to Spring flings. And if we’re truly honest about it—we know that we’ve done it as well...not been patient enough with our gardens.

What we need to remember is that Mother Nature, like a cat, has her own timetable and her own ways of letting her will be known. You might as well accept that there will be days when you have to clean the carpet and days when you won’t be able to do things on YOUR schedule.

Like Ms Puss and her meowing—Mother Nature can outlast us without even trying.

Plentiful Plantings

March, 2015