...for discerning weeders November, 2011
Cool suggestions Inside this issue:
Coming events
2
Critter calendar
3
November
3
gardening Spring Ahead,
4
Fall Back Weed of the
5
Month Conference
6
Book Review
6
Last Word
7
DON’T FORGET! You have to log your hours onto the VMS system!
The holidays are right around the corner and we aren‟t the only ones feeling some of the stress of the season. Our house plants and lawns will be facing stress as well. Here are some suggestions to help the NW Florida gardener. When bringing indoor plants inside the three main things to consider are humidity, light and temperature. Most indoor plants originated in the tropics and prefer a higher humidity than our homes will normally provide. You can correct this problem by installing a humidifier. A less expensive option is to place potted plants on a two or three inch bed of moist gravel contained in a shallow, waterproof container. Add water as needed. But make sure the pots are sitting on the gravel, not in the water. Suddenly bringing a plant inside after it has been accustomed to outdoor light may result in the plant dropping many of its leaves. If possible, gradually move the plant from high light to low light locations. This allows the plant to better adjust to the lower light situation. Plants that will be located in a dark room where they receive little or no sun, will benefit from a combination of supplemental light. Plants that receive some sunlight each day may need only extra blue light from a fluorescent source. Too much red light from an incandescent source may stimulate undesirable leggy growth. It‟s important to maintain the proper balance. Temperature is another critical factor. Most plants grow better if the nighttime temperature is lower than the daytime tem1
Linda Meyers
perature. Most plants do well when the temperature is about 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and about 10 degrees lower at night. Scientists have found that a slightly higher daytime light intensity will help compensate for a lack of temperature variation for many plants. Help protect lawns from cold damage: in north Florida delay fall planting (sprigging, sodding, seeding) of grasses until spring or early summer. A late season (late September - October) application of fertilizer containing nitrogen is also not recommended for our area. It will promote shoot growth in the fall, when grass growth and metabolism are slowing down, this will deplete carbohydrate reserves, which help the grass regrow from any stress, and will also produce new, tender shoot growth that is less able to tolerate adverse conditions such as cold. Increasing mowing height can reduce cold damage in a number of ways. First it will provide deeper rooting, which is one factor always associated with greater stress tolerance. It will also allow for production and storage of more carbohydrates late in the summer. In addition, higher mowing heights can create a warmer microenvironment as a result of extra canopy cover provided by longer leaf tissue. Sources: article 12/2010 “Provide a Little Bit of the Tropics for Your Houseplants This Winter” by Larry Williams; Florida Lawn Handbook, Laurie E. Trenholm and J. Bryan Unruh