September 2011 by Okaloosa County Master Gardeners

...for discerning weeders September, 2011

Florida’s #1 Road Kill

Inside this issue: Events

Fun in the Sun

To Do List

Mark Your

Calendar Okaloosa Season 4 Bits & Bytes

What in the

Word? Critter Calendar

September Links

Book Review

Celebrate!

Last Word

A beautiful summer morning, you‟re leisurely walking around your back yard and...WHAM...here we go again. An evening visitor has returned, rooting and digging all over your lawn and flower beds. My guess is many of us have had this frustrating experience with the ninebanded or long-nosed Armadillo. Here are just a few interesting facts about this very annoying critter. This mammal originally came from Central and South America and is now found in Texas and throughout the South, cold weather limits their range. An adult weighs 8-17 lbs. Males and females are the same size and look alike. Their ancestors 60 million years ago were as large as a rhinoceros! Most of their body is

http://youtu.be/ ZbK92bRW21Q

covered with a shield-like shell with horny scales, except for their ears and belly. They have no front teeth. 28-32 peg-like teeth are in rows in the back of their mouth. They have poor eye sight and hearing, but a keen sense of smell. They are agile runners and good swimmers. They can actually walk under water when crossing small streams. They are happiest in dense, shady cover, under brush or in woodland and pine forests. They prefer sandy or loam soils that are easy to dig and root around in. In their territory they will dig several burrows 7-8 in. in diameter and up to 15 ft. in length, but use only one to nest and raise their young. They breed in late July, having one litter a year. With a 5 month gestation period, they actually delay and contd. page 5

Photo credit: Bill Kern

CORRECTION Last issue we had an article on fractals. If you tried to use the link provided and it didn‟t work, we have another link that has proven reliable:

Linda Meyers

Market Maker Demand for home-grown food and other agricultural products is on the rise. Farmers of all kinds, with backyard gardens to hundreds of acres, are responding, but connecting agricultural producers with buyers is not easy,

Courtesy of UFL and is often frustrating. Now there is a free online resource and service that can truly help! It is Florida Market Maker. What is Florida Market Maker? It is a free resource and service of Florida Ex-

tension and other organizations that help connect agricultural producers to consumers. It helps facilitate marketing campaigns to get your produce from “farm-to-for,” and everywhere in between. Florida contd. page 6

GO WILD IN YOUR BACKYARD! GARDENING 101 WORKSHOP LANDSCAPING FOR WILDLIFE Join Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners Carole Tebay and Carol Morgan and Extension Agent Theresa Friday to learn how to re-create a native ecosystem in your yard.

September 24th Crestview Community Center Contact Mike to volunteer!

Saturday, September 10th 9am to 11am Santa Rosa County Extension Office 6263 Dogwood Drive Milton, FL The workshop is free but pre-registration is required. Go to http://www.eventbrite.com/ event/2058808953 to pre-register or call 850-623-3868

FFGC District 1 and Dogwood Garden Club of Gulf Breeze Present: Welcome to our Home: Designs and Dessert! Sunday, November 13, 2011 2pm—4pm at the Gulf Breeze Presbyterian Church 100 Andrew Jackson Trail A virtual holiday home tour, including how to decorate for Thanksgiving thru New Years, flowers, cooking, baking etc. Vendors, Entertainment—cost $15 contact Marie Harrison for more information

SEPTEMBER TO DO LIST

Andy Donatelli  Use an Azalea fertilizer following directions on the label.

September is the time to begin fall clean-up in the garden as well as planning and preparing for next year. There are also specific chores for the season:

 Use manganese sulfate as a supplement around Palms following the recommended amounts to the palm‟s size.

Fertilize Palms. The palm fertilizers on the market right now have HIGH levels of phosphorus and shouldn‟t be used in this area of Florida. The latest research has shown that phosphorus in our soil doesn‟t seem to leach out/away, but continues to build. This causes many problems in the landscape! Until a better option is available, it is suggested you use the following steps in March, June and September to treat Palms.

FUN IN THE SUN

 Search for a product that has 8-2-12 ration of fertilizer with 4 Mg, as this is the optimum choice for ALL landscapes/turfs if there are many palms in the landscape. The Extension is working to get a product for palms in our area—we will keep you posted. Water annuals, container

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Stacey Taylor

If my husband ever has to return to Tyndall AFB to work, I am moving to Calhoun County and fostering a Jersey cow. Why, you ask? After the field trip that we took August 16th, that area seems to be a real gem, hidden in Florida. Calhoun County is about the size of Okaloosa County but has a population of about 15000. They have two extension agents and no Master Gardener program (yet). This area boasts only Blountstown and Altha as incorporated towns and we visited/drove through both. Our first stop was Oglesby Plants Int‟l. There we were treated to a lecture about the tissue culture propagation process. Before the recession, Oglesby was producing over 1,000,000 plants per month! We then got to walk through the lab area and peek into the operation via windows (much like at hospital nurseries). We saw the grading operation as well—two ladies picking through bags of plants and deciding their fates. After walking through several greenhouses and seeing millions (no exaggeration!) of plants, we were invited to visit their little retail store and shop. Prices were VERY reasonable. And the best part: they will be holding a fall 3

plant sale in Sept. or October open to the public. We next meandered our way south to Karen and Travis MacClendon‟s house. I say meandered because they live in the middle of nothing. But it is gorgeous! After lunching with them, we learned about the importance of herbariums. I confess, I didn‟t hear much of that conversation because Travis had opened a cabinet where they store pressed plant specimens and the moth balls drove me away. They have a lovely property with fields and fields of wildflowers and natives for the birds and butterflies. Finally, we went north to Shady Nook Farm aka Ocheesee Creamery. Jersey cows, with their big brown faces are adorable. Eric showed us around the milking parlor and then the bottling facility. Samples of their drinkable yogurt and chocolate milk cont‟d. page 6

Mark your calendar September 7th General Membership Meeting September 7th Field Trip to Fisher House (right after meeting) September 14th BMP Course September 15th Plant Clinic September 24th BIA Home Show October 15th Plant Sale October 24th-26th State Conference

An Okaloosa Season Tell the truth now, how many of us have been keeping up with the yard work? Raise your hands if you have done more than pull a weed or two on the way out for the paper. Bless your heart! Mowing hasn‟t been an option-too wet in the early morning and too hot when the vegetation is finally dry. It‟s a game of hit or miss that we all play. The consequences are mowing twice and too many weeds gone to seed. HOAs and towns have rules but often don‟t take the weather into consideration. Ah, the country life; nobody cares except where fire might be a hazard.

Shari Farrell

not to fall off the feeders. Young skinny squirrels are playing in the trees. Butterflies have been few this summer. The Sweet Autumn Clematis is in bloom as are native passion flowers, toad lilies, cannas, Turks Cap, gingers, vinca, zinnias and pentas. Watering has not been an issue for some, especially those who prefer the natives and „surface vegetation‟ or live in a condo. It seems the nights are trying to cool down a bit; a little more and tomatoes will begin setting fruit again. If not already done, take cuttings now of favorite varieties for a fall crop. Peppers, okra, and eggplant have been prolific with more than enough to stock the freezer.

Time to read another book and fall will The „Lantana That Ate Crestview‟ is final- soon be ly cut back so that the sidewalk is clear here...okay, again. Turtles have been out eating the four books! lawn mushrooms. Harmless snakes are appearing (but watch out for those not so harmless!) The last nest of baby birds have found their wings and are learning

BITS AND BYTES

Marg Stewart

Q: “A friend sent me a web-site and all I keep getting is 404 Page Not Found. How do I get to the web-site?” Let‟s start with what 404 Page Not Found is. This is an error code that simply means that the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn‟t be found on their service. Technically this is a client-side error. In computers that means that the error is your mistake, either you typed the URL wrong or the page has been moved/removed and you should have known that. No matter the reason there is plenty you can try to do to get to that site you were after. First, retry the web page by clicking the refresh/reload button. The 404 error has been known to appear on occasion just because it feels like it. Second, check for errors in the URL. In other words double check your typing (or your friend‟s typing). Third, move up one directory level at a time in cont‟d. page 6

“A printer consists of three main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.” 4

TO DO

ROAD KILL

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gardens and baskets well. A diluted foliage fertilizer should be used at least every other time you water your baskets and/or containers. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of Osmocote® in container/baskets early this month. Humidity has been high and much that was applied earlier in the season is depleted. Use a foliage fertilizer every two weeks on annuals in beds after dead-heading. Turf management:  For Centipede grass—apply 0-0-60 at 1 to 2 pounds of muriate of Potassium per 1,000 sq. ft. Actively growing centipede grass should be mowed every 7 to 14 days at 1.5 to 2 inches in height.  Fertilize St. Augustine grass with low nitrogen to high Potassium ration (9-2-24, 5-2-14 or 8-2-34). St. Augustine should be mowed every 7 days at 3 to 3.5 inches in height. Check on perennials and ornamental grasses and divide those that need it.

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and give birth to their young in February or March. Litters include four identical young of the same sex. Rabies has never been diagnosed in Armadillos in Florida but twentysix parasites and disease agents have been identified that may infect humans or other animals. Armadillos have been used in studies on Leprosy. They feed mostly on insects, earthworms, scorpions, spiders, snails. They consume large numbers of armyworms, cockroaches, grasshoppers and can dig up entire nests of yellow jackets. Their activity can uproot flowers and other ornamentals. Their burrows damage lawns, golf courses, create hazards to livestock and can cause structural damage to sidewalks, driveways and patios. Because Armadillos are not native to Florida it is illegal to transport and release them to another site. Suggested control methods: - Reduce fertilizing and watering lawns. Lush lawns are perfect for earthworms and other insects that attract Armadillos. - Create barriers such as fences. - Live trapping (DO NOT use poison baits, they are illegal and ineffective) - Shooting them where legal to discharge a weapon. For more info check out http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw082

During the Depression in the 1930s, Armadillos were called „Hoover Hawgs‟ because they were a prominent food source for a lot of folks in the South.

WHAT IN THE WORLD? There are times when you get the phone call from a client and you just have to get a witness. This was one of those times. Shirley Howell related to me how a client called in and stated that her camellia had suddenly turned into a pear tree!! Okay, we all know that we‟re not allowed to question the sanity of our clients but

Marg Stewart

you can well imagine that no one took her seriously. A trip out to the client‟s home resulted in discovering...nope not a mutating camellia but rather seed pods! You have to admit that they do look like pears. You can try to grow a plant from the seeds but since ca5

mellias have been hybridized for over 2000 years it‟s unlikely a good flower would be produced. Just goes to show that you never quite know what type of calls will come your way or what interesting things you‟ll come across as a Master Gardener.

Market Maker

Critter Calendar Linda Meyers Courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension September breathes a hint of fall over our area and increased activity for the wildlife we enjoy. This is also the peak time for tropical storms and the potential for hurricanes. I could always tell when there was a storm entering the Gulf by the „march of the turtles‟ across Old Bethel Road. They would create a few traffic jams with their evacuation trek seeking higher ground in the event of flooding and were a more reliable indicator of storms than the Weather Channel. Birds: Get feeders ready for returning birds. Hawk migration begins at St. Joseph Peninsula in Gulf County. Bald eagles return to nest sites and begin courtship.

has joined fourteen other states in launching this free online effort. Its goal is building an easily used online tool to connect farmers and buyers. When you register with Florida MarketMaker, the business profile you create is available for consumers to discover. Likewise, Florida MarketMaker‟s tools allow you to connect with consumers by searching extensive food and consumer related data and marketplace forums. Your business can succeed in marketing its products with these features as well as through additional opportunities such as the monthly Business Spotlight, Taste of Florida, Now in Season, and Recipes. This is also a good site for consumers to double check on what‟s out there. There is a section just devoted to consumers. Check out what‟s in season as well as keeping up to date on news impacting agriculture.

Mammals: Gray bats migrate to Alabama for winter hibernation.

For more information visit http://fl.foodmarketmaker.com

“Gardening requires lots of water most of it in the form of perspiration.” Lou Erickson

Reptiles: Start listening for Spadefoot toads after heavy rains. Invertebrates: Blue crabs migrate from the shallow panhandle coast to deeper water for the winter. Blue crab „jubilee‟ also begins along panhandle beaches.

BITS

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Sun

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were had. Sadly, they had no ice cream. But most of us came away with something fresh and wonderful for our refrigerators. If you are wondering, you can get their products locally at the Fresh Market and somewhere at Seaside (I‟ll find this out if you are interested). A great day was had by all and I must really thank Sheila for setting it all up— especially the weather!

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in the URL until you find something. For example if www.x.com/a/b/c.htm gives you nothing but the 404 error, move up to www.x.com/a/b/. If you get nothing there move up to www.x.com/a/. This process will lead you toward what you‟re looking for or at least confirm that it‟s no longer available. It‟s always possible that you simply have the wrong URL—entirely. Even though your friend may have copied the URL from their computer, it depends on where it was located to begin with. Try just doing a search (using Google or your other favorite search engine) and type in the name of what you‟re looking for.

DON’T FORGET THAT YOU HAVE TO LOG IN YOUR HOURS ON VMS!!!! THOSE HOURS COUNT!

Hope this helps you out. Don‟t forget to send your computer questions to mgstewart2008@yahoo.com 6

SEPTEMBER LINKS

Karen Harper

What do you do with all that space when you‟re finished with your clean-up chores? Well, if you vow year after year to actually do some fall planting instead of simply thinking about it, then make this the year that it actually happens. There are any number of flowers for which our spring and summer seasons are simply too hot but the same seeds sown in fall will often germinate during mild winter days and thrive and bloom before heat sets in. Many flower seeds can simply be scattered over your beds and forgotten about until that lovely winter day when you notice the plants poking up in an otherwise brown and dreary landscape. I‟ve had great success in the past with winter sowing of sweetpea, poppies, bluebonnets and many others. I like to plant my sweetpea seeds at the base of my crepe myrtles as they are headed into dormancy. The sweetpeas germinate, scramble up the crepe myrtle trunks and bloom long before the crepe myrtles are ready to leaf out. All you have to lose is the cost of a packet of seeds and you could easily be rewarded for your efforts with some beautiful flowers at a time when the rest of the country is still buried under snow and ice. That is but part of the beauty

of living in our area. Here‟s some helpful links for fall plantings: http://okaloosa.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/horticulture/ larry_column/2006/Fallwildflowerplantingtime.pdf http://baker.ifas.ufl.edu/Horticulture/documents/ FallVegetablePlantingGuideforNorthFlorida.pdf And don‟t forget about dividing those perennials! http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg035#TABLE_1 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh020 Also, one of my favorite books on the subject of yearround gardening in our area is Sunbelt Gardening: Success in Hot-Weather Climates by Tom Peace. This book contains an entire section on ideas for winter gardening with many suggestions for seeds and bulbs to try during the winter. So let‟s get on our gloves, grab those tools and get planting!

BOOK REVIEW Let‟s put it this way, who couldn‟t love a book that starts with: “Keep reading if you want to live.” Okay, now you have my attention. The next thing you‟ll read is “Call them what you want. Garden gnomes. Lawn ornaments. Little evil outdoor statuary hell -bent on world domination.” How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack: Defend Yourself When the Lawn Warriors Strike (and They Will) by Chuck Sambuchino is a hilarious book that is written in such a serious manner you find yourself believing it. Loads of wonderful photos featuring happy, blood-thirsty garden gnomes. As a self-proclaimed, Class 1 gnomeslayer and gnome defense expert,

Marg Stewart

Chuck Sambuchino doesn‟t break character once in the entire book. He covers everything from the arsenals garden gnomes possess to how to gnome-proof your home and office. A great read and even more fun to leave out on the coffee table for folks to notice. Trust me, it‟s all good fun...or is it? What‟s that scratching noise behind the couch? Did you notice that smiling fellow in your yard has moved a little closer to the house? Of course, it‟s nothing. Just a figment of your imagination. Or maybe it isn‟t. Just in case, couldn‟t hurt to be preing to wonder about the pink flamingo pared. Between me and you, I‟m start- as well. 7

CELEBRATE! The Compost Pile is a publication of the Okaloosa County Master Gardener Association. OCMGA is a volunteer organization sponsored by Okaloosa County Extension and the University of Florida IFAS. Marg Stewart, Editor and Web Master Linda Meyers, Shari Farrell, and Karen Harper, Co-Editors Submit articles and ideas to mgstewart2008@yahoo.com

Your member site: www.ocmgamembers.org

Karen Harper

September has some notable holidays and observances besides Labor Day. The 3rd week of September is National Farm Animal Awareness Week. In acknowledging the many useful contributions that are made by farm animals, may we remind you that the riding stables on Eglin AFB have a steady supply of manure, contributed daily by some very cooperative horses. This wonderful fertilizer is free for the taking. All you need is base access. You load, you haul, all you want, all the time, any time. The 4th week of September is national Dog Week, time to honor our loyal canine companions. Single-day observances include September 17th: National Apple Dumpling Day. Check out the great recipe link at www.ocmga.org, timely tidbits page. And if you feel like annoying someone with relentless cheerfulness, then September 24th was made for you. It‟s National Bluebird of Happiness Day.

LAST WORD As I ambulated diagonally across the rectangular portion of vegetation, I inadvertently disturbed a formicarium. I‟ll get back to this awful sentence in a minute. I wrote it to make a point. Earlier this year I discovered that my new raised beds are infected with bacterial wilt. After seeking some advice, I was told that it will only affect those plants in the Solanaceae (yes I looked up the spelling) family. Great. Being a Master Gardener I didn‟t want to look like an idiot and say “Solawhat?” So I now know that family covers, potato, tomato, eggplant, tomatillo and a few others. This led me to ponder— wouldn‟t it have been just as easy to say “tomato, eggplant etc., etc.” Granted, we‟re supposed to supply scientifically based information to our clients BUT—here‟s the thing we need to remember—our clients aren‟t necessarily up on Latin names, structures of plants or the chemicals commonly involved in gardening. Quite a few of the people we help may end up the same way I did, getting the correct answer but not knowing what the correct answer actually said!

Marg Stewart I caught myself the other day trying to explain something about the computer to a non-computer person and realized they had a very dazed look. I had been using common computer terms (at least they were to me) but the person I was helping didn‟t have any idea what I was talking about! Once we established the knowledge level, the frustration on both our parts vanished. So, what‟s the solution to avoid this? We need to remember that when we‟re helping someone, pay attention to their skill level. Are they using the „scientific‟ words (and using them properly) or are they using the common terms? If they‟re using the common terms, we should do the same and back up those phrases with the scientific ones. Oh, the first horrible sentence? Translated into common English it says: As I walked across the lawn I disturbed an ant mound. Thanks Ed Smith for the word formicarium. I can honestly say that‟s one I won‟t be using any time soon!

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Abraham Lincoln The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....An equal opportunity institution.