Download - November 2011
11
Inside this
issue:
Coming events 2
Critter calendar 3
November
gardening
3
Spring Ahead,
Fall Back
4
Weed of the
Month
5
Conference 6
Book Review 6
Last Word 7
...for discerning weeders November, 2011
DON’T FORGET!
You have to log your
hours onto the VMS
system!
Cool suggestions Linda Meyers
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 high-
er 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 sit-
ting 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 low-
er 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 ex-
tra 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 tem-
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 Septem-
ber - October) application of fertilizer con-
taining nitrogen is also not recommended
for our area. It will promote shoot growth
in the fall, when grass growth and metabo-
lism are slowing down, this will deplete
carbohydrate reserves, which help the grass
regrow from any stress, and will also pro-
duce 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 microenviron-
ment as a result of extra canopy cover pro-
vided 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, Lau-
rie E. Trenholm
and J. Bryan
Unruh
22
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
AMERICA RECYCLES DAY
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 19th
10:00am to 3:00pm
SANTA ROSA MALL
FOOD COURT AREA
Master Gardener
Christmas Party
and
Silent Auction
December 7th
9am until 12 noon
Extension Office
Old Bethel Road
33
A Walk on the Wild Side Linda Meyers
Courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension
Cooler weather, football, local fairs and the wonderful
holidays with family and friends are just around the cor-
ner. This is also a great time to enjoy wildlife that is ar-
riving for the winter. Happenings in our area are:
Birds:
Set up winter seed and suet feeders. Cedar waxwings
come south for the winter. Their flocks can be seen on
cedars, hollies, cherry laurels, privet, and other fruit
plants. Look for downy, hairy, red-bellied, and redhead-
ed woodpeckers on suet feeders. Bald eagles begin their
nesting season. Look for spectacular aerial courtship
displays. Sandhill cranes return in full force from their
breeding grounds up north. Many yellow-rumped war-
blers and palm warblers will be in neighborhoods, natu-
ral areas, and yards. Gray catbirds have already arrived
and will be skulking (and cat-calling!) in thickets. King-
lets, phoebes, robins, and other northern songbirds have
arrived for the winter.
Mammals:
Peak of deer rutting in central and north Florida. Bears
are on the move and crossing roads. Look for migrating
Hoary and Red Bats in North Florida. Hoary is a large
bat with frosted fur.
Amphibians:
Ornate chorus frogs begin calling.
Trees:
Cypress begin turning a rust color.
Fish:
Spotted sea trout should enter tidal creeks around
Thanksgiving.
November Gardening.....
Shari Farrell
With leaves still falling, it‟s almost too early to get out the
rakes. What we can do is get a head start on what has clut-
tered the beds and yard.
Mulch! Shredding leaves and pine straw will make the eco-
nomically free mulch available to most of us. It‟s a dusty,
dirty job and well worth the effort. Granted, a majority of
gardeners appreciate the finished look of bark mulch or
pine straw which can be obtained by using these materials
as the final layer. The thicker layer of „natural‟ mulch that is
hidden from view means less pocket money is needed to
attain the „look.‟
Other shredded materials from the clean-up process also
adds to the free layer. Those ginger and canna stalks, pas-
sion vines, small twigs, and discarded vegetable plants add
nutrients to the mixture. If available, a layer of home
grown, finished compost applied will help break down the
plant materials. Purchased compost will do the same great
job, just be sure the label reads desiccated or dried. Water-
ing between each layer also aids in the break down and
gives us a realistic depth to work with.
Often our neighbors put bags of leaves at the curb for the
trash men to haul away; just be sure the neighbor hasn‟t
added pet droppings or seeded weeds to the mixture. An-
other caveat to consider is the neighbor‟s use of chemicals
when cut grass is an addition. Those herbicides will defi-
nitely affect the soil and any planned seed germination.
This is where getting to know the neighbors is another ben-
efit.
Not everyone has the availability of a dedicated shredder;
using a string trimmer/weed eater in a strong container
does a great job. Just remember to limit the contents or the
storm created will have astronomic consequences! Another
alternative is putting dried debris in a large trash bag and
crushing the contents by walking on it.
Organic mulch is the best additive to the landscape.
Share your thoughts and ideas with the Editor so we can
post them in the December edition!
44
Spring Ahead.....Fall Back Karen Harper
Love it or hate it, we'll all be doing the semi-annual ad-
justment at 2:00 AM November 6 when we set our clocks
back an hour. But why do we have Daylight Saving Time?
How did this practice get started? And more importantly,
can we ever get rid of it? DST is observed in most of the
U.S. and its territories But the federal government
doesn't require U.S. states or territories to observe day-
light saving time which is why Hawaii, American Samoa,
Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and most of Arizo-
na (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation
in Arizona) don't have DST. Indiana, which used to be
split with a portion of the state observing DST and the
other half not, is now whole with the entire state of Indi-
ana observing DST as of April 2006. DST is also observed
in about 70 other countries. Why do we have Daylight
Saving Time to begin with? Well, the main idea has been
to save energy with DST but the jury is still out as to
whether it actually does result in energy savings. And
there are a number of studies that show detrimental ef-
fects on health. And more than a few opinion polls indi-
cate that most people don't much care for it.
We can blame Ben Franklin—of the "early to bed and
early to rise" fame— for the original concept, since he was
apparently the first person to suggest the idea of daylight
savings. While serving as U.S. ambassador to France in
Paris, Franklin wrote of being awakened at 6 a.m. and
realizing, to his surprise, that the sun would rise far earli-
er than he usually did. He thought of the resources that
might be saved if he and others rose earlier and burned
less midnight oil. However, Franklin did not suggest a
plan for implementing his idea. It wasn't until World War
I that daylight saving time was instituted on a large scale.
Germany was the first state to adopt the time changes, to
reduce artificial lighting and thereby save coal for the war
effort. Many countries followed suit. In the U.S. a federal
law standardized the yearly start and end of daylight sav-
ing time in 1918—for the states that chose to observe it.
During World War II, the U.S. made daylight saving
time mandatory for the whole country, as a way to save
wartime resources. Between February 9, 1942, and Sep-
tember 30, 1945, the government took it a step further.
During this period daylight saving time was observed year
-round, essentially making it the new standard time, if
only for a few years.
The American law by which we turn our clock forward in
the spring and back in the
fall is known as the Uniform
Time Act of 1966. Since the
end of World War II,
though, daylight saving time
has always been optional for U.S. states. Its beginning
and end have shifted—and occasionally disappeared.
During the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, the U.S. once
again extended daylight saving time through the winter,
resulting in a one percent decrease in the country's elec-
trical load, according to federal studies of the time.
Thirty years later the Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed
both the starting and ending dates. Beginning in 2007,
daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in
March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
So, does DST save energy? It depends on whose study
you choose to believe. In recent years several studies
have suggested that daylight saving time doesn't actually
save energy—and might even result in a net loss.
In the U.S., the state of Indiana provided a good oppor-
tunity for comparison since prior to 2006 only 15 of the
state's 92 counties observed daylight saving time. When
the whole state adopted DST, before-and-after energy
uses were studied. Indications were that while the use of
artificial lights dropped, an increase in air-conditioning
use more than offset any energy gains. It seems that peo-
ple got home an hour earlier to a warmer house and they
turned on the a/c. But how do people feel about DST?
National surveys by Rasmussen Reports show that 83
percent of respondents knew when to move their clocks
ahead in spring 2010. Twenty-seven percent, though, ad-
mitted they'd been an hour early or late at least once in
their lives because they hadn't changed their clocks cor-
rectly. Other telephone surveys by Rasmussen Reports
from 2009 and 2010 show that most people just "don't
think the time change is worth the hassle." Forty-seven
percent agreed with that statement, while only 40 percent
disagreed.
Here's a question that has puzzled some: In many
states, liquor cannot be served after 2 a.m. But at 2 a.m.
in the fall, the time switches back one hour. So, why can't
they serve for that additional hour in the fall? The an-
swer: the bars do not close at 2 a.m. but actually at 1:59
a.m. So, they are already closed when the time changes
from Daylight Saving Time into Standard Time. Gotcha!
55
Fall has definitely come to NW
Florida! Driving at this time of year
the ditches and the wood's edge
along the roadsides are brightened
with the yellow and gold flowers of
Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.), Golden
Aster (Chrysopsis spp.), Silkgrass
(Pityopsis spp.), Sunflowers
(Helianthus
spp.), and
Goldenrods
(Solidago
spp.). Climbing
high in the
trees a vine of
gold and scar-
let leaves is
adding to the
show. This is
most likely the native wild grapevine
Muscadine. A favorite and important
food of our wildlife, wild grape can
be a weedy, nuisance vine in our gar-
dens. Wild grape is also known as
muscadine, scuppernong, and south-
ern fox grape, and is valued for its
edible, tasty fruit. Wild grape grows
from Texas to south Florida, north to
Delaware, and west to Missouri.
Muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifo-
lia Michx.) is a commonly occurring
high-climbing woody vine growing
to 60‟-100‟ in the wild.
The grape vines will grow in full
sun to partial shade.
The leaves are simple, heart
shaped, deciduous, and about 4" by
4". The rounded leaves have coarsely
serrate edges and are smooth, dark
green above and green tinged yellow,
somewhat hairy below. They occur
alternately along the stem.
Muscadine grape has inconspicu-
ous yellow-green flowers from April
through June.
The fruit is a 1” round berry/grape
that ripens between July and Sep-
tember. It is green at first, turns red
to purple to black with tan spots
when ripe. The berries grow in small
clusters of no more than 12 or as
single grapes. The skin of the fruit is
very thick but separates from the
flesh of the fruit easily.
It is a favorite food for birds, white-
tailed deer, wild turkey, raccoon,
skunk, squirrel, opossum and black
bears.
Humans also enjoy the unique
fruity flavor of the grapes and make
jellies, jams, juices, and wines from
the fruit.
Wild grape is prolific because
mockingbirds, cardinals, and robins
spread the seed to various areas
away from the original vine.
Wild Turkey and quail consume
fruit that has fallen to the ground.
White-tailed deer readily consume
leaves, twigs and the ripe fruit that
grows within their reach or have fall-
en from the vine. Deer will eat wild
grapes no matter where they grow or
what variety - in the woods or in
your garden!
Commercial production is small,
but muscadine grapes are widely
grown for home use and local mar-
kets in southeastern states.
Native Americans in Florida also
made a blue dye from the grapes.
Wild grapes have been hybridized
and grown since the 1500‟s. For
more information on selection of
Muscadine grape varieties and gen-
eral care please read the University
of Florida publication titled “The
Muscadine Grape” http://
edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs100
“If you want to get rid of the vines,
first cut them close to the ground.
Immediately paint the stump with
glyphosate. The upper portion will
die once it is cut. It may take a few
days but ultimately the vine will die
and then it will be easier to remove
from the trees. Reapplication of the
herbicide may be necessary for best
control.” http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/
horticulture/questions/other.html
Weed of the Month Jenny Gillis
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
November 11th Annex and
Extension Office closed
Annex closed
the weekends of
Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years
November 16th
Board Meeting
November 19th
America Recycles Day
December 7th
Christmas Party
December 14th
Board Meeting
66
31st Florida Master Gardener
Continued Training Conference Courtesy of UF/IFAS
The State conference was held at the
Royal Plaza Hotel in Lake Buena
Vista, Florida on October 24th
through the 26th.
There were two pre-conference tours
offered on Sunday. Where Plants
Come From included tours of Knox
Nursery, DeRoose Plants and Agris-
tarts. Where Plants End Up included
a tour of Harry P. Leu Gardens and
Lukas Nursery.
The first full day of the conference
included General Session seminars:
Groceries from the Garden, What’s
New in IPM, and Gardening Sustain-
ability. Concurrent sessions: Turf
selection, The Lazy Gardener, Camel-
lias, FFL training and updates, New
Foliage Plants, Success with Fruit in
Florida, Household Pests, Shade Gar-
dening, New Pests, and Community
Gardening.
Everyone enjoyed the reception at
poolside that followed the first day of
seminars.
Tuesday began with the 4-H ID and
judging contest.
The general session was Flower Pow-
er: The People-Plant Connection.
Concurrent sessions included: FFL
training and updates, Attracting
Wildlife to the Landscape, Citrus Pest
Update, Tea Time with Dr. Bart, Se-
crets of the Pros, Backyard Bee Keep-
ing and Patio and Small Space Gar-
dening.
A full day of informative seminars
was followed by the horticulture auc-
tion.
Wednesday was the plated awards
breakfast and was followed by Tom
MacCubbin UF Extension Agent
Emeritus who presented Gardening
Challenges.
Next year‟s Training Conference has
already been scheduled and will be
held on October 1st through the 3rd
and will be in Clearwater, Florida.
If you haven’t attended a conference
and you are able to make the trip, it
is a great source of information,
meeting Master Gardeners from all
over the State and a lot of fun.
Congratulations to the Okaloosa
County award winners! Charlie
Reuter for Communications and
Fisher House crew for Special Audi-
ences!
Book Review Marg Stewart
Duane Campbell has
been a syndicated
humor/garden col-
umnist for over 30
years. While Mr.
Campbell has an im-
pressive resume, he
states: “I am not an
expert...I am a home
gardener with dirty
hands...through the
decades I have
learned more, usually
by screwing up, and I
managed to stay two
weeks ahead of my
audience.” You
guessed it, this is not your normal reference book. There
is a helpful index to the tools and tricks mentioned but
mostly it is a „gardener‟ (yeah, okay the guy is an expert
no matter what he says) pondering on frass, bilko doors,
begonias, concrete reinforcing wire and the desire to fi-
nally use those pesky garden journals he has laying
around.
With the weather getting cooler and perhaps a bit more
time on our hands, this is a great book to curl up with and
simply enjoy. It‟s nice to know that even an expert has
many of the same issues we do in the garden.
Learn how to calculate when to start seeds without need-
ing a slide rule, learn that when you get to the „article‟ ti-
tled Animals, put down the iced tea and perhaps make a
trip to the facilities first. Don‟t say I didn‟t warn you.
Even though we‟re in the South and Mr. Campbell is in
Pennsylvania, you‟ll get a laugh and probably learn a few
new tricks at the same time.
77
Master Gardener|
Plant Sale
A very big
THANK YOU
to everyone who worked so hard
to make this event a success
88
Your member site:
www.ocmgamembers.org
The Foundation for the Gator
Nation.....An equal opportunity
institution.
LAST WORD Marg Stewart
Have pictures or an idea for
an article?
Send it in!
Articles and pictures are
always welcome.
Instead of being tucked in bed like
any normal person, I‟m sitting at the
computer at 4am. Don‟t ask. I will
say this, the house makes weird noises
at this hour when no one else is awake
and all the appliances are turned off.
You don‟t realize how much noise
there is in a normal day until you find
yourself without it.
That got me to thinking about the
„noise‟ we have in our lives generally.
Between all the electronic gadgets that
we rely on, the people we are around,
traffic, planes.....none of that can
compare to the „noise‟ we generate in
our own minds.
The holidays are coming up and if
you haven‟t started already, the inter-
nal list maker will soon be in full
force. There are guests to attend to,
schedules to juggle, meals to plan and
prepare. There are gifts to get, wrap-
ping to be done. Don‟t forget the deco-
rating and the baking!
Cold weather is approaching fast
and we‟ve got to make sure we have
the cold protection in place. There are
still garden chores to be done and
spring planning to take care of.
Needless to say, it can be difficult to
keep your composure and your sanity
while all the „noise‟ is going on.
We all need to remember that we
MUST make some quiet time for our-
selves during this hyper-busy time.
Even if it‟s a quiet walk around the
yard to just enjoy the cool air.
If you have to make a list, decide on
what is most important to you during
this holiday season. Attend to what is
important first. Ask for help when you
need it and remember that sometimes
things won‟t get done. Remember, no
one is going to recall that you didn‟t
have 27 strings of Christmas lights
adorning your trees. What they‟ll re-
member is the warmth of your compa-
ny and the joy of your time.
DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!
“As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
NEXT MONTH!
THE YEAR IN REVIEW!
PICTURES, PICTURES AND
MORE PICTURES