What's At Stake With My Palms?

Teresa,
We have 5' tall Bismark Palms along our driveway. Heavy winds have caused them to lean to one side. Should we stake them to try to straighten them? Thank you.

M.


M. 
Thanks for writing and listening to "In Your Backyard." Great question. Most times, if palms have 6' of trunk they don't need to be staked. Have you tried to correct the leaning? If you have and they keep leaning, I would stake them through the next 8- 9 months. I don't know how far apart you have them. So I've attached two photographs of bracing examples from the Seabreeze Nursery in South Florida. Be careful not to nail into the trunk or damage the trunk's bark.

Photo use and instructions courtesy
 of Seabreeze Nursery, Ft. Myers, Florida

How to brace palms:

• Use a tripod or quadripod wood support system to brace them.
• Wrap 3-foot-long 2-by-4-inch planks with multiple layers of burlap or old blanket fabric as padding.
• Fasten these padded plants vertically around the palm trunk with metal strapping.
• Nail the strapping into the planks, making sure no nail tips pierce the palms' trunk.
• Then, place long 2-by-4-inch boards at an angle from the trunk to create a support structure.
• Nail an end of the long plank to each padded plank piece strapped onto the trunk. 
• If soil is sandy, wedge the long plank bottoms into the soil to brace the tree.

More photos and information from the University of Florida on staking palms.

I would leave the bracing through the hurricane season (end of November). It should have enough root support by then to stay upright. I know that it sounds like a lot of trouble and expense, but the cost of the Bismarcks and that you want them to survive and be beautiful for years to come, makes it worthwhile!

Hope this helps!
Teresa

Preparing For Irene - Is Your Backyard Ready?

UPDATE: 8/30/11 Irene didn't give Florida a bit of trouble. Unfortunately flooding, winds, dune destruction, and at least 18 died from the hurricane's damage.

UPDATE:  2pm Monday - Looks like Irene may be heading to northeast towards Charleston now. Hopefully we'll still get some of the beneficial rainfall.   

Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 is heading our way. She is expected to skirt Central Florida's east coast Friday and while only a category one storm now and possibly increase to a category two on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, we will still get a lot of winds and rain.  Is your yard and home ready?

What should you do in your yard to prepare for a hurricane:

• Remove any dead branches, fronds, or limbs from trees and palms that could possibly break.
• Check yard and remove any patio furniture and toys that could become wind projectiles.
• Turn off irrigation now so that your landscape is not saturated by the time the storm arrives.
• Check gutters to remove any debris that will clog or backup.

Check your hurricane supply list and make sure you have everything necessary to be comfortable if power goes out.in your area.  Remember the power companies do know when power is out in an area and will have extra crews ready to get your electricity back on. Never let children or pets outside to walk around when electrical lines are down.  If your electricity is out, you can use your grill outside to make coffee or meals. Never use a charcoal grill indoors due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Irene is our first guest and this will be a good test for Florida to prepare for a normal hurricane season of three to seven tropical storms and named hurricanes.  Florida receives most of necessary rainfall during the hurricane season so we do need the heavy rainstorms. 

Florida Winter Is Driest In 80 Years

Florida set records this year in more ways than one.  Not only did we have colder temperatures earlier (November) but from October through February, it was also the driest winter in eighty years. In December, we had less than an inch of rain for the entire month, January we had 2" - 3" more than normal, and in February, there was less than an inch. March's month totals look to be below the average 3" with no rain anticipated for the next week, leaves Florida in a rainfall deficit.

The lack of hurricanes and tropicals storms last fall, and the lack of adequate rainfall this winter means that lake levels are low, wells will be running dry, and the aquifer will be low with more saltwater intrusion. 

These conditions mean that more landscapes will fail and high maintenance lawns will not survive. Reducing your fertilizing schedule, retrofit your irrigation to be efficient, watering only when your yard shows signs of stress will help your lawn manage till summer rains set in.

Inefficient irrigation system doesn't have head to head coverage.

Want more ways to drought proof your lawn? Check out the University of Florida's recommendations.

Last Days of Summer "In Your Backyard"

Fall is almost upon us. The sycamores and red maples are changing color, humidity is down, and pulling weeds doesn't seem like a chore. After a long, hot summer, this past weekend was cleanup time with advantageous weeds feeling their oats, invasive queen palms from a neighboring yard sprouting up, and hornets buzzing around overgrown shrubs that have been easily unattended since last year. But my roses, lantana, and blackberry lilies are blooming, and the red fountain grass looks lovely, swaying in the wind. No lawn to mow, thankfully. I broke that habit five years ago!

With the temperatures cooling, this is the time to start providing nutrients to your turfgrass with a 15-0-15 fertilizer. Applying fertilizer now, according to the label's instructions, will allow your turf to recover from the stress of summer and prepare for winter freezes. The 15-0-15 analysis will give the grass the nitrogen it needs to green up and grow, while the potassium (the last number on the bag) will create thicker cell walls which will enable the grass to survive extreme freezes. It's important to apply potassium because it's not absorbed as easily as nitrogen. It may take several months for the grass to get the full benefit of the application. If you wait till November or December for a potash or potassium application, your grass may not be growing as readily and be unprepared for an early freeze. No need for phosphorus in your turf fertilizer unless you have had a soil analysis that advises you to apply it. Remember phosphorus encourages flowering and fruiting - which turf doesn't need. It also helps plants have a healthy root system, but there is usually enough in Florida's soils to address this need.

Do you know what you're buying when you buy fertilizer? Do you understand what the analysis and the nutrients? The University of Florida has an excellent publication that will allow you to make a good decision when purchasing fertilizer. Always read the label and follow instructions - more is not better!

With the predicted rain this weekend, let the natural rainfall prepare your lawn for fertilizing and then apply the fertilizer after the rain, not before! Don't let it slip away in your stormwater runoff!

I've been warning about hurricane winds and large tree damages for several months now but this year despite having 11 hurricanes, only one hurricane, Bonnie, skirted South Florida. I drove by this Orlando home yesterday with a huge tree that went over in a windy storm this week. It was an old live oak and had been hollow for some time. It missed the house by a few feet.

There's some great gardening finds at the local farmers market this time of year! Look at these beauties that I found at the Winter Park Farmers Market!

The tree-like topiary is an olive tree, Oleo europeana, I love it. Olive trees are becoming a top favorite with Florida gardeners.

Hurricane Earl

An awesome photograph of Hurricane Earl from outer space taken by NASA Astronaut Douglas Wheelock. Will Hurricane Earl threaten Florida gardens? At this time, it looks like we will just be subjected to rain and 15-foot waves on our coast. But, this time of the year, you should always be prepared for hurricanes. Hurricane Fiona is right behind Earl.

You can follow Doug Wheelock's tweets and more beautiful photographs on Twitter.