Dirty Word of The Day - Diapause

Diapause: a period of time in the life cycle of insects where they don't grow or develop and their body functions slow down a lot.

Read more about survival strategies of insects.

Can Genetically Altered Plants Prevent Global Warming?

Could forests of genetically altered plants help sequester billions of carbon from the atmosphere annually and stave off global warming? That's the focus of research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists.

Besides increasing the efficiency of plants' absorption of light, researchers might be able to genetically alter plants so they send more carbon into their roots--where some may be converted into soil carbon and remain out of circulation for centuries. Other possibilities include altering plants so that they can better withstand the stresses of growing on marginal land, and so that they yield improved bioenergy and food crops. Such innovations might, in combination, boost substantially the amount of carbon that vegetation naturally extracts from air, according to the authors' estimates.

Read more here.

Bees Do It But Who Else Does It?

The recent news of solving the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder has brought out the necessity of protecting honeybees and pollination. But did you know that bees aren't the only pollinators? Here in Florida, we are fortunate to have many of Mother Nature's benefactors who keep us in blooms and food. It's important to re-establish native flowers, shrubs, and trees to encourage pollinator populations to increase.

Different species of insects, and different sizes of those insects have specific plants that are targeted along the pollinator's daily route. Flying insects like large bees, small bees, wasps, and beetles like Marsh mallow, Kostelezkya virginica , butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa , Black cherry, Prunus serotina, and winged sumac, Rhus copallina. Deer and horse flies are more familiar to Floridians as pests but are still important pollinators.
For more information, check out Hernando County's Florida Native Plant Society's article on Florida pollinators and their habitats by Sharon LaPlante.

Find out more about Florida native plants.

Florida native plant nurseries links:

• Association of Florida Native Nurseries
• Florida Native Plant Society
• Florida Native Plants - Sarasota
• Biosphere - Winter Garden
• B. B. Brown's Gardens - Clermont (352) 429-5566
• All Native Plants - San Antonio, FL
• Hawthorn Hill Native Wildflower and Rare Plant Nursery - Sarasota
• Sandhill Growers - wholesale

David Austin Lists Five New Roses For 2011

An English watercolor artist, one of the most famous gardens in the world, fine bone china, a Scottish ballad, and the commemoration of the 250th year of a Scottish poem are the inspirations for David Austin's newest roses debuting in 2011. The five new English Roses are a pure-white "Susan Williams-Ellis", an open 5-petal white "Kew Gardens", a feminine apricot "Lady of Shalott", a cabbage petal rose-pink "The Wedgwood Rose" and an intense cerise "Tam o' Shanter". Fragrant and easy to grow, roses can be the highlight of any garden.

Susan Williams-Ellis

Kew Gardens

The Lady of Shalott

The Wedgwood Rose

Tam O' Shanter

David Austin is considered to be one of the best rosarians in the world. His roses combine intense fragrance of old roses with the continuous blooms of newer hybrids. Sizes vary but they usually grow fuller than hybrid teas or floribundas. The result is that the roses have the beauty of antique roses but more color choices. Except for the Susan Williams-Ellis rose, these English roses can be grown in Zone 9, with full sun, moderate watering. I have had great results using a systemic three-one fertilizer, pesticide, and disease control, like Bayer's All-in-One.

Make sure that your roses are either widely spaced away from each other or that your rose garden bed utilizes micro-irrigation. Overhead watering and rain can create more opportunity for disease issues, like black spot on roses.

You can order a free David Austin Rose catalog here.

Helpful links:

How to grow roses in Florida.

How to grow roses in South Florida

Pruning Roses.

Pests of Roses in Florida.

Heirloom Roses

Old Roses

Climbing Roses

American Rose Society

The All American Rose Selections

Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Solved?

In a collaborative effort between scientists and military, the mystery behind what is killing honeybee colonies throughout the United States and Europe may be solved. Since 2006, over a third of the managed honeybee colonies in the United States have disappeared. One of the difficulties in determining what was causing the mass death of millions of honeybees was that scientists could not perform autopsies on bees. Once afflicted the bees don't die immediately but fly away from their hive and die. Causes of the high death rate have been blamed on everything from cellphones, global warming, mites, pollution, pesticides, to genetically modified food. Fortunately a cure may not be far off.

A fungus tag-teaming with a virus have apparently interacted to cause the problem, according to a paper by Army scientists in Maryland and bee experts in Montana in the online science journal PLoS One.

Exactly how that combination kills bees remains uncertain, the scientists said — a subject for the next round of research. But there are solid clues: both the virus and the fungus proliferate in cool, damp weather, and both do their dirty work in the bee gut, suggesting that insect nutrition is somehow compromised.

Read more about the unique technology that a brother tag-team and Army specialists combined to find the facts behind Honeybee Colony Collapse disorder.

Plant Sales Galore In Your Backyard

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus

The past week, our garden has turned another seasonal corner. Cooler nighttime temperatures in the 60's for Central Florida don't compare to International Falls, MN, lows in the 30's but its a grand feeling to open up the windows for the breezes.

October 9th is a plant extravaganza weekend! Two opportunities to find great plants for your fall garden.

Saturday at the Discovery Gardens in Tavares is the Lake County Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale. from 9am to 1 pm. Take note that Central Florida gardeners start lining up very early to buy great bargains for their landscapes. Bring a wagon! You'll need it for everything from flowers, ornamental shrubs, to fall vegetables and herbs. It's also an opportunity to visit the 3.5 acre Discovery Gardens, located on 4.5-acres with an expanding one-acre plant evaluation area. Over twenty uniquely themed gardens can be walked and photographed. The gardens feature more than 600 different plants and also demonstrates Florida-friendly best management practices.

Location and for more information:

Lake County Extension Office
1951 Woodlea Rd.
Tavares, FL 32778
(352) 343-4101

Then head on over to Orange County, where Knox Nursery, a second-generation family nursery will have an Open House with tours from 11am to 2pm. Specializing in beautiful annuals, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and herbs, the nursery will definitely have the right plants to decorate your backyard.

Location and for more information:

Knox Nursery, Inc.
940 Avalon Road
Winter Garden, Fl 34787
407-654-1972 - 1-800-441-5669

Directions to Knox Nursery.

If you've been waiting out our summer heat, this weekend couldn't be better for buying plants! Don't miss these plant sales!

Bird of Paradise Discovery

Bilirubin is an effective lipid-soluble antioxidant that compares with Vitamin E in its protection from cellular damage. Bilirubin is responsible for the yellowish color of bruises and unbalanced amounts of bilirubin can cause jaundice in newborn infants. The Department of Biological Sciences has now discovered that the pigment, once only thought of as being found in animals and humans, is also available in the tropical white Bird of Paradise plant. The science breakthrough was published in the American Society for Horticultural Science's journal HortScience September 2010 issue. The findings may allow scientists to experiment and create new color and breeding in plants.

Growing white Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia nicolai in Florida.

How to maintain white Bird of Paradise.

Orange And Gang Meet Bonsai Trees

This is disturbing on so many levels.

How Many Tomatoes Does It Take?

Courtesy of the Peterson Farm in Georgia, I found this handy tomato conversion chart for recipes grown from your garden:

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes equals 3 cups chopped and drained fresh tomatoes.

1 (16-oz) can equals 2 cups drained tomatoes or 1 cup undrained tomatoes.

1 (28-oz) can equals 3 cups undrained or 2 to 2 1/2 cups drained tomatoes.

1 (35-oz) can equals 3 cups undrained or 2 to 2 1/2 cups drained tomatoes.

25 to 30 cherry tomatoes equals 2 cups chopped tomatoes.

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste equals 3/4 cup.

An average bushel of tomatoes weighs about 53 lb (25 kg). When quartered and canned, this quantity of tomatoes will yield 15 to 20 – 1 large jar. You’ll need 2 ½ to 3 lb (1.2 to 1.4 kg) fresh tomatoes per 1 large mason jar.

Central Florida Residents Fighting Invasive Plants

Central Florida lakefront homeowners are seeing nuisance invading plants like hydrilla taking over. Past years' drought and wintertime temperatures have reduced the amount of native tropical aquatics allowing non-native species to grow abundantly clogging up canals and shorelines. Local city and county departments are helping homeowners clean up their lakes.

"We've seen a very strong rebound of the exotics [plants] that we've had at a very low level in the past," said Ron Novy, Orange's program manager of lake management. "It seems to be not just isolated incidents, but usually you see a pattern of heavy growth in one lake."

The issue concerns enough residents living near lakes in Orange each year that the county set up specific taxing districts to tackle the problem. Once residents approach the county about vegetation issues, they usually agree to pay an extra fee ranging from $25 to $150 annually on their tax bills that's similar to a garbage pickup fee, Novy said. The fees — the amount is based on the size of the plant problem or its complexity — are set aside to have county workers clean up the plants that have filled the lakes.

Read more.

Lake County Aquatic Plant Management
Orange County Lake Management
Osceola Aquatic Plant Management information
Seminole County Lake Management
Florida Aquatic Plant Management Regional Offices

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.

Blue Butterflies "In Your Backyard"

On the radio show, last week I had a great call from JJJ's Ornamental Nursery, a local nursery about a flower that looked like a butterfly. A blue butterfly that attracts butterflies! Decide for yourself.

I immediately thought of a large bush with blue flowers called Clerodendrum ugandense. They are large shrubs that do well in full sunlight or partial sunlight with rich soils. Also called Oxford bushes, this Kenyan native plant is zoned for 10-11, but will recover from any freezing in zones 8-9. Pruning the bush is recommended as it blooms on new growth.

You can find the beautiful Butterfly bushes at:

• JJJ's Nursery(352) 429-0539, 18421 County Road 33 Groveland, FL.
• Eldon Tropicals, Ocala, FL.
• Top Tropicals

Speaking of blue butterflies, the Miami Blue butterfly is still on Florida's endangered species list. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is now requesting information on the biological status of 61 species for rulings in November. Please check out the species listed and if you have any information that you feel is beneficial, make your voice known!

The FWC is specifically requesting information on:

• population size and trends;
• distribution and range;
• threats to the species;
• published population viability models; and
• specific aspects of the species' life history that may influence the range-wide and Florida-specific status of the species.

Information and data should be sent to:

Mail:
Biological Status Reviews
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Mail Station 2A
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600

E-mail:
Imperiled@MyFWC.com

Responses will be accepted until 5 p.m., Nov. 1, 2010.

Logger Calls Himself A "Forest Gardener"

In September 2010's issue of Family Handyman , there's a great story about Tim Carroll, an old-fashioned horse-logging operator in Minnesota. Working with clients to reduce the amount of construction impact on building sites, Carroll uses horses to haul away logs instead of modern tractors.

"Conventional logging calls for skid loaders. they not only tear up the woods but also require a lot of trees to be cut down for manuevering room. The horses, on the other hand, just leave a nice, long trail of road apples, and luckily, the remaining trees appreciate those." ~ Trace Larsen

Tim Carroll, a woodworker who also builds custom cabinets says about his work, "We're not loggers - we're forest gardeners."



Logging with Hoof and Heart

Cedar River Horse Logging

Studies Show That Plant Enzymes Prevent Skin Cancer

Great news for all of you sun worshippers in Florida: Scientists have found certain combinations of plant compounds can prevent skin cancer. The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio is conducting research with red grapes, that is proving to be successful at preventing skin cancer in mice.

"On the basis of our research, supplements and creams or sunscreens may be developed, tested in humans and then used to prevent skin cancer," said Zbigniew Walaszek, Ph.D., research associate professor of pharmacology at the Health Science Center.
The plant substances are being tested in SENCAR mice, which because of genetic manipulation are sensitive to skin cancer initiation and promotion/progression. The natural agents include resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, and grape seed extract. Others are calcium D-glucarate, a salt of D-glucaric acid, present in many fruits and vegetables and also the bloodstream, and ellagic acid, found in a host of berries and in walnuts.

Skin cancer affects over a million people a year. Finding a preventative would be certainly be miraculous.

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.

Lechuza, A New Choice For Garden Containers

Choosing garden containers for Florida's hot summers takes some forethought if you're going to be sustainable and keep your plants thriving.

With our high evapotranspiration in our subtropical and tropical climate,and if they choose a clay pot or a planter that allows the soil to dry out quickly, Florida gardeners can find themselves watering their container gardens once a day. But new European designed pots may be the secret to never having to be afraid to leave your flowers in your container gardens high and dry.


Lechuza, a division of Playmobil, a worldwide corporation and yes, the maker of world-famous traditional children's toys, has created an intelligent self-watering planter for container gardens inside and outside your home.

Using the plant's natural root growth to create a sub-irrigation system of wicking water up through the plant's root system, Lechuza planters outdoors can depend on rainfall during Florida's rainy season without worrying that your container gardens will need constant attention. Establishing your plants first before leaving them to Mother Nature is critical but once that is done, Lechuza planters seem to be very low maintenance and water conserving.


The Lechuza Factory Outlet in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida has a wide array of modern and cottage containers to choose from. All of Lechuza's self-watering planters come with a pure mineral alternative to soil called Lechuza-Pons, an organic plant substrate created with pumice, zeolite, lava, and fertilizer. Added either to soil or used alone, Lechuza Pons will help your container plants thrive with little need to worry about fertilizing.

Lechuza's award-winning designs include classical lines, urban design, and cottage simplicity for every garden theme. The planters are made of durable plastic that can withstand heat without fading for a look of elegance for pool patios or your very own backyard botanical garden.

I couldn't resist purchasing a purple Cubico for my beautiful pink and green Calathea. It looks like a piece of furniture in our home and can now look out the window and receive great eastern exposure. Before it was in a porcelain pot placed on the floor. It is thriving with its new container.


Prices range from $30 for interior table top and herb container gardens through $180 for larger containers suitable for palms and smaller trees.

Pretty impressive for a toy manufacturer. Those of us who have handed down our Playmobil sets to our grandchildren to play with, know what quality toys Playmobil makes. Creating a beautiful, durable self-watering garden container with the same ingenuity and integrity, I'm looking forward to handing down my Lechuza planters to my grandchildren that will hold great memories of gardening with me.

California's Climate Change Fails Crops

Low-pressure systems in southern California during June and July and a cyclonic phenomenon called the "Catalina eddy effect" have increased inland cloud conditions keeping summer temperatures cooler. Except for the mountain ranges and desert regions, Southern California has experienced below normal temperatures since April.

For gardeners and farms that cooler season has prevented fruits and vegetables from ripening. Jill Morganelli, horticulture curator at the Los Angeles County Arboretum noted:

"The fruits and vegetables, the tomatoes and a lot of the citrus and things like raspberries are not ripening up because it's not getting hot long enough," she said, adding that some fruit could taste less sweet because less sun means less sugar content.

Morganalli said she has picked just one fully ripened tomato so far from her own summer garden.

Read more: Temperatures continue well below average in Southern California - Whittier Daily News

More climate change news:

Record Cold at LAX

Free Guide To Identifying Southern Invasive Plants

The USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station has created a free pdf download of invasive plant species, “A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.”

The book is a more comprehensive identification guide to nonnative trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns and forbs invading the region’s forests and other natural areas. The revised guide includes 23 more plant species with updated information on the original 33 species; 241 new photos and images and a new “Resembles” section so users can identify plant “look-alikes.”

The book’s appendix contains the most complete list of nonnative invasive plants in the 13 Southern states, providing common and scientific names for 310 other invading species including, for the first time, aquatic plant invaders.

Complete with color high density photographs, it takes a few minutes to download or you can email:

To: pubrequest@fs.fed.us
Subject: Publication Request
In email, type: Please send me: A field guide for the identification of invasive plants in southern forests (GTR-SRS-119) by Miller, James H.; Chambliss, Erwin B.; Loewenstein, Nancy J.

This publication should be in every Master Gardener Clinic, County Extension office, Master Naturalist, eco-tourism guide, and environmentalist's library. The pdf is an updated version of their original publication from 2003.

Leading Botanists To Speak At Garden Museum

Horticultural Week announced that South Africa's leading botanist Prof. Braam van Wyk, will be speaking on South Africa's Highveld Grasslands at the Garden Museum, London in September.

We have great memories of the 17th century Museum of Garden History, as it was formerly called. On our honeymoon, nearly five years ago, we discovered the hidden treasure in the Church of St. Mary-at-Lamberth near the Thames River and Westminster Palace. The former church and yard is small, with a cemetary that honors the buried Sir. John Transcendant and Captain Bligh, both important in horticulture. If you have the chance to visit, dont' miss this gardening jewel. Now that it's been renovated, I can't wait to go back and see the exhibitions.



You can see the enlarged photographs here: The History Of Gardening Museum, London, England

Road to Bali and Moonflowers

I'm always on the lookout for flower and gardening references in movies and commercials. I was thrilled to discover one of my favorite blooming flowers in the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope "On the Road" movie marathon this weekend. In "The Road To Bali" there was a great song about the exotic fragrant moonflowers.


Growing moonflowers is easy. Either find moonflowers in seed packets at the garden center or find someone with moonflowers. The seed pods are plentiful. You'll never need to buy moonflower seeds again. Make sure you soak the seed pod overnight and score the hard shell with a knife before planting. They will emerge quickly and seem to grow overnight to about 8 to 10 feet tall. This is a wonderful plant for children as it combines human senses; large, white flower that literally blossoms in front of your eyes for sight, heady perfume for smell, and it opens at night.

Moonflowers in "The Road To Bali" should be the clue that this annual vine will freeze in cold weather. But finding the flowers in bloom and seed now will allow you to save them for next spring.


You can hear Dorothy Lamour singing the song here.

MOONFLOWERS

From the film "Road To Bali" (1952)(Johnny Burke / Jimmy Van Heusen)

Romance comes with the moonflowers.

Tonight the moonflowers will be in bloom.

Love walks among the moonflowers.

I planted moonflowers outside my room.

I'll watch the path that winds by the wishing tree.

It ends beneath my window and there I'll be.

And there I'll wait for the love I longed for

Tonight the moonflowers may bloom anew.

(Orchestral Interlude)

I'll watch the path that winds by the wishing tree.

It ends beneath my window and there I'll be.

And there I'll wait for the love I long for

Tonight the moonflowers may bloom anew.

Summertime Finds For Your Backyard

I love new plants. Especially flowers that are one of a kind that are easy to grow and look as gorgeous as candelabras on a grand piano. I found the Candelabra clerodendron at Blodgett's Nursery on Edgewater in Orlando last Friday. Its' deep green leaves and upright white flowers took my breath away. Perfect for shade or partial sun, this clerodendron is new to the market and not easily available. In fact, when I talked to Mike Gibson, with Blodgett's, he said they only had four! I think I'm going back for more!



I can't find any research on them so I'll be taking notes and letting you know how they perform in my backyard!

Another colorful shade-loving ornamental is the Persian Shield, Strobialanthus dyerianus. Very drought-tolerant, easy care, no pest issues, and provides psychedelic colors of purple, gold, green, and many other colors depending on the light. It can grow to 5 feet tall in full sun, but in the shade it will only get to be 2 - 3 feet. In full sun they will need more water and suffer stress.

I'll be talking about citrus problems in your backyard with Charles Fedunak, Lake County's Horticultural Agent. If you have orange, grapefruit, or tangerine trees, you won't want to miss it!

Surface Temperatures of Natural and Synthetic Turfgrass Systems in Gaine...

University of Florida's Jason K. Kruse's summertime temperature comparisons between natural turfgrass and artificial turf.



Even if you have to mow it, real turfgrass is much better for the environment.

If You Can't Stand The Heat...

We're only mid-way through the summer and the heat is right on schedule. Rainfall is above average in Central Florida with Lake receiving nearly 53 inches, 5 inches over the norm. Orange and Seminole counties rainfall totals of 53 inches gives the residents 1 inch more than average.

So why is it so hot? It's July in a subtropical temperate zone! Thank goodness for air conditioning. Yes, we could be in Alaska with snow on the ground. Our aunt and uncle are visiting her home state and were given a weather buffet of everything you could ask for sun, rain, sleet, snow, but no heat.

As you can see with their beautiful photographs, Alaska's summertime flowers are Florida's wintertime annuals of lobelia, pansies, snapdragons, and phlox.

Okay, so it does look refreshing but it's not reality for Floridians. The bad news is that with our rainfall, expect to see more dollarweed, mushrooms, fungal diseases. Good news is that you don't really need to do anything to your turf but turn off the irrigation and let Mother Nature do the irrigating. Dollarweed can be reduced by reducing the amount of water your turf receives. It's too hot to spray herbicides. Mushroom spores are airborne and the mushrooms will eventually die. Fungicides are productive only if you spray them preventatively. If you can't get to Alaska, we're going to have to settle for a/c because we have at least three months till cooler weather arrives to our great outdoors.

Two weeks ago, WLBE's antennae took the brunt of a lightning strike that had the station out of operation for two weeks. Fortunately, last Tuesday the station had it repaired but not in time for "In Your Backyard." We're back this morning at 11:06 for your gardening questions. Looking forward to chatting with you.

Herbicide-Resistant Weeds Defy Being Rounded Up

The argument continues for environmentalists and anti-GM (genetically modified) protesters against chemical use in agriculture. David Mercer, AP is reporting on Breitbart:

The weed killer, known generically as glyphosate, is absorbed through plants' leaves and kills them by blocking the production of proteins they need to grow. At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers it to have little toxicity to people and animals, and aside from the plants it's sprayed on, it's less of a threat to the environment because it quickly binds to soil and becomes inactive.

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With increased reliance on Roundup, herbicide use on corn decreased from 2.76 pounds an acre in 1994 to 2.06 in 2005, the most recent year for which the U.S. Department of Agriculture has data. Spread that out over the 81.8 million acres planted in 2005, and it's a decrease of more than 57 million pounds of herbicides annually.

Farmers also found they could cut back or in some cases eliminate tilling, reducing erosion and fuel use.

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But with any herbicide, the more it's used, the more likely it'll run into individual plants within a species that have just enough genetic variation to survive what kills most of their relatives. With each generation, the survivors represent a larger percentage of the species.

St. Louis-based Monsanto maintains the resistance is often overstated, noting that most weeds show no sign of immunity.

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In Australia, weed scientist Stephen Powles has been a sort of evangelist for saving Roundup, calling it a near-miraculous farming tool.

Australia has been dealing with Roundup-resistant weeds since the mid 1990s, but changes in farming practices have helped keep it effective, Powers said. That has included using a broader array of herbicides to kill off Roundup resistant weeds and employing other methods of weed control.

As with most agricultural practices, specific herbicides are not silver bullets, especially when abused. Multiple, holistic approaches are needed for management. Overuse of any chemical, fertilizer, ingredient that is humanly applied will lead to Mother Nature arguing defensively on what actually should happen to her planet. We ultimately learn our lessons the hard way and the answer is usually a Goldilocks strategy, Not too much, not too little but just right.

In Your Backyard: Humidity Wins When You're Outside

You know summer is here when you open your front door and it feels like a laundryroom with the dryer going full blast. The heat and humidity is hard to overcome in our tropical climate. At least we have cross breezes from the ocean which bring us afternoon showers. I'll take them if we can get them but dont count on the weatherman's rain chance percentages.

What we could be seeing in the landscape are damages from fertilizing and using herbicides during the wrong time of year. When plants are dehydrated and heat-stressed, they are not able to absorb the chemicals adequately and can die.

Reading the manufacturers' instruction label is critical for all chemical applications. The label will tell you explicitly "Do not apply this product to turf under stress from drought, insects, disease, cold temperatures, high temperatures of above 85 degrees."

Don't have the label? Here's a great site to look up MSDS sheets: CDMS Agro-Chemical database.

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Father's Day coming up - let him take a break from yardwork. Tell him that for the next two months he doesn't need to fertilize or spray pesticides and you'll mow the lawn for him! Keep the grass cut high at 3-4 inches. Another great Father's Day gift is to have the lawn mower blades sharpened. He'll be able to get through that thick St. Augustinegrass. Sharp lawn mower blades keep the grass blades cut evenly, which means less susceptibility to pest problems!

If you have missed any of the last month's "In Your Backyard," you can find them at http://www.wlbe.org/ and click on the Past Shows.

Listen and call in with your gardening questions today at 11:06 am! Tell me what's going on in your backyard!

Get A Spine!

South Africa World Cup Turf Not A Level Playing Field

It's winter. There will be high traffic. Short-lived. It's not green enough. It's South African's native grass kikuyu. Not green enough? What is it with people having expectations of turf "green-ness?"

Well, when it's South Africa's World Cup games and literally, millions of people around the world are watching, the grass may not be green enough. Which is not settling well with black South Africans. They are proud of their native grass and reject the notion that it's not good enough for Europe.



Kikuyu is a fast-growing grass that spreads through rhizomes and stolons that was first introduced to the United States in 1915 . It tolerates sun, shade, and warm temperatures. But don't look for it here in the United States. It has the temperment of bermudagrass and is considered a federal noxious weed. The FIFA's solution is a combination of ryegrass and for the first time in World Cup history, artificial turf.

Millions of Africans have been saying it for years: the grass is greener in Europe. Now the world's football bosses have decided that Africa's indigenous grass is not bright enough for international television audiences.

In a major blow to South African pride in hosting next year's World Cup, stadiums used for top matches have been told to scrap their hardy African kikuyu pitches and switch instead to tender European ryegrass.

With warm season grasses, it's going to need more maintenance, more water, more fertilizer on the football (Soccer to us Yanks) stadium field than the kikuyu. Over-seeding with rye isn't catching on with South Africans who are frankly insulted that their field isn't up to European and HD television standards.

Let's hope FIFA gets the aesthetic look they want to achieve. Cape Town has wet winters this time of the year and the ryegrass hopefully will not turn yellow.

Tournament spokesman Rich Mkondo, agrees with the Sports Turf Research Institute in Yorkshire, England. He thinks that eventually South African soccer athletes will get used to the fancy, temporary turf. He reminds the world that as a boy, he played soccer with a tennis ball on gravel.

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Teresa' note: Now those vuvuzelas are another story! A whole month of listening to those might send me looking for the world's largest flyswatter! Those should be banned from the world!

Florida's Fishing And Beaches Still Not Affected By Oil Spill

UPDATE: Oil has reached Florida's beaches.

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Florida's fishing industry wants Floridians and tourists to know that the fishing in Florida is great! Despite all the MSM's devastating reports, rumors, and dire predictions about the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, Florida's beaches and waters remain at this time normal.

Noting that misconceptions spawned of misinformation have already levied heavy tolls on Florida's recreational fishing industry, Florida Guides Association President Capt. Pat Kelly said it best:

"I think somebody cried Big Bad Wolf, but the Big Bad Wolf hasn't started biting on us yet," Kelly said. "When we have some of the best guides in the state losing trips, something is wrong."

Like most that make their living from Florida's natural resources, Kelly said he harbors deep concern for any potential harm to local ecosystems. Highlight "potential." The damage to Louisiana's coastal marshes is sadly inescapable. Harm to Florida is not a foregone conclusion. In fact, as of this writing, no documented reports of oil in or near Florida waters exist. Beaches remain clean, state waters remain open and anglers are having no trouble bending rods with trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, tarpon, snapper, grouper and many others.

Read what is actually going on the men who are out there on the ocean.

Don't let your summer plans be ruined by assuming that you won't be able to fish or that the fish will be contaminated or killed by the oil.

This is the message of Florida's recreational fishing industry: Don't worry about something that has not happened, don't trust hype over facts and don't cancel plans to experience the nation's most diverse saltwater fishing.

In Your Backyard: Preparation Is Critical

June 1st signals the first day of hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin. This year NOAA has issued their projections of fifteen hurricanes with eight major storms. The hurricane names will be:

1. Hurricane Alex
2. Hurricane Bonnie
3. Hurricane Colin
4. Hurricane Danielle
5. Hurricane Earl
6. Hurricane Fiona
7. Hurricane Gaston
8. Hurricane Hermine
9. Hurricane Igor
10. Hurricane Julia
11. Hurricane Karl
12. Hurricane Lisa
13. Hurricane Matthew
14. Hurricane Nicole
15. Hurricane Otto
16. Hurricane Paula
17. Hurricane Richard
18. Hurricane Shary
19. Hurricane Tomas
20. Hurricane Virginie
21. Hurricane Walter

How many will hit Florida is yet in Fate's hands. But you need to be prepared!

By June 1st, all your preparations to weather a Category 1-5 hurricane should be completed. That means that you have enough food and water to last a few days, that weather stripping and house renovations are finished, and that your landscape and yard have had a walk-through to remove anything that could damage your house or be windblown during a storm.

Have you inspected your trees? Large limbs in older trees that form a vee and deep crotch could be weak and break or mask a hollow interior that will easily uproot with strong winds. Check out any limbs hanging over homes or are growing together. Look closely for heavy limbs that hang over homes, cross or rub together.

It's important to understand that it's not just pruning a tree, or cutting off limbs that will make it safe and healthy. Cutting trees improperly can make them more dangerous in a storm or and actually reduce the life of the tree. Never try to cut large trees yourself. Always use a certified arborist.

A certified arborist is the only person who should help homeowners make a decision on what limbs to prune or if a tree should be removed. You can easily find certified arborists through the International Society of Arborculture. By inputting your zip code, city, you can find several qualified arborists in your area. If you have an arborist's name or license number, you can verify his certification and good standing.

Before hiring an arborist, it's always a good idea to get three bids so that you feel comfortable that the service is actually needed and with the cost. Professionals understand that you will be calling other arborists for bids. That's part of the business. Don't be afraid to say that you need to check them out or get other bids to price check.

The best advice is to make sure that you're planting the right tree in the first place. The University of Florida/IFAS has enough studies that they now have determined which trees are the most wind-resistant. You can read that study here. It will save a lot of work and money in protecting your home during hurricanes if you select properly for your site.

Earth Day News: CO2 Isn't Harmful To Environment

More science based data on CO2's harmful effects: There's none.

CO2SCIENCE: Isolated for 42 days in chambers of ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations, we periodically document the growth of cowpea plants (Vigna unguiculata) via time-lapse photography.

In Your Backyard: Lots of Things To Do

If you didn't get to participate in any Earth Day events, there's still plenty to do:

This Friday, April 30th is National “Save the Frogs” Day, highlighting awareness of our amphibian friends and their habitats.

The Lake County Water Authority is hosting a wetland walk at Sawgrass Island Preserve for the public. It is limited to 15, RSVP 343-3777, ext. 0.

The Hike will start at 9:00 am in the northern parking area. Participants will visit the Preserve's seasonal wetlands dipping for salamanders and frogs. The biologist will talk about the native wildlife, importance of wetlands and the uplands that protect these fragile habitats. The 1,200-acre Sawgrass Island Preserve was purchased by LCWA in 1994 to protect the 600+ acre marsh at the north shore of Lake Yale.

I will be at EPCOT on Sunday, May 9th for the International Flower and Garden Festival to provide garden advice for your backyard. Looking forward to talking to Florida residents. I'll be posting photographs of all the great flower containers, topiaries, and scenery. It should be wonderful weather, come out and see me!

See previous year's International Flower and Garden Festival photographs at EPCOT.

The Lake County Water Authority's tour of their one year old NURF facility was incredible. It's amazing to see how the alum cleans up the polluted water of Lake Apopka that comes into the Beauclair Canal. If you didn't get a chance to visit, here are some of the highlights:




NURF Tour -April 22 -2010

Today's topics:

With the warmer temperatures we are now seeing an increase of flea infestations, not only on our pets but in our yards. Even homeowners that don't have pets can see flea issues due to rodents like squirrels, mice, and citrus rats. What should you do so you don't have to "flea your premises?"

Name these lovely native wildflowers that is blooming freely along the backroads of Lake County?




Answer: Fringed Bluestar (Amsonia ciliata) and Florida Greeneyes (Berlandia betonicifolia)

Good for you if you got them right! Excellent if you have seen them!

In Your Backyard: Florida's Gardener's Resource - All You Need To Know To Plan, Plant, & Maintain A Florida Garden

The most frequent question I get from beginning garden enthusiasts is: What gardening book do I use most at home? The answer is never simple. Most gardening and nature books are theme-specific, especially here in Florida where gardening has year-round opportunity. My best advice is always: “Depending on your interests, you’ll need several, but Tom MacCubbin’s books are must-haves for Florida gardeners.”

I can now amend my usual advice to put Tom’s newest gardening book at the top and recommend “Florida Gardener’s Resource - All You Need To Know To Plan, Plant, & Maintain A Florida Garden” that Florida green-thumbs, even non-gardeners, should have in their home library.

Tom MacCubbin, University of Florida/IFAS Extension Agent and Professor emeritus, is Central Florida's award-winning Orlando Sentinel garden columnist, television and radio personality. His books, ““Edible Landscape”, “Month by Month Gardening”, and Florida’s Gardener’s Guide” to name just a few, have made Tom the most relied upon horticultural expert in Central Florida for over 18 years.

A collaborative effort between Florida’s four most popular gardening gurus and authors, Tom MacCubbin, Georgia Tasker, Robert Bowden, and Joe Lamp'l, “Florida Gardener’s Resource” has what I need in a gardening book. The chapters are organized by plant categories for easy reference, with seasonal charts on planting. Monthly chores in the landscape and color photographs provide easy-to-understand information. Less than $15, this gardening book provides advice on lawns,fruits, herbs, and vegetables, natives, water conservation, and attracting butterflies. New residents and experienced master gardeners can now have that “one book". “Florida’s Garden Resource” should become our state's newest gardening attraction.

I'll be interviewing Tom on Florida Gardener's Resource and plant problems today on "In Your Backyard."

More information on where to find Tom gardening:

Tom's website: Better Lawns , blog Tom's Digs, and Tom and Joanie's new video website: "His and Hers Gardening.