MARION COUNTY GOVERNMNT
Table of Contents:
Monthly Newsletter
November 2010
Backyard Citrus
Timely Garden Tips
AA-An Obsession and a Passion
What’s Bugging You?
Be Careful When Handling
Two-Striped Walking Stick
November/December Calendar
Published by Norma Samuel
University of Florida IFAS
Marion County Horticulture Agent
Timely Gardening Tips
for MARION COUNTY
by Master Gardener, Jo Leyte-Vidal
Fall is the optimum time
to install turf grass. Cool
temperatures require less
water, less competition from
new weeds and encourage
growth. Before you buy
new turf, research which
grass will work for your
yard.
Why are invasive plants
a problem? They outcompete native plants,
change the environment, and
cause millions of dollars in
damage by choking our trees
and shrubs. They alter our
environment’s balance and
endanger wildlife.
Plant cool weather annuals. Now is the right time
to plant carnation, pansy,
petunia, Shasta daisy and
snapdragon. Plant beets,
broccoli, cabbage, carrots,
Chinese cabbage, collards,
kohlrabi, mustard, onions,
radish and spinach.
BACKYARD CITRUS
by Master Gardener, Anne Lambrecht
We Floridians love our citrus. We are so lucky to live in a climate that will support citrus, so it
is important to know the right ones for our area.
Citrus came to Florida with the Spanish explorers. They brought sour orange, sweet orange,
lemon, lime and citron. Citrus was spread further by Native Americans and pioneers, grown
from seed. In the 1830s citrus trees were first grafted or budded on sour orange rootstock in
order to raise citrus for the commercial markets.
Considerations
The most important factor to consider when selecting a citrus tree for our area is cold tolerance.
Lemon or lime trees or trees on lemon or lime root stock are the least cold tolerant. Trees on
sweet orange rootstock are somewhat cold tolerant (not good for our area unless they’re in a
pot and can be brought inside). Trees on sour orange root stock are the most cold tolerant.
Other factors to consider are tree size, intended use, drought tolerance, resistance to pests and
diseases and whether you have maximum exposure to sunlight, good air circulation and
adequate irrigation and drainage. For our area, the southern exposure is the warmest and that’s
where citrus should be planted. It is always wise to buy a budded tree with identifiable
rootstock from a reputable nursery. A budded tree is “modified” so that it can tolerate unfavorable soils, pests, diseases, cold, and produce greater yields of high quality fruit. Good citrus
trees are not cheap.
Planting Time
Citrus trees can be planted any time of the year in Florida although most commercial growers
plant in either the fall or spring. Trees planted in the fall have time to establish a root system
before the spring growth flush but they also face the prospect of winter freezes. Trees planted
in the spring have more time to grow and harden off before the next winter but they need more
care during dry spring and hot summer months. I bought an orange tree last year and it’s in a
container so I can move it into the lanai this winter. Next spring, I’ll plant it in my grove.
Good cultivars for growing in containers are calamondin, key lime, kumquat, limequat and
Tahiti lime.
Young Tree Care
Because you will water and fertilize your young tree frequently, many weeds will grow under
the tree. Be careful when weeding under the tree that you do not disturb the new feeder roots.
Do not ever mulch under a citrus and keep that weed whacker away from the trunk. If the
trunk gets cut all the way around, you can kiss your tree goodbye.
Citrus trees are heavy feeders of many different micronutrients. Luckily, there are ready made
citrus fertilizers, like multi-vitamins, available for the homeowner. Always follow the
directions.
After about 2 – 5 years, young trees begin to bear fruit. My seven year old grapefruit tree gave
Page 2
Timely Gardening Tips
for MARION COUNTY
Continued
Look for spider mites if
you see yellow spots and
curling of leaves on
shrubs. Tap leaves over
white paper. If you see
specks that move you can
spry with a miticide. Read
labels carefully and follow
directions.
Cocoa Mulch made from
cocoa bean shells contains
theobromine, an ingredient
in chocolate that has been
proven toxic to dogs and
cats. If you buy cocoa
mulch, please check the
label to see if it is pet-
BACKYARD CITRUS Continued
me 86 grapefruits last March. I put them in a wheelbarrow and hawked them to my
neighbors.
Citrus insects, diseases and disorders are many. In most cases naturally occurring, biological
control (letting nature take its course) is the easiest and best way for homeowners. Many
pathogens and insect pests become active in the spring when citrus trees develop new leaves
and shoots and fruit. Year after year my grapefruit tree gets critters called leaf miners. The
leaves have squiggle marks on them. Actually a fly lays an egg on the leaf and the tiny
larvae embed themselves and roam around the leaf eating. These will not hurt your fruit but
are still a pest. I’d rather eat fruit that has not been sprayed, wouldn’t you? One time my
Dad had worms on his lemon tree that looked like bird poop. How lucky was he! He had
Palamedes swallowtail larvae eating their favorite food and without affecting the fruit!
Florida citrus industry is now threatened by a disease called citrus greening. It is a bacterial
disease that is transmitted by small, sap-sucking insects called pysllids. Symptoms include
yellowing shoots, twig dieback, reduced fruit size and quality, lopsided fruit, bitter fruit, and
leaf
mottling and discoloration. If you suspect you have citrus greening, call the local
Department of Plant Industry at 352-732-1206 and they will assist you in with the diagnosis.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR DISEASED PLANT OR FRUIT TO THE PLANT
CLINIC. Affected trees must be destroyed. Consider planting alternative fruit trees like fig,
persimmon, peach, in its place. Detailed information and photos on this disease are available
at http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/chrp/greening/citrusgreening.html.
There is an article in a recent issue of Florida Gardening Magazine that talks about the
Florida Citrus Arboretum in Winter Haven where you can taste and test over 250 kinds of
citrus. They are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from November 1
until March 1. For $5 they will give you a half bushel bag and you can pick whatever you
want to try. The Arboretum is located at 3027 Lake Alfred Road which is US 17 in Winter
Haven. Field trip anyone?
Recommended: Your Florida Dooryard Citrus Guide by Jim Ferguson, University of Florida
AA-AN OBSESSION AND A PASSION
by Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Coordinator, Kathleen Patterson
AA? Whatever do you mean? I admit it. I am an –aholic. A plant-aholic and a book-aholic. I can’t
seem to resist either one. I recently attended the statewide Master Gardener Conference that was
held in Destin Florida. And as usual, I couldn’t resist the UF/IFAS Bookstore. Every time I walked
pass it I heard them (the books) calling my name. I resisted, that is until the last day of the conference. I just couldn’t help myself.
One of my favorite plant people had recently published a new book “Best Native Plants for Southern
Gardens”. Gil Nelson is a well know native plant expert so it never occurred to me not to buy this
book. Nelson states in the preface: “I started planting non-native azaleas in my first homes but
quickly realized that I wasn’t learning about our native habitats or our native ecosystems. In short,
they were ecological aliens; cultural artifacts.” Frankly, I started my gardens the same way but over
the years I have eliminated alien plants that are too aggressive (Mexican petunias for example) and
began the slow process of bringing native plants into areas of my many gardens.
He spends time explaining about weedy, non-native and invasive species, unfortunately; these are the
plants that are used most often. Little did I know when I went looking for a Mimosa tree (Albizia
julibrissen) that it was already on the list of no-no’s. I removed it several years ago but still have an
Monthly Newsletter
Page 3
AA-AN OBSESSION AND A PASSION Continued
occasional one pop up elsewhere in the landscape. It was replaced with a Fringe tree (Chionanthus
virginicus) that blooms lovely white flowers prior to the leaves emerging in the spring.
I’ve already spent hours studying the book and a making list of native plants
that might do well in my micro-climate. This book includes lovely colorful
photographs of the plant, the berries and the flowers as well as distinguishing
characteristics of these plants. The book published by University Press of
Florida may be purchased at most book stores, retail price $29.95 and worth
every penny!
The second publication I happened upon was a book by Tom MacCubbin and
Georgia Tasker entitled “Florida Gardener’s Resource, All you need to know
to plan, plant, and maintain a Florida garden.” Renowned horticulturist and
curator of Leu Botanical Gardens, Robert Bowden and Joe Lamp’l offered
additional resources. I wish I had owned this book in 1988 when I first moved
to Marion County. Alas, I learned by trial and error-and mostly error if you want to know the truth.
This book is the A-Z reference for anyone that gardens or intends to garden. Each section is clearly
divided and includes detailed information about the plants in general. Colorful photographs highlight
each plant and the last few pages of each section indicate month by month what to grow, what to
remove and cultural practices to keep those plants looking good. I’ve not
spent as much time on this particular book but I plan to. Published by Cool
Springs Press with a retail price of $19.95 it too is well worth the money.
I could have spent hours and hundreds of dollars at the UF Bookstore, but I
think I did well with my two purchases. I hope that I have piqued your
interest in at least checking out these wonderful references for those of us
with a quest for knowledge gain. Sorry, got to go….my books are calling
my name!
What’s Bugging You
Find out what local residents are calling in about.
Two clients brought in the exact plant to be identified the same morning one had a swollen finger
because he got pricked by a thorn from the plant.
Devil’s walking stick, Aralia spinosa. This plant can reach heights of 25 - 30 feet with a 6 - 10 foot
spread. It grows in full sun to partial shade in a variety of soil types but it prefers well-drained
soils. Devil’s Walking Stick has been known to survive occasional flooding although it does not
want to be in continual water. It thrives on neglect so place it in the landscape where it will not receive heavy fertilization or irrigation. It can be trained, with pruning, to be a multi-stem or a single
trunk tree. It has beautiful fall colored compound foliage but it is deciduous, which means it loses its
leaves in the fall. The trunk is spiny and extremely sharp. Once the leaves drop, it is not necessarily
an attractive shrub without leaves as it resembles a bare stick with barbs. The compound leaves can
grow to 4 feet long and 3 feet wide, each with their own prickles. Devil’s walking stick has no known
disease or insect problems. The fruit provides food for local birds, but is not messy. If you decide to
plant this American native tree, you should consider putting it in an area where normal landscape
duties (mowing, pruning, edging, weed-eating) will not be required as the spines and prickles could
pose a problem.
Items below are
available for
purchase at the
UF/IFAS Marion
County Extension
Service. Please come
to see these
environmentallyfriendly products.
UPCOMING
LECTURES/EVENTS:
Educational seminars and events are
presented by UF/IFAS
Extension agents and or Master
Gardeners.
Page 4
This species can be both poisonous and invasive. The raw berries are mildly toxic if ingested.
Contact with the bark or roots can cause brief skin irritation. Devil's walking stick is not a rampant
invader, but it will send new shoots out into surrounding plantings. These can be difficult to remove,
since the spines are so hard and sharp that you can't get a good grip on the plant even with heavy
gloves.
(Reproduced from http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/questions/pests.html).
NOVEMBER
“Attracting Birds to your
Garden”
November 9, 2010
2:00 p.m.
Place: Freedom Library
(352) 438-2580
“Growing Citrus”
November 11, 2010
10:30 a.m.
Place: Belleview Library
(352)438-2500
“Butterflies and Native
Plants” followed by an Afternoon Tea
November 13, 2010
3:00 p.m.
Place: Marion Oaks Library
(352) 438-2570
“Winterizing your
Garden”
November 16, 2010
2:00 p.m.
Place: Dunnellon Library
(352) 438-2520
DECEMBER
“Care and Maintenance of
Holiday Plants”
December 2, 2010
10:30 a.m.
Place: Belleview Library
(352) 438-2500
Be Careful When Handling Two-Striped Walking Stick
by Norma Samuel, Urban Horticulture Agent
Odd looking isn’t it? Everyone who has come across these insects curiosity is piqued. They want to
know what they are and why are they traveling around together, the larger one on the bottom the
smaller one on top. The answer - southern two-striped walking stick, Anisomorpha buprestoides
Anisomorpha buprestoides, also called devil's riding horse, prairie alligator, stick bug, witch's horse,
devil's darning needle, scorpion, and musk mare is a large, stout brown phasmid with three conspicuous
longitudinal black stripes with two longitudinal yellow stripes. Females average 2.5 inches in length;
males are smaller and more slender, averaging 1.5 inches. A black and white species is known to be
found only in the Ocala National Forest scrub.
Both species are commonly found with the small males riding atop the larger females. According to
Becht and Williams (2004), “a mature male walking stick will attach himself to a female even if the
female is not yet mature, to ensure finding a mate. The male uses his cerci to hold on to the female.
They will remain together until one of them dies. In the fall, females lay their eggs on or in the ground.
When the nymphs hatch they are green and do not turn twig-like until maturity. Anisomorpha buprestoides is fairly unique among the insects in that it can regenerate lost legs”.
A.
buprestoides are herbivorous, feeding on the leaves of trees and shrubs. They have been observed
feeding on crape myrtles and hibiscus. The Ocala National Forest form feeds primarily on oak
and occasionally of rosemary and lyonia. This stick insect adult is usually quite abundant in the
fall. They often aggregate as individuals under loose bark or in other sheltered place.
B.
A. buprestoides secretes an odiferous fluid in sac like
glands within the thorax that can be discharged up to 12
to 15 inches with accuracy when threatened or disturbed.
There have been reported incidences of humans being
squirted with the substance in the eye resulting in severe
pain and redness of the eye. Affected eyes should be
thoroughly flushed with water. Seek medical attention if
you experience light sensitivity or decreased vision.
For more detailed information on A. buprestoides visit: http://
entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/walkingstick.htm
http://www.jaxshells.org/81502.htm
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