January by Anne Lambrecht, Master Gardener

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1 MARION COUNTY GOVERNMNT Table of Contents: Tips for a Healthy Lawn in Winter In 2016, Let s Start with the Basics 5 New Year s Resolutions for Gardeners Timely Gardening Tips for Marion County Upcoming Events Published by Norma Samuel UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Horticulture Agent Timely Gardening Tips for MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Master Gardener January is a good month to take stock of your garden plan. Most of your plants are dormant and the deciduous trees are bare of leaves. Standing at a distance, maybe at your neighbor s house, or taking digital photos of the areas of concern, allows you to see what others see. Sometimes we are too close to see the bones of our design and where changes will make it better. The bones make up the stage upon which all the flowering plants play their parts. January 2016 Tips for a Healthy Lawn in Winter by Anne Lambrecht, Master Gardener I hate turfgrass, but unfortunately it s a fact of life. So let s make the best of it. The types of turfgrass that are recommended for north Central Florida are St. Augustine and its cultivars, zoysia, bahia, and centipede grass. For the purpose of this article, I ll discuss St. Augustine and zoysia. Turfgrass has been studied by UF ad nauseum (there is even a UF Turfgrass Research Center in Citra) and there are many, many people employed due to turfgrass and its related industries. All of our turfgrass goes into some degree of dormancy during the winter months. This means that they slow their growth down and may or may not stay green. This is especially true of zoysia grass. You know what I mean: we get one little freeze and that grass goes brown! This dormancy is a natural cycle. Source: ifas.uf.org You should work to keep your lawn as healthy as possible through your mowing, irrigating, and fertilizing practices. It is a good idea to become friends with your lawn maintenance people. Often we may know more than they do but it s best to know their plans for your lawn (after all, you re paying them big bucks). In winter, mow only every couple of weeks or even once a month. Keep mowing height high year-round (3.5 to 4 for most St. Augustine grass cultivars and 2 for zoysia grass). And always insist that the lawn mower guy cleans his blades before mowing your lawn. In winter my lawn guys mows once a month. When you do need to mow again in spring, be sure to cut at the highest recommended height for your grass type. Do not scalp the lawn, as this makes it less able to recover from freeze damage. When you irrigate your lawn, water it for a longer time. Water deeply so the roots grow deep and strong. The root system will then be able to sustain many stressors. To achieve this, water longer with less frequency. But it is all right to cut back irrigation to once a week in the winter. (continued on next page)

2 Page 2 Timely Gardening Tips for MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Master Gardener (continued from page 1) Now assess how you can make your gardens better, or larger, or smaller, or more private, or more open, or more balanced, or on and on and on. One exciting goal is to have something blooming year round. For example the Clematis vine and the Tea Leaf are now in bloom. Next month the Camellias will open; then in March, the Azaleas, etc. It s a good idea to keep a garden journal of activities, seasonal chores and bloom times. This will help answer questions like, When was the last time I fertilized? or When did this plant bloom last? Perhaps a good New Year s resolution? Tips for a Healthy Lawn in Winter by Anne Lambrecht, Master Gardener (continued from Page 1) Central Florida lawns should not be fertilized between October and the end of March. The last fertilization should be done with a fertilizer high in potassium (the 3rd number on the bag) relative to nitrogen (the first number on the bag), such as or something with equal or higher potassium to nitrogen. This helps to impart some stress tolerance to cold or freezing temperatures and may enhance spring green-up. Do not try to fertilize in order to green up your lawn after a freeze. This will do more harm than good because it will cause premature new growth and what if we get another freeze? Sometimes the golf course grass creeps into your lawn. Trust me, you won t be able to fight it. Embrace it. Likewise with weeds: if it s green, embrace it. There s no point losing sleep over a few weeds. However, have your lawn service use preemergent weed killer in January and February. This kills the weeds before they Source: ifas.ufl.edu emerge. After the weeds appear, pre-emergent is a waste of time and money. My guys wanted to put it down in March and I had to light my hair on fire for them to put it down in January. How can you tell if your grass has truly succumbed to a winter freeze or if it is only dormant? One way is to cut small plugs of the grass (with roots and shoots attached) and plant them in a pot, put it in a warm spot with natural sunlight, water, and see if the grass regrows. Lawns are a monoculture which means only one crop is growing. It ensures systematic maintenance but it reduces the diversity of the natural land and the habitat of other plants and animals that lived there before the monoculture. We all care about our earth and especially our little pieces of earth we call home. And as I mentioned before, lawns are a fact of life here. Let s try to live smart with them. For more lawn care tips, go to For more information on how to properly manage your lawn, please refer to EDIS publication ENH979, Homeowner Best Management Practices for the Home Lawn ( A good book on turfgrass is Florida Lawn Handbook: An Environmental Approach to Care and Maintenance of Your Lawn by Kathleen C. Ruppert and Robert J. Black, University Press of Florida.

3 Page 3 In 2016, Let s Start With The Basics by Jack LeCroy, Florida-Friendly Landscaping Agent As your newest Extension Agent in Marion County I have gotten to meet a lot of interesting people here and I have gotten to see a lot of landscapes. I ve seen some landscapes that were done well and then some that made me scratch my head in frustration. To start off 2016, I would like to begin with the basics. The Florida-Friendly Landscaping TM Program has nine principles associated with it. In each of these principles you could dive into an enormous amount of information. Throughout 2016, I will make my way through each principle in this newsletter and by the end of the year you will have a better understanding of your landscape and how to take care of it. The first principle is Right Plant, Right Place. Yes, it s a simple concept that people still seem to get confused about. We think of this principle as future tense in hopes that we will put the right plant in the right place. I first challenge you to make an inventory of your yard as it stands right now to see if you already have plants that could be in a better place or that shouldn t be in your yard at all! There are two parameters that homeowners usually like to use when trying to choose plant material. Those two criteria are commonly light Source: ifas.ufl.edu and water requirements. These are two great things to know but we need to ask ourselves many more questions before adding specimens to our landscape. Here are just a few questions to ask yourself: How cold tolerant is this plant? What will the mature size be? Is this an invasive species in Florida? Is this a native plant? What wildlife will this plant attract? What pest problems (if any) is this plant known for? Are there dwarf cultivars that I can buy? What soil ph does my plant prefer? What maintenance is required with this plant? I have seen my fair share of cracked foundations and water lines having to be dug up because of poor plant placement where it could have easily been avoided. Don t forget that grass is a plant as well. Numerous questions need to be asked for grass when we consider putting so much of our time and money into our lawns. All grasses, just like any other plant, are not created equal. I like to think of plants as people. Each type of plant has its own personality in that some like different things. Say for example the amount of water a shrub or tree needs versus another. Here is a quick task to get you started. Find out what grass type you have. It s a quick and simple assignment that won t take you long. Do you know the mowing height that is recommended for your type of grass? Are your maintenance practices actually attracting pests to your lawn (yes, this can happen!). Need some help? We are just a phone call away at UPCOMING LECTURES/EVENTS: Educational seminars and events are presented by UF/IFAS Extension Agents and/or Master Gardeners. January Dunnellon Satellite Plant Clinic January 5, :00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Master the Possibilities Series Florida-Friendly Landscaping January 8, :00-11:30 a.m. On Top of the World 8415 SW 80th St, Ocala Dunnellon Library Trees and Shrubs for Central Florida January 19, :00 3:00 p.m.

4 Page 4 Page 5 Five New Year s Resolutions for Gardeners By Tom Oder, originally published in Mother Nature Network, Dec If you re among the almost 50 percent of Americans who statistics show make New Year s resolutions, be sure to remember gardening when setting your goals for next year. In fact, consider putting gardening at the top of your list. Gardening can help you achieve some of the other resolutions that are often at the top of resolution lists, such as slowing down from the hectic pace, living a simpler life, exercising and losing weight. To help you get started, here are five goals to consider adding to your list of New Year s resolutions: Source: stockphoto.com 1. If you re not a gardener, become one. You don t even have to have a yard. Condo and apartment dwellers might be surprised to know how many flowers, herbs and small vegetables they can grow in pots. Beginning gardeners might also be surprised to learn that gardening is exercise and gardening is good for you in other ways as well. Like all exercises, gardening will help you burn calories while helping you reduce stress and unplug. It will also teach you patience after all, you can t hurry Mother Nature! 2. Reduce your lawn area. Lawns are high-maintenance money pits. If you replace some of your grass with shrubs, perennials or even vegetables, you ll spend less time behind the lawn mower and less money on fertilizing, watering during droughts and re-seeding in the spring or fall. You can even begin this project now by organically killing a portion of your lawn. All you have to do is select an area of grass and smother it with compost and aged manure or burn it up by solarizing it under plastic sheets. By spring, the area should be ready for planting and mulching. 3. Go native. This will really simply your life! Native plants adapt much easier to periods of stressful weather, such as droughts or winter cold snaps, than hybrids or the Asian introductions so often seen in nurseries across America. They also help sustain beneficial insect and bird populations because they attract native pollinators and birds that might not be drawn to non-natives. 4. Start a compost bin. Here, again, you don t need a yard or large space to create garden compost. Small composters no bigger than a patio grill are available from garden centers or online. They ll turn kitchen scraps, leaves or yard waste into what some gardeners call UPCOMING LECTURES/EVENTS: February Dunnellon Satellite Plant Clinic February 2, :00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Florida-Friendly Homeowner Water~Landscape~Energy 4-Part Series February 2, 9, 16, 23, :00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Rainbow Springs State Park $35.00 (lunch provided) Master the Possibilities Series Grow Your Own Food February 2, :00-11:30 a.m. On Top of the World 8415 SW 80th St, Ocala Freedom Library Gardening for Snow Birds February 5, :30-11:30 a.m. Freedom Public Library 5870 SW 95th St, Ocala Dunnellon Library Roses February 16, :00 3:00 p.m.

5 Page 5 For those of you born in January your birth flower is the Carnation. The Carnation represents distinction, love, and fascination. Throughout the ages people have presented others with carnations. Each color of carnation is said to have its own distinct meaning. If a person presents you with a red carnation, they are telling you that they love you. Y e l l o w s p e a k s o f disappointment. White tells the story of pure love. A pink carnation let s a person know that they will always be with you. It can also stand for motherly love. 5 New Years Resolutions for Gardeners By Tom Oder, originally published in Florida Gardening Magazine, Dec (continued from Page 4) black gold nutrient-rich material for your pots or in-ground plants. Industrious and handy gardeners, of course, can build their own bins using 4x4 posts and heavy gauge wire or slatted boards. Either way, for the ecoconscious they serve the added purpose of reducing the amount of recycle material that otherwise would go to the curb. 5. Add one new sustainable method to your gardening routine. Working in harmony with nature instead of fighting it will improve the health of your soil, the bounty from your garden and minimize negative effects on the environment as well as cut down on your stress! There are many sustainable practices you can use to increase your gardening enjoyment. One example would be to resolve to eliminate chemical fertilizers. Another would be to install one or more rain barrels to capture rain runoff from the roof. You could also start using a drip or soaker hose that would put water directly on the plant root zone rather than broadcasting it to unintended places from an oscillating sprinkler. Source: ifas.ufl.edu Finally, resolve to go out and sit in your garden this year. For all the work we put into the garden, too many of us don't spend any time out in it. Grab an ice tea and a comfy chair and just sit. You'll be amazed what you see from a different point of view! The carnation dates back over 2,000 years. A great attribute of the carnation is its ability to be died any color imaginable. Unlike many other flowers the carnation has a very lovely scent. The word carnation comes from the Greeks and means, flower of the gods. Florida-Friendly Landscaping Book of the Month Sale Each month, we will be offering one of the books available in the Extension Bookstore at a substantial discount (sorry, walk-ins only). January s offering is Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife By Craig N. Huegel Regularly $24.95 on sale for $ tax 40% off until the end of January

6 Page 6 Items below are available for purchase at the UF/IFAS Extension Marion County. We also have many other items available in our Shop Extension store. The store is open Mon-Fri from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Please come to see these environmentally-friendly products, as well as many other agricultural-related items. Foundation for the Gator Nation An Equal Opportunity Institution