In this Issue. UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Master Gardener Plant Clinic and Help Desk

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1 Volume XX Number XX Winter 2018, Issue 4 In this Issue Title Page Gardening help...1 Upcoming Programs.2-5 Florida Friendly Plants Lawn Care Tips UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Master Gardener Plant Clinic and Help Desk All American Selections....8 Winter Veggies Our mild north Florida winters allow for a prosperous growing season throughout the cooler months. Vegetables such as arugula, beets, broccoli, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, onions, and radish thrive this time of year. For a complete list, download the North FL Gardening Calendar: EP/EP45100.pdf Unproductive crops? Lawn suffering from insect damage? Citrus tree exhibiting symptoms of a nutrient deficiency? Air potato woes? Wondering what crops will grow in Florida this time of year? Master Gardeners are available to answer your diagnostic questions at St. Johns County Extension center Master Gardener Help Desk at (904) , many weekdays from 9 to noon. You can drop off a sample, or call in with your questions. Master Gardeners are also on hand to assist with your gardening questions at the Master Gardener Plant Clinic on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, from 10 am to 2 pm, located at Home Depot at: 1750 US Hwy 1 South, St. Augustine. For more information contact: UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Terra Freeman terraf@ufl.edu (904) FAX (904)

2 Upcoming Programs 2018 Florida-Friendly Fridays Workshops will provide in-depth training on the 9 principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) When: Fridays, 9 am to 12:30 pm Where: St. Johns County Extension Wind Mitigation Building $10 fee per workshop Taught by Terra Freeman, Urban and Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent January 26, 2018 Introduction to Florida Friendly Landscaping Right Plant, Right Place Register online at: February 23, 2018 Water Efficiently Fertilize Appropriately Register online at: March 30, 2018 Attract Wildlife Manage Yard Pest Responsibly Register online at: April 27, 2018 Recycle Yard Waste Mulch Reduce Stormwater Runoff Protect the Waterfront Register online at: Pre-registration required as spaces are limited! Use Eventbrite registration links listed by each program to register. UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Wind Mitigation Building: 3111 Agricultural Center Dr. St. Augustine, FL

3 FLORIDA ARBOR DAY UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Master Gardeners will be distributing trees in the parking lots of Ponte Vedra Library, Bartram Library, Hastings Library, Southeast Branch Library and Publix at Murabella. Friday, January 19, :30 am Free Bareroot Native Trees: Red Buckeye, Wild Black Cherry, Redbud, Beautyberry, Southern Redcedar, Elderberry, Arrowwood Viburnum, and Sycamore. 3

4 Upcoming Programs UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County is partnering with St. Johns County Parks Naturalist, Kelly Ussia, to present the following programs on native wildlife: Pollinators Pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystem, but did you know butterflies are not the only pollinators out there? Learn why your butterfly garden should really be called a pollinator garden. Wednesday, February 14, am 11:30 am Located at St. Johns County Extension Auditorium Registration is free, but please preregister so we know how many to expect: Living with Snakes and Gators Snakes and alligators are found throughout the state of Florida, and may even be in your back yard. Learn about the various species of snakes we have in our area, unique characteristics of both snakes and alligators, as well as how to live with these amazing native neighbors. Wednesday, March 14, am 11:30 am Located at St. Johns County Extension Auditorium Registration is free, but please preregister so we know how many to expect: 4

5 Growing and Pruning Muscadine Grapes March 7, am 11:30 am UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Wind Mitigation Building 3111 Agricultural Center Dr. St. Augustine, FL Workshop will explore the basics of planting and maintaining muscadine grapes including cultivar selection, planting, irrigation, fertilization, propagation and pruning. Will include hands-on pruning in garden so please wear boots or other appropriate shoes and attire for working outside. $10.00 Fee; Eventbrite registration link: Photo Credit: Terra Freeman, UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County 5

6 Florida Friendly Plant Spotlight: Yucca filamentosa Terra Freeman, Urban and Commercial Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Seeking a tough, low maintenance, eye-catching garden specimen? Look no further than our common yucca. Yucca filamentosa, otherwise known as Adam s Needle or common yucca, is a member of the Agavaceae family, which includes other well-known aridloving plants such as agave and Joshua tree. Adam s needle can be found growing naturally in Florida s scrub and scrubby flatwoods. This native is highly drought and salt tolerant, prefers full sun to part shade and well-drained sandy to loamy soils. Yuccas need little to no irrigation (once established), fertilizer, pruning, or spraying and can withstand strong winds and cold weather. Adam s needle is a slow-growing evergreen with sharp-tipped, sword-shaped leaves. One brush against it and you ll discover how apt its common name truly is! Due to the sharp spines at its leaf tips, it s a good idea to locate the plant 3 to 4 feet away from the edge of a walkway, or use the spines to your advantage for safety and plant as a deterrent under windows. Of the over 20 species of yucca, three or four are considered native to Florida: Yucca filamentosa (Adams needle),yucca aloifolia (Spanish bayonet), Yucca filamentosa Variegata Photo credit: Terra Freeman and Yucca gloriosa (moundlily yucca). Some taxonomist believe Yucca recurvifolia is the same as Y. gloriosa, but others consider it a separate species. Yucca filamentosa can be easily distinguished from other yucca species by the white, thready filaments along the leaf margins (hence the specific epithet filamentosa). While the species has attractive bluish-green foliage, several variegated species are available that can add a unique punch to the landscape (in more ways than one!). Among the most popular are Bright Edge, which boasts gold leaf margins around a green center, and Variegata, with white margins around a green center. Color Guard and Gold Edge are hybrid yuccas with gold leaf centers and thin yellow leaf margins. Yuccas compact size, striking texture and pendulous cream-colored flower spike make it an ideal specimen for the landscape. It even provides food and cover for wildlife and serves as a larval host plant for the yucca giant skipper and cofaqui giant skipper. So long as its cultural requirements are met, no serious pests affect this plant, contributing to its ease of care and Florida- Friendly nature. 6

7 January March Lawn Care By Joe Kirby, Horticulture Program Assistant, UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County January & February Grass will go dormant and/or turn brown in the cooler months. This is normal and not a cause for concern. Do not apply fertilizer in north Florida between the months of October to February as fertilizing too late in the season could cause the grass to actively grow when the weather turns cold, making it more cold-sensitive. Irrigate only once every 10 to 14 days if necessary, unless sufficient rainfall has occurred. Over-watering will promote shallow rooting. Continue to mow at recommended height when/if necessary. Just as you would not mow a wet lawn, do not mow while there is frost, as this could make the leaf blade more susceptible to damage. A pre-emergent herbicide may be applied, according to the label, so long as it does not include fertilizer (weed-and-feed). March Due to vast fluctuations in temperature this time of year, do not look to the calendar to determine when to apply fertilizer. Instead, wait 2 weeks after spring green-up for a more reliable indicator of the appropriate time to fertilize. When spring regrowth has occurred, apply a complete fertilizer, following recommend rates for your lawn type. Pre-emergent herbicide may also be applied, following the instructions on the label. Lawns may need to be mowed bi-weekly again, so keep in mind to never take off more than 1/3 of the leaf blade. Keep an eye out for chinch bugs, gray leaf spot and dollar spot this time of year. Gray leaf spot; Photo credit: Phil Harmon, UF/IFAS Chinch bug Photo credit: R.H.Cherry, UF 7

8 The Winter Kitchen Garden Shirley Barber, Master Gardener, UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County The cooler months of December through March offer a great opportunity to grow cool season vegetables and herbs. Our moderate temperatures, drier weather, lower humidity, and relative absence of insects and disease offer favorable conditions. Most cool season varieties can tolerate light frost and will thrive in a dedicated plot or will be perfectly happy mingling with snapdragons, dianthus and petunias. There are many new and previous winners from the All-American Selections program that qualify as cool season vegetables. Most recent introductions include Beet (white) Avalanche (2015), Broccoli Artwork (2015), bunching onion Warrior (2016), Brussels Sprouts Hestia (2015), Cabbage Katarina (2016), Fennel Antares (2017), Kale Prizm (2016), Kohlrabi Konan (2016), Lettuce Sandy (2015), Mizuna Red Kingdom (2016), Pak Choi Bopak (2015), Pea Patio Pride (2017), Radish Rivoli (2014), Radish Roxanne (2015), and Radish Sweet Baby (2016). Just because a variety is touted as the latest and greatest doesn t necessarily mean that older and heirloom varieties don t have merit. Many gardeners remain loyal to the tried and true varieties; such as, Beet Ruby Queen (1957), Carrot Purple Haze (2006), Cauliflower Snow Crown (1975), Dill Fernleaf (1992), Lettuce Buttercrunch (1963), Lettuce Red Sails (1985), Lettuce Salad Bowl (1952), Radish Champion (1957), Radish Cherry Belle (1949), Spinach Bloomsdale (1937), and Swiss Chard Bright Lights (1998). Take a moment to enjoy our beautiful days and plant a few vegetables and herbs in your kitchen garden or in pots on your patio. You can find many of these All-American Selections winners in the demonstration gardens at the St. Johns County Agriculture Center. Kale Prizm, Beet Ruby Queen, Cabbage Katarina, Broccoli Artwork, Pak Choi Purple Hybrid, Pak Choi Bopak, Parsley Krausa Photo credit: Shirley Barber An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices. 8