Question: I noticed that hummingbirds were coming into my yard. How do you keep them here and what flowers do they like?
Answer: Fortunately, do you have the perfect place for hummingbirds to visit? The inhabitants of nearby hummingbirds, perhaps even their favorite plants, will not bring them to their gardens. The best locations are areas with clusters of trees and shrubs and water supply. You can then add any flower of your choice, such as Firebush, Salvias, Pentas, Firespike, Cardinal Flower, Coral Honeysuckle. Grow these assortments and other people’s assortments, which can offer flowers visited from September to September when hummingbirds live locally. The same plant is a favorite of butterflies, making it easier to invite into your garden.
Q. Clubgrass is overtaking my St. Augustine’s grassy area. My pest control company says they have no control. Are there any products that can be used?
A. Now there is a creeping green stuffed lawn thanks to frequent rain and hot weather. It appears to grow much faster than St. Augustine and other grass species, and thrives on the top of the grass. Lawn care companies currently do not have chemicals commonly applied to their home lawns. However, you can get the Agralawn Crabgrass Killer, a naturally formulated product developed here in Florida. Available in select independent garden centres and online. This crabgrass control contains cinnamon as an active ingredient. Many residents have discovered one of the other ingredients: baking soda. When lightly crushed into a damp crabgrass blade, it acts as a contact herbicide. It may be a slightly yellow St. Augustine, but if it gets lightly dusted it will make it seem almost impossible to actually damage it. Baking soda alone is considered a home remedy and is responsible for the decline of the treated grass.
Q. Some Rigastrum trees in my neighborhood have a large dead area inside my limbs. It appears that local businesses cannot get control. What can you do with these wood shapes from around ten years ago?
A. Many regions are noticing a similar decline in Ligustrums. Planting begins to lose limb losses a little earlier, as tree types usually range from 20 to 30 years. In the age of ligustrum, they develop wounds or openings in the limbs that have broken branches or pruned from the plant. These are often affected by fungal organisms that do not heal properly and cause depletion of the limbs. As pointed out, by removing dead or affected areas, it helps to control the major decline of Ligustrum. Return the cut to healthy wood. Disinfect the pruner between cuts to prevent the spread of diseased organisms. After pruning, apply copper fungicide spray as directed on the label. Still, aging ligustrums can reduce the limbs.
Plant Doctor: Glowing Landscape with Stroman Plants with Red and White Leaves
Q. A thin blade-like grass-like weed is choking our St. Augustine. It has a small greenish flower head. Are there any controls that can be applied?
A. Please note that this is also the most upright leaf weed in your garden. It’s one of the dages, and perhaps a green Kyllinga. The stem with a flower head is triangular in shape to prove that it is a sedge. Luckily there are plenty of sedge controls available on St. Augustine’s lawns available from your local independent garden centre. Most garden supply companies have companies that use them as sprays. Find products like Sedgehammer or Ortho Nutsedge Killer and list the Sedge or Nut Sedge Control you want to use with your lawn type. The product is slow to provide the control needed for about a month to remove the sedge after following the instructions on the label.
Q. I bought a bromeliad with a red center. When you plant a puppy from this plant, there is also a red center, what will turn red?
A. bromeliads can be in many colors, but you probably bought one of the newborn species called blush bromeliads. Many people develop colorful central cup leaves when flowers bloom, while others often have colorful leaves. The colours are specific to the variety you choose. New offshoots and puppies can turn green at the start, and after months of growth, they produce the colours they enjoyed. Give the plants a filtered sun position, keep them moist during the warm months, and apply lightly for final growth and final color. The amount of light the plant receives can affect its color, but it should resemble the original plant.
Q. Many of my African iris plants are large and crowded. Can I split them up and port them at this time?
A. Take a shovel and a sharp knife into these plants if necessary, and it doesn’t seem to bother you when they are split and repotted. The African iris is the most durable true iris perennial plant that flower primarily in the spring. Dig these chunks aren’t easy, so choose a shovel with pointed edges. You may then need a serrated knife to tear them apart. After making and dividing chunks of all sizes, they grow rapidly to form new plantings. If allowed for best growth, moist and fertilize.
Tom Maccubbin is an honorary urban gardener at the University of Florida Cooperative Expansion Services. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, PO Box 2833, Orlando, Florida. 32802. email: tomac1996@aol.com.
September in the gardens in Central Florida
