With the possibility for issues related

to hurricane Dorian impacts loom-

ing, we really want to make sure

everyone in the county is prepared.

It’s still a possibility we will get

significant impacts, particularly from

storm-surge and flooding. Be safe,

pickup any loose debris before they

become projectiles and make sure

you have enough food, water and

fuel in case roads are temporarily

impassible or power outages occur.

Please stay informed and follow any

evacuation orders.

Heavy rains and saturated soils can

cause us a number of problems in the

lawn and garden as well so keep an

eye out for issues. Injury from water-

logged soils usually appears very

similar to drought-stress, except

watering cannot correct the issue and

fungal rots can persist. Most of our

landscape plants can rebound from

short periods of water-logging but a

few are particularly sensitive. Give

them time to recuperate and feel free

to reach out to the Master Gardener

volunteers if you have any concerns.

Well, the votes are in and it appears

the majority of our Duval County

Master Gardener volunteers were not

fond enough of any of the new

newsletter names proposed, and

“A New Leaf” prevailed, but “Yard

& Garden” came in a close second so

we agreed to compromise and use

them both! Mr. Green suggested the

name and won the prize, a free copy

of “Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses”.

Find the full results on page 5.

In this Issue

Title Page

Fall Lawn Preparation ... 2

Out on a Limb ................ 3

Leafy Greens ................. 4

Chocolate Strawberries.. 5

Name that Newsletter .... 5

What to Plant ................. 6

Upcoming Classes ......... 6

“What’s That” Answer ... 6

For more information contact: UF/IFAS Extension Duval County

Chris Kerr - CKerr@coj.net - (904) 255-7450

Extension Update by Chris Kerr Volume 1, Issue 1 Sept-Oct 2019

LARVAE

What’s That?

Larvae Adult Damage

2

Fall Lawn Preparations

Fall officially begins this month on September 23rd.

Our lawn’s growth will start to slow down but that

doesn’t mean it’s a time to neglect. In fact, this is one

of those critical times where we either put in a little

work now, or get ready for a lot of work later. Dur-

ing this fall transition, our lawns are

preparing themselves for the winter

dormant season, storing up energy

reserves as their color fades out for the

year. It’s a stressful time for the lawn

and it’s important that we continue

appropriate cultural practices during

this transition. Improper irrigation,

fertilization and mowing can put the

lawn at risk for a variety of pests and

diseases that, if allowed to proceed,

will impact next spring’s green-up.

What exactly should you be looking

out for? In terms of pests, watch out

for sod webworms and

fall armyworms when populations generally start to

peak during September/October. The lawn just won’t

have much time to recuperate from the pests damage

if it happens during the fall. In terms of diseases, be

on the look out for large-patch as it rears its head one

last time for the year; and as always...so long as it

remains warm, take-all root rot will

keep the pressure on. Remember,

cultural controls are key to 90% of

the lawn problems encountered and a

healthy lawn can grow past these

issues. See our key thoughts for these

months below and be careful not to

over fertilize now, knowing a green

lawn going into a frost is not a good

thing. Do you have a lawn issue you

need help with? Bring in a sample or

reach out to the Extension office and

we will be happy to perform identifi-

cations and offer additional manage-

ment guidance.

Proper Lawn Management is the Key!

Maintaining the lawn correctly and taking a few simple preparations now will help to avoid getting stuck

with a horticultural dilemma next spring! Here are a few things you can do to prepare your lawn for 2020:

Fertilization

If you have been fertilizing well throughout the season, you probably don’t need to fertilize more. Remem-

ber no more than 2-4lbs of N for the year! If it has been a while, now is the time to give that final applica-

tion before winter. In north Florida, don’t fertilize past mid-September and remember “N-P-K”. Make sure

you are applying a fertilizer with no phosphorus (P), and the same or higher Potassium (K) than Nitrogen

(N). There are “Winterizer” fertilizers out there that have a lot more nitrogen than should be applied so

don’t be fooled by their labels. Remember to dial the spreader down; if you go with a 15-0-15, 3lbs per

1000 sq. ft. should be more than enough.

Irrigation

Irrigation needs for the lawn are always changing, as temperatures start to cool off in late September. There-

fore, irrigation needs drop as well. Adjust your irrigation events based on need, as long as you don’t see

symptoms of drought stress. If so, start reducing irrigation to just once a week.

Preemergence Herbicide

Applying a preemergence is a great way to reduce weed pressure, but timing is critical! To control winter

annual weeds, it should be applied when temperatures at night are 55-60°F for several consecutive days.

This usually occurs in early to mid-October in north Florida. The choice of compound is based on the lawn

species and the target weeds, so you’ve got to know your lawn! For more information check out the UF/

IFAS Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep141.

Around the Yard by Chris Kerr

A calibrated fertilizer spreader

helps to ensure proper

application rates.

3

BEWARE of the Chinese Tallow

Not all trees that produce fall color are good. One in particular is the Chinese

Tallow Triadica sebifera . In China, Chinese tallow is cultivated for seed oil. During

the 1700’s, Chinese tallow was introduced to the United States primarily for use as

an ornamental tree. It was also introduced for making soap from the seed oil. Not

only has Chinese tallow become naturalized in the southern coastal plain from South

Carolina south to Texas, it has become naturalized in over half of the counties in

Florida. Even though it has beautiful fall coloration, the displacement of native

species through vigorous growth and spread are characteristics that helped place

Chinese tallow on FLEPPC’s List of Invasive Species and the State of Florida

Noxious Weed List.

FALL COLOR in Florida:

There are three primary factors that influence

fall leaf color in plants. They are leaf pigments,

weather and the length of the night. While most of us

think it is the cooler weather that stimulates fall

coloration, the most important factor is the lengthen-

ing of the night. While length of night stimulates the

fall color, the weather does play a part in the amount

of color that is shown. Cool crisp nights followed by

sunny warm days produce the most brilliant fall

color. Unfortunately fall color in Florida is not

predictable. Our fall weather can be sunny and warm

or cool and rainy. If you want to view fall color

throughout the country, the US Forest Service has a

Fall Color Hotline at: 1-800-354-4595, and a website

at: https://www.fs.fed.us/fallcolors that provides

timely information. If you want to plant trees that

may give you a bit of fall color in your landscape,

here are a few to try:

Red Maple: This is a large native tree. Its leaves

turn yellow, red, orange or purple. It provides lasting

color in winter with red

flowers, then seeds. The

‘Florida Flame’ variety is

supposed to have some

consistent fall color.

Sugarberry: This large

tree is a relative of the

elm, and is native to Flori-

da. Its leaves turn a pale

yellow.

Hickory: The hickory is a

large tree that has yellow

fall foliage.

Carolina Silverbell: This

is a small understory

tree that is native to the

SE. It provides early

yellow fall color.

Persimmon: Both the

native and oriental va-

rieties turn color. The

native may reach 50 ft.

in height. The fall col-

ors are yellow/green to

reddish/purple.

Sweetgum: This prov-

en native is a large tree

with star-shaped

leaves. The leaves can turn red, yellow, or purple.

Wild Cherry: This is a large native tree that may

have yellow and red foliage. Its messy fruit may be a

problem for some.

Florida Maple: This tree is somewhat smaller than

the Red Maple. It is a Florida version of the Sugar

Maple. Its leaves turn yellow.

Dogwood: This tree is better known for its flowers in

the Spring, but both the fruit, and the leaves turn

purplish-red in the fall.

Sassafras: This small tree forms clumps of yellow,

red, orange and purple foliage.

Sweetshrub: This north Florida native is a shrub up

to 8 feet tall. Its leaves turn yellow.

Oakleaf Hydrangea: This multi-stemmed native

shrub has orange to purple foliage in the fall.

Shumard Oak: This large native tree has red fall

color.

Crape Myrtle: This non-native tree is not only a

summer flowering tree, but has red, orange, or yel-

low foliage in the fall.

Blackgum: This slow-growing large tree produces

red fall color early in the season.

Out on a Limb by Larry Figart

Florida Maple

Chinese Tallow Fall Color

Crape Myrtle Fall Color

4

Leafy Greens by Beth Marlowe

Further Reading

An overview of leafy greens with specific guidance on collards, mustards, kale, vegetable bolting concerns

and more can be found at http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/greens.html

Need more? Read up on Swiss Chard (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv143), Arugula (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

mv010), Orach (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv103) and Sorrell (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv136)

Leafy greens will also be featured in our exhibit this year at the Jacksonville Agricultural Fair, which will be

held from Nov. 7-17. We will have a wide variety of familiar and lesser known greens on display, so if you

would like to see it before you try it, come visit us in the Florida Crops Expo.

Any list of the healthiest foods includes ‘leafy greens.’ If you are

looking for ways to incorporate more of these nutritious foods in

your daily diet, fall is the perfect time to do it because many of them

are easy to grow in Florida this time of year. Many are also beautiful

foliage plants, so they can be used as fillers in the fall and winter

landscape bed. Because they are grown for their leaves rather than a

fruit, they can usually handle partial shade, especially during the

warmer parts of fall and spring.

You may already be familiar with

the Southern trifecta of collards,

mustard and turnip greens. All

are in the cabbage family

(Brassicaceae). They are easy to

start from seed, though turnips are

best started where they will grow.

Begin harvesting lower, outer

leaves in 6-8 weeks and continue

throughout the winter and spring.

Kale is another member of this

same family, and it is grown and

harvested similarly. If you are

ready for something new, try

Swiss chard. Although its large

leaves may remind you of collards,

the plant is a member of the spinach family (Amaranthaceae) and is

the same species as beets. Swiss chard’s colorful stems and veins

are especially pretty, and the leaves can be eaten fresh in salads or

cooked as you would spinach. It continues to grow well into the

warmer weather of May, but it’s susceptible to root-knot nematodes.

Fall is also the time to grow salad greens of all sorts. From arugula

to lettuce, from orach to sorrel—you are certain to find at least a

few that grow well in your garden and that taste great. Another

advantage of these salad greens is that they can be grown hydropon-

ically. A simple floating system in a five-gallon bucket can provide

enough greens for 1-2 people.

New State Law on

Vegetable Gardening in

Home Landscapes

A new law was passed by the

Florida Legislature and signed by

Governor DeSantis earlier this year

that may affect placement of

vegetable gardens in your yard.

Effective July 1, 2019, this law

prohibits city and county govern-

ments from restricting where you

may place a vegetable garden. If

your backyard is too shady, but

your front yard is sunny, you may

now be able to put vegetables in

your front yard. There are, how-

ever, limitations. This new law

does not apply to homeowner

associations (HOAs) or community

development districts (CDD)

requirements. It also only applies

to city and county laws expressly

aimed at vegetable gardens. It does

not apply to local laws that are

more general in nature and that are

not explicitly about vegetable

gardens. Click here to read the full

statute (Section 604.71).

Bottom line: as we all—citizens,

municipalities and counties—work

to understand the specifics of the

new law, be sure to follow all your

HOA, CDD or deed restriction

requirements when considering or

planning a new vegetable garden.

Swiss chard ready for harvest

5

Did you know that Florida is the winter strawberry capital of the world? Mid-September to mid-October is

the perfect time to plant bare-root strawberries in north Florida. The strawberry, a member of the rose family,

needs our cooler, shorter days to produce flowers and fruit. You can grow strawberries in the ground, in

raised beds, in containers, hanging baskets, or even in hydroponic systems. Whatever growing medium you

choose, strawberries need 8 hours of sun, consistent water and regular fertilizer. Although strawberry plants

are hardy here, cover them with a sheet or blanket anchored to the ground if a frost or freeze is predicted.

This will help protect the more fragile flowers and fruit. The first fruits should ripen 90-110 days after plant-

ing. Harvest when berries are at least three-fourths red. Unlike some other fruits they don’t continue to ripen

after they are picked. Dip them in that chocolate or put them in a pie within a few days because they don’t

last long.

Strawberries can be successfully grown in the home garden, but

they can suffer from a wide variety of fungal, disease and insect

pests. Keys to avoiding problems are: planting in soil that has

been solarized; rotating strawberry crops from year to year, not

planting where tomatoes, eggplants or potatoes have just been

grown, starting with healthy transplants, scouting frequently to

stay on top of insect pests, keeping the fruits off the ground,

and using netting to deter birds. Just think how proud your

Valentine will be to learn that you grew those luscious

strawberries yourself!

Chocolate Strawberries by Beth Marlowe

The Urban Gardening Program will be offering a hands-on Grow your Own Strawberries workshop on

Thursday, October 24 from 10:00 -11:30 am at the Duval County Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave.

Cost of the workshop is $15 and includes 10 plants per registrant. Space is limited. Register at:

www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-your-own-strawberries-tickets-70140119987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch or call

Sarah at 904-255-7450.

For more information about growing strawberries in Florida see Growing Strawberries in the Florida Home

Garden. There are as many recipes for making chocolate covered strawberries online as there are cooks, so

check out several. Click here for a recipe I have used myself. Enjoy!

Diggin it N Duval15%

Yard & Garden

19%

The Vine8%

This Old Yard2%

The Garden Master

15%

Solutions4%

Outdoor & Indoor

2%

The Pollinator

0%

A New Leaf23%

Bee Mindful

Month to

Month2%

Garden Wisdom

10%

Name That Newsletter Results

Well, it was a tight race for several really good

names, but in the end the votes were tallied and “A

New Leaf” remained the majority preference. You

can see the results in the pie chart to the right. I felt

that in the spirit of turning a new leaf we still had to

change, even if ever so slightly. The second place

contender really fit with our newsletter focus and

with the current name. This allows both the under-

standing of continuity and our continuous growth.

Thank you to everyone who participated and

suggested a name, and to our MG volunteers who

helped guide the selection.

6

Upcoming September/October Classes

For all classes call 255-7450 to register and pre-pay

Canning Classes: $20 per person, pre-payment & pre-registration required.

Saturday, September 14, 9:00 am - 12 pm - Pear Marmalade

Monday, September 16, 9:00 am - 1 pm - Beautyberry Jelly

Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Garden Mistakes Others Make…

Not You! Regency Square Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd. Free program but

pre-registration is requested.

Tuesday, September 24, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Do you know 19 ways to Compost?

West Branch Library, 1425 Chaffee Rd. Learn about vermicomposting and the

benefits to improving your soil. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.

Tuesday, October 1, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Weed ID and Management. Garden

Club of Jacksonville, 1005 Riverside Ave. Learn about the identification of

commonly encountered weeds and an integrated pest management approach to

long-term control. Free program but pre-registration is required.

Thursday, October 10, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Who Are the Busy Pollinators &

Their Plants? Pablo Creek Library, 13295 Beach Blvd. Free program but pre-

registration is requested.

Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Florida Container Gardening. West

Branch Library, 1425 Chaffee Rd. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.

Thursday, October 24, 10:00 am - 11:30 am. Grow Your Own Strawberries.

Learn everything you need to know to grow your own strawberries and get 10 bare-

root strawberry plants. Cost is $15. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/

grow-your-own-strawberries-tickets-70140119987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Monday, October 28, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, All About Wildlife...Encourage the

Desirable, Discourage the Undesirable. University Park Library, 3435 University

Blvd. N. Free program, but pre-registration is requested.

It’s the melonworm! This pest commonly causes a type of damage called “skeletonizing” on cucurbits, such as

squash and pumpkin, which results from the feeding of all leaf tissue until only the leaf veins remain. Due to its

foliar feeding it can actually be managed fairly easily with pesticides, but in home gardens and organic opera-

tions they can be a serious pest for fall cucurbits. They rarely cause an issue in the spring, so one tactic is to

simply grow squashes early. Monitoring is key; look for their damage and take action quickly. If you don’t want

to use chemicals, manually squishing the larvae works for small plantings. They are often found inside the flow-

ers or in webbing on the underside of leaves.

Further Reading:

Melonworm, Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in320 )

What to Plant in

September & October

Annuals - Ageratum, celo-

sia, zinnia and wax begonia

(Remove spent blooms be-

fore they seed to reduce

volunteer plants)

Bulbs - Elephant ear, calla,

narcissus, zephyr lily, daf-

fodils

Vegetables - Broccoli, car-

rot, cabbage, collards, on-

ions, arugula, lettuce, and

spinach.

Herbs—Dill, fennel, orega-

no and sage.

Now is the time to get

strawberries in the ground!

What’s That?