Type of mulch doesn’t matter

We are having a debate among family members as to the best mulch for the landscape. Is one type better than another?

My wife likes medium pine bark nuggets, and I like pine straw — so we use the pine bark. Maybe this is the way it will be in your landscape too, but it really does not make a difference. Many studies have been performed with mulches, and all seem to agree, the barks, straws, leaves and similar types do the same things.

Mulches help keep the soil moist, maintain a uniform soil temperature and control weeds. Organic types can overtime supply some nutrients. What we do know is several inches is all you need for trees and shrubs and less for perennials. Even rubber and similar mulches are very acceptable. Also, keep all mulches at least a foot back from the home to help prevent termites.

I have two 18-inch tall jacaranda trees and live in Clermont. Should I plant them in the ground or in containers?

Beautiful blue-flowered jacaranda trees are at risk due to potential cold in Clermont and most areas of Central Florida. Your small trees could be grown one more year in a container of suitable size for their root balls and then set in the ground in the future. The trick to survival is finding a spot that is freeze-free. The south side of a lake would be best, but even this would be risky in the Clermont area. Some trees in local landscapes do survive and bloom, but only after several years of warm winters.

Many of our duranta plants are not making new growth and appear dead to the ground. Is there any way to tell if they can regrow new plants?

A number of coldsensitive plants affected by winter freezes are still of questionable survival. Some include Gold Mound durantas, crotons, shiny jasmines and hibiscus. Normally within any planting, some are making new growth, but others are without shoots.

Use a knife to scrape the outer layer of stems in search of green or yellow and moist tissue that suggests the plants are still alive. Often, this search for survival is back to or slightly below the ground line. If the tissue appears alive, the plants are likely to develop new buds and then growths. Sometimes reviving these dormant buds takes several months, and it may be summer before shoots are noticed.

Several areas in my lawn are barren, and I would like to repair them with grass seed. The areas have been tilled. When do I sow the seed?

Wait no longer to re-green the brown spots with grass seed. Do note seeding to establish new turf is not that easy. Usually the grass seed has to be lightly covered with soil or lightly raked into the ground. Then the site must be kept moist until the new grass has grown a substantial root system.

Make the first fertilizer application after the grass has been growing for several weeks. Start mowing after the turf reaches the desired height. Weed control may also be needed and can begin after several mowings, following label instructions.

Our irrigation system goes on twice a week for 30 minutes. Do you think this is enough water for the turf?

Watering twice a week is normally permitted in areas of Florida when daylight savings time is in effect. Now, here is the problem. Watering twice a week for 30 minutes tells us how long the system is operating but not how much water you are applying. The amount depends on your irrigation system, and you need to do some homework.

Set a small rain gauge or shallow square-sided container, like a tuna fish can, out in the lawn when you run the sprinklers. Measure the amount of water you apply in several areas. The ideal amount for each watering is between onehalf and three-quarters of an inch. If below this amount the system needs to run longer, and if above, the time can be reduced.

My banana plants have a number of brown, brittle leaves, but the tops are still growing. Do the plants need to be cut to the ground each year?

Keep those tattered and winter-weary bananas growing, and you may harvest a crop by fall. Do remove the brown and declining leaves, but encourage healthy ones to continue growth. Apply a light feeding of a general garden fertilizer monthly through October, keep the soil moist and maintain a 2- to 3-inch mulch. Bananas more than a year of age, receiving good care, though damaged during the winter, are likely to flower by summer and produce edible fruits before cold winter weather arrives.