Poinsettia pruning time all but over in early fall
label instructions carefully.
A hibiscus plant in our yard is overgrown by a shade tree and has to be moved. When is the best time to relocate the hibiscus to a sunny site?
Delay this move until the weather is less stressful for you and your plant. Sometime during the cooler months of November through February would be a good time to relocate your hibiscus to a sunny site. Do make sure the soil is moist at the time of digging and obtain a large intact root ball. There might be some value in waiting until mid- to late February, when the risk of cold damage is about over and any trimming needed could also be performed.
We have two banana trees that have produced a few fruits, but the lower leaves are often yellow and have to be pruned off. Since we give them little care what should we be doing?
One or two more fertilizer applications should help your banana plants finish out this year with better growth. These plants need consistent care to maintain their green leaves and be good producers.
You can either apply one more feeding with a slowrelease fertilizer or a light application of a general garden product now and in early November. Then keep the banana planting moist and maintain a mulch over the surface of the soil. Regretfully, cold temperatures below 40 degrees can yellow banana foliage, but with good care, your plants should be ready to resume growth during spring. At that time make light monthly regular fertilizer applications or use a slowrelease product every two to three months.
You mentioned in the “what to plant list” rhubarb can be grown in Florida. What do we need to do to be successful?
October is a bit late, but you may still have time to start a rhubarb crop from seed. Hurry to obtain seeds to sow in containers for garden transplants in November. This crop needs the cool weather to produce the stalks gardeners like to harvest during the spring months. We grow rhubarb as an annual, but it is a perennial in more northern states. The best time to sow your seeds is late August to have transplants ready for October. Regretfully, growing rhubarb is a bit of challenge due to the Florida weather, but you can be successful with reasonably cool winters and springs.
After my squash and cucumber plants were up and growing, it wasn’t long until the leaves were filling with holes. What’s doing the feeding; is there a good control?
You may not see them, but moths have found your plants and laid their eggs. These hatched into the caterpillar stages that chewed holes in the leaves. If you look closely, you can find them often curled up in the leaves and at the ends of new growths.
Such caterpillars, known as melon or fruit worms, are equally ready to feed in squash and cucumber fruits. Caterpillar feeding is heavy during fall, and controls are sure to be needed. This could be simply picking them off the plants, but it may not be enough.
Luckily, there are two natural controls that work. One is Thuricide and the other spinosad-containing products marketed under several brands usually at independent garden centers. Both are very effective and likely to be needed several times during production following label instructions.
I have crape myrtle limbs that are heavy with seed pods and in the way when I mow. Can I trim these shrubs at this time or should I wait until February?
A few seed bearing limbs are not going to be a good enough excuse to delay mowing any longer. Perform the grooming necessary to lift the lower limbs high enough so you won’t have to duck quite as much when cutting the grass. Do delay major trimming of the crape myrtles until January or February of next year.