Early fall blooming is normal for nectarine trees
Question: Our nectarine tree has lots of blooms. Isn’t this too early for the tree to flower and will we get early fruits?
Answer:
It is a good bet your nectarine tree has lost a lot of its leaves, which often encourage flowering of deciduous fruit trees that require a little cold to open their blooms. The early fall blooming is normal for peaches, plums and apples too. The limbs are usually full of still dormant flower buds, so there should be plenty of blooms for the winter flowering time too. Most early blooms do not set fruit, and the few that do seldom mature into good nectarines.
Q: The poinsettia plants in our yard are getting tall. Do I still have time to do needed pruning?
A:
Enjoy the extra growth from your plants, as pruning time for poinsettias is long gone if you want a seasonal display. The plants are starting to initiate the flowering process that results in their colorful bracts. Most should begin showing color by the end of November. Pruning time for poinsettias ends at the beginning of September.
Q: This is our first time growing tomatoes. Is it necessary to stake the plants?
A:
Staking may not be necessary but is advisable to obtain quality fruits of vining varieties. Even the bush types may need staking to remain in an upright position. Staking keeps the fruits within easy view to help with the harvest. It also keeps the tomatoes off the ground to prevent rot and insect problems. Often, more than small tomato cages sold at garden centers are needed for varieties that can grow up to eight feet tall. Consider constructing a wood trellis or using poultry fencing or concrete reinforcement wire for cages.
Q: I want to sow seed for a temporary winter lawn. When is the time to sow ryegrass seed?
A: Wait until the night temperatures dip into the 50s and days no higher than the low 80s to sow ryegrass seed. This temporary grass needs the cooler temperatures to make the best growth. Too high a temperature, coupled with morning dews and occasional rains, also encourages rot problems. Delay the seeding until late November or December to have a good winter lawn.
Q: In my garage is a bag of azalea fertilizer. Can it be used to fertilize hydrangeas?
A: Most fertilizers can be general-use products even though they list a certain group of plants or pictures of plants on the label. Within a few percentage points, the nutrient analysis is normally about the same between product types. Use of an azalea fertilizer could make the soil more acidic, so if you want blue hydrangeas, it would be beneficial. If you intend to keep pink hydrangeas, you might switch to a less acidifying fertilizer or check the soil pH and adjust if needed to keep the site slightly alkaline.
Q: We would like to grow broccoli. Do we have time to start transplants from seed?
A:
Sow your seeds now and through January to have transplants for the garden. We are on the brink of good broccoli growing time, as the plants like the cooler weather. Plants can even tolerate a frost and light freeze. It is best to sow a few seeds once every three to four weeks to have several plantings of broccoli for the garden. Each plant produces a large head to harvest and then offshoots to remove and also use. You do not want too many plants producing at one time.
Q: We are thinking of replacing our St. Augustine lawn. When is the best time to install new sod?
A:
Landscapers install sod year-round, but if you want the best time, it would be fall and early spring, when you control the water. Often, heavy rains keep the turf too wet, especially in the shadier areas, which results in turf decline. Sodding can continue into winter, but if there is a sudden freeze, the new growth would likely be damaged, and some grass could decline.
Q: I need to trim the lower branches from my avocado so I can mow under the tree. Is this the right time to trim them and when should the tree be fertilized?
A:
Branches that interfere with tree or shrub maintenance can be removed anytime. You can remove portions of limbs or an entire limb back to the trunk of the avocado tree. Now is also the time to give the tree its final feeding of the year. Use a citrus-avocado fertilizer available at garden centers, following label instructions. Additional feedings are needed in March, May and July.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando FL 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com.
Blog with Tom at OrlandoSentinel.com/tomdigs.