Ask Wendy
Weekly Home Horticulture Column
Winter 2005
February 2005
I have a large pot of calla lilies, and want to divide the clumps to give some away. How do I go about doing this? Just uncover them and cut away? (Gainesville)
Calla lilies are easy to share, simply divide large plants in the early spring by removing the plant from the pot and dividing the flat bulbs from each other. Try to make sure that each bulb has a large clump of roots and a stem. Replant in pots, at the same depth and repeat next spring. Callas do like to be moist; some gardeners use them in ponds or bog areas.
We have a large patch of "wandering Jew" that is spreading over our back yard and woods. Do you know of any way to get rid of it that is environmentally safe? We have tried pulling some of it, but it is nearly impossible to get it all, and it is too large of an area for this to be feasible. (Newberry)
Tradescantia fluminensis or the green wandering Jew is an invasive exotic weed in Alachua County . It will escape into our natural areas and displace the native groundcovers and smother other plants. This is a tough one to control by hand pulling. Even if you leave a small node of the plant in the ground it will root and start taking over again.
I know you do not want to spray, but Round up a non selective herbicide will really help. Short of that you could try to pull as much as you can up and then put down a barrier like newspaper or weed cloth then mulch over that with recycled mulch, leaves, or pine bark.
My Camellia japonica has mites on the undersides of the leaves. Is there a way to treat mites without using pesticides? If not, what is the safest pesticide to use? (Gainesville)
An oil spray like Volck is recommended to control the mites on Camellias. Routine oils sprays will work, you can spray it on cool overcast days, make sure you get the undersides of the leaves. The leaves that are damaged will not recover, but when you flip the leaves you should not see any mites moving.
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January 2005
What blackberry varieties can be grown in this area? Is ok to plant them now? (Gainesville)
Blackberries are very well suited to Alachua County . You may have encountered them growing along a fence row, or in an old field. The 
wild ones are certainly edible, and in most cases free, but there are a few superior cultivars that can be grown in the home landscape. These types of blackberries, once established and well tended will bear heavy crops. Brazos, Roseborough, Chickasaw, Chactau, and Kiowa are the recommended blackberries for our county. All of these varieties are thorny. You may have heard of thornless varieties like Arapaho and Navajo, and they are available, but they haven't proven to be as productive and well adapted as the five listed above. The University of Arkansas has an active blackberry breeding program and I am sure that a thorn-less type that will produce well for us will be available in the future. For now, a sure winner is the Brazos cultivar, it grows almost upright and doesn't require trellising. After it produces fruit in June just prune it to the ground. The other varieties such as Chickasaw and Chactau are trailing types and they can be supported by trellis or stakes.
Plant blackberries in full sun. If possible mulch well around the base; weeding blackberries is not a favorite pastime of gardeners. Fertilize a few times a year with a balanced fertilizer. Blackberries are great for attracting wildlife. When the plants are young you may plan on protecting the ripening fruit from hungry birds, but once the plants are large enough there will be enough fruit for you and the birds to share. The late winter - early spring is a good time to plant blackberries and any fruit trees.
What should I be doing now in the vegetable garden? The seed catalogs are starting to come in, and I think I should be getting ready. (Gainesville )
The best thing that you can do is get your soil tested to figure out your nutrient level and if you need to adjust your pH. Come by the Extension office at 2800 NE 39 th Ave in Gainesville to pick up a kit. The cost of the test is only $7 and it is very accurate. Also it is a good time to do maintenance on your irrigation system, and to add compost to your soil.
If you are currently growing a garden, you need to keep in fertilizer to get the most from your vegetables. Use a 8-8-8 every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. Apply 4 ounces per 10 feet row I bands 2-3 inches on either side of the plant. Work it into the soil then water. Use could also use 15-0-15 at 2 ounces per 10 feet row.
You still have time to get some winter vegetables planted. Broccoli, cabbage, mustards, kale, and turnips can be started from transplants. Beets and carrots can still be planted, and it won't be long before you can get your potatoes in the ground. Using transplants is a good idea, because they can be more cold hardy than seedlings.
Some of the vegetables in your garden will need to be protected from freezing cold temperatures. If a freeze is forecasted water the garden 24-48 hours before the severe temperatures arrive. Cover plants with frost cloth, paper, pots or a plastic row cover. If you use plastic make sure it doesn't touch the plant directly.
When you are pouring over the seed catalogs make sure that the varieties you are ordering are appropriate for this area. To be sure ask the Extension Office for the circular called Your Florida vegetable gardening guide.
A lot of the leaves on our azaleas are turning yellow; is this caused by something or a natural occurrence as they get ready to bloom? I don't recall this much yellowing in the past.
When the new growth of azaleas turns yellow, it usually indicates an iron deficiency. Azaleas prefer 
soils which have an acid pH because certain nutrients, including iron, are more available at lower pH values. Yellow leaves on azaleas can indicate an iron deficiency. A telltale sign of iron chlorosis is when the area between the veins is yellow or light green, while the veins are darker green. This happens because (1) not enough iron is present in the soil for the azaleas to utilize, or (2) the pH is not low enough to release the iron that is present. Azalea "special" fertilizer contains soil acidifiers which temporarily lower (acidify) the soil pH. Applications of iron sulfate or iron chelate will also correct iron deficiencies. Some soils are naturally alkaline (like limestone fill material) and it is nearly impossible to permanently adjust a naturally alkaline soil. Therefore, azaleas and other acid loving plants should not be selected for that site. Yellowing leaves on azaleas can also be an indication of a root rot fungus due to poor soil drainage; planting too deep; or poor establishment.
If the older leaves are getting yellow it could be a deficiency of another element like magnesium or nitrogen. That can be caused by compacted soil, poor drainage, low temperatures, over-fertilization, or unbalanced fertilization. If the problem is not too bad I would delay fertilizing until March. We are still due for cold weather, and you wouldn't want to encourage a flush of new green growth before a damaging cold snap. Wendy Wilber will be at the High Springs farmers market January 13 th to answer your gardening questions and to provide information about Florida Friendly gardening. The Farmers Market is from 2pm until dusk it is located behind High Springs city hall .
I am planning on converting my shady side yard from grass to a mulched bed. What kind of mulch should I use and how think should I spread it? (Gainesville )
Sometimes the best replacement for problem turf grass in shady spots is mulch. There are 
several mulches in our area that will look great, keep weeds down and conserve water. Oak leaves are readily available mulch; you can lay them directly on the ground or chop the leaves with a lawn mower and then spread them. Recycled mulch is available to GRU customers call them for a wood chip recycling application. The City of Gainesville still has hurricane mulch from fallen trees free for the taking; call them at 352-334-2330 for more information.
If you are going to purchase mulch, pine bark in large or small nuggets does a fine job. Also baled pine needles called pine straw is wonderful mulch. The mulch should be spread to a thickness of 3-4 inches deep for effective weed control and to create a moisture layer for plants. To easily calculate how much mulch you will need to make a 4 inch layer, multiply the length and the width of the bed area and divide by 3. This gives you the volume of mulch in cubic feet. So if your area is 20 feet long and 10 feet wide you would need 66.6 cubic feet ( 20 x 10 = 200 divided by 3 is 66.6 cubic feet). The volume is usually marked on the bags. For large areas consider a bulk order from a company that can be delivered.
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