February Questions

Q. I have a weed in my lawn and in flower beds that has scalloped leaves and white tuberous roots that resemble a Rattlesnake’s rattle. It seems to be taking over, I have tried to pull it up but it keeps coming back. How can I stop this weed ?

A. The weed that you are describing is Florida Betony (Stachys floridana). To control it in your lawn we recommend spraying with Hi-Yield Pre-Emergent Herbicide in mid to late February. One pint will cover 10,900 square feet of lawn (roughly a quarter of an acre). To control it in beds spot treat with Hi-Yield Killzall. Killzall must be sprayed on the leaves to be effective, because it has no soil activity you will be free to plant areas where it has been sprayed. Keep off of the foliage of desirable plants because Killzall will damage whatever it is sprayed on. Florida Betony is difficult to control. You will likely need to spray again in November and next February. Bring us samples of your problem weeds and we will give you the best control strategies for eliminating them.

Q. What varieties of citrus perform best in the Tallahassee area?

A. The most cold hardy citrus for our region include the Satsuma Orange, Kumquats,and the Calamondin Orange. Satsumas are a variety of  Mandarin Orange(tangerine) originally from Japan. Satsuma fruit are easy to peel, have excellent flavor and have only a few seed. ‘Nagami’ Kumquat has tart oblong fruit and ‘Meiwa’ Kumquat has round sweet fruit. Kumquat fruit are usually eaten whole. The Calamondin Orange has small very tart fruit that resemble miniature tangerines. They are best used to make drinks and in cooking. They are very popular in the Philippine Islands.

Q. Why do my azaleas have many solid yellow leaves on them now?

A. It is normal for the lower leaves of most varieties of azaleas to turn solid yellow at this time. Varieties that are semi-deciduous will have the most yellow leaves. Azaleas that are under drought stress and those growing in excessive sun will often have more yellow leaves. You can reduce the amount of leaf loss by watering deeply during dry spells and by applying 5-4-7 Acid Blend fertilizer in April, early June and late August. Be sure to bring in samples of yellowing leaves for us to look at because nutritional disorders,mites, lacebugs, diseases or other problems may be responsible for the yellowing.

Q. We need to have flowers in bloom in late February for a special event-what can I plant now to give good color?

A. Some good choices for Winter flowers include Flowering Cabbage, Kale, Dianthus, Pansies, Violas, and Snapdragons.

Q. How can I get Purple Martins to come to our property ?

A. Put a Purple Martin house on a pole 12-15 feet above the ground in an open area. We carry aluminum houses made by Heath in 6, 12, 18 and 24 room sizes. Try to put the house up in late January or early February so that the early scout birds will see it and return with more birds. Visit the nursery to see our Martin display. Many of our houses have been in use for over 10 years and have returning birds for you to observe.