Pensacola News Journal

For: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001

By: Daniel E. Mullins

Extension Horticulture Agent

Santa Rosa County

End of the Season Gardening Report

Circumstances sometime place us in unique situations. In my position as an Extension horticulture agent in Santa Rosa County, I have an opportunity to deal with gardeners on a daily basis. This work is never dull and often challenging. Enough new and unusual plant questions arise to keep things interesting too.

The past growing season was a busy one. We fielded an average of 40 requests for gardening information each day, or over 8,500 during the past year. In addition, 35 presentations were made to gardening groups and the weekly plant clinic served about 900 residents. Also, Master Gardener volunteers are currently involved in over 40 educational projects within the County.

This newspaper column reaches thousands of gardeners, and I appreciate the paper making the space available, and readers who support it. Modern technology has added another method of communicating with those who are interested in gardening. Various web sites are linked to mine, so I find myself spending about an hour each morning responding to questions via e-mail.

All of the communication that occurs between those who garden and the local Extension office provides a good overview of topics that are of greatest concern as well as trends within the lawn, landscape and vegetable gardening public.

The “top five” gardening subjects brought to our attention during 2001 were:

1. Lawn Care Questions: Every homeowner wants an attractive lawn and most inquiries concerned specific topics such as disease, weed, insect control and fertilization recommendations.

2. Native Plant Identification: Many new residents are moving into this area who are unfamiliar with our local native plants. Leaf and stem samples are brought to clinics and to the office for identification.

3. ”Critter” Identification: Various unusual specimens are brought in for identification. Examples include scorpions, millipedes, snakes, lawn shrimp, large moths and spiders. The feeding activity of moles and armadillos also causes alarm among gardeners, resulting in many calls.

4. “How to” Questions: These include a wide range of diverse topics such as the rooting of cuttings, grafting, drying flowers and plant bed preparation.

5. Moving Large Shrubs: Gardeners frequently need to relocate large, established shrubs from one area of the yard to another. Common information requested includes the recommended time of year, the size root ball that should be dug and suggestions for care once the job is complete. Watch for a future gardening article on this subject.

Question of the Week: I would like to grow Magnolia trees from seed. How is this done?

Answer: Gather seeds in the fall as soon as the fruit is ripe. Remove the soft outer pulp and plant immediately. They can also be stratified – stored under moist conditions for about 40 degrees F. for 3 to 6 months. In either case, do not allow the seeds to completely dry out. Avoid saving magnolia seed at room temperature over the winter. Indoor conditions would result in the loss of viability.