Tampa Ag Blog

 Anyone that plants the Mexican petunia (Ruellia Tweediana) soon discovers that this pretty bluish-purple flowering plant can become quite a nuisance.

Also known as the Mexican bluebell, this plant is a non-native perennial. It will take over a flowerbed with a vengeance. I too was an innocent Mexican petunia lover since they are quite lovely and can take just about any kind of weather; full sun and shade, drought and rain.  

Mexican petunia is listed as a Category 1 invasive pest plant by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (www.fleppc.org).  It has invaded natural areas throughout the state, especially in wet areas displacing native flora. It spreads from seed, rhizomes and cuttings. Even dwarf forms are considered invasive. 

I’m not the only one that was fooled by this plant; I see them everywhere I look. I am currently STILL digging them up and will have to resort to spraying them with Brush Killer an 8.8 % Triclopyr to get rid of them once and for all. Clear Pasture is a 61.6% Triclopyr and is labeled for many types of invasive shrubs and trees. 

Try to be conscious of planting non-native invasive plants; you’ll be a much happier gardener and do the entire state of Florida a big favor!

I took after my mother. The need for gardening is in my blood. Well, my mother and I. My sisters don’t understand that we possess this intuitive built-in need to go outside and create beauty in the form of a flower garden, a manicured lawn or a privacy fence constructed of trees or shrubs. 

It starts with imagination; in our minds we create or recreate what we’ve seen in other gardens, magazines or books we’ve read. Or we create something that is our very own idea of what is beautiful, a private place yet for all to see. A private place that always exists in our hearts and minds. It’s hard to describe it to someone who doesn’t possess that need. Then we plan. I personally love the planning part, the actual work, not so much! I recognize that I am not as capable of day long digging and planting without a price. Gardeners do it anyway, it’s hard labor but it’s a labor of love, a necessity! 

 Recently I spent a Sunday with my mother. She is no longer capable of gardening at all but she can look outside and enjoy the garden she created so long ago and she is happy!  As long as she sees flowers and a manicured lawn that is.

My mother loves a very neat and tidy yard and so do I. Clipped hedges, perfectly edged borders and a manicured lawn and  of course NO weeds! Yes, did I mention she is a perfectionist?  Even now at 89!Unfortunately I can’t always achieve this look with lack of time and energy but the promise is always there. I learned a long time ago that perfectionism is highly overrated (sorry mom.) But I still dream!       

So on that Sunday as I was showing her some pictures of beautiful gardens from one of my books, she had this wonderfully enchanted and delighted look on her face and I realized fully for the first time that she and I are truly connected in this way. Her response is identical to mine.  We may differ in other matters, but this connection is from the heart; our hearts to the earth that we need to manipulate, beautify and dirty our hands with. 

Thanks Mamma!

Many folks are experiencing Late Blight on their Tomatoes or Potatoes in their gardens this time of year.  The plant disease can occur on other vegetables as well.

Late Blight is caused by a fungus called  Phytophtora infestans, a water mold that grows on wet leaves. Millions of spores spread the disease in wet weather conditions.  Spores can travel long distances by air and can be washed through the soil and infect potato tubers.

For a little history, Late Blight was the cause of the 1850’s Irish potato famine during which million of people starved and were forced to emigrate.  Not something you want in your garden.

The fungus can survive from season to season. Infected plants from last year, seed potatoes and tomato transplants can all spread the disease. 

If you have Late Blight you either destroy the plant or control the disease with a fungicide. 

There are only a few homeowner or residential labels for fungicides that control Late Blight.  Commercial grower products are higher active ingredients of the named products  below.

Chlorothalonil and Mancozeb are the common fungicides used as a protectant and they are not systemic.  Copper is labeled for the disease but it’s not very effective. 

Liquid Ornamental & Vegetable Fungicide is a 12.5% Clorothalonil and is labeled for home gardeners.

The recommended rate is 2-4 Tablespoons per gallon.  

Dithane M-45 is an 80% mancozeb product and the rate is 1.5 Tablespoon per gallon. 

For commercial use there are various formulations of Chlorothalonil such as Bravo and a product called Chlorosel Pro 720, a 50% Chlorothalonil.   

Organic gardeners can only use copper and it isn’t very effective.  There may be some natural fungicides but they would not be labeled for specific use on blights.

Fungicides can be obtained through website or call 1-800-373-5008

Well, figuratively speaking only. I finally took a step in the right direction. Why is it so difficult to start exercising again?

I had decided that I would start walking again once I was working from home. Two weeks later I finally held to that commitment. I knew that I HAD to start walking in order to reorganize my life. Sounds so dramatic I know, but walking for me is like the ultimate discipline that affects every other thing in my life that needs constant discipline.

The first walk is always the most difficult. After finally convincing myself it really was time to get back out there, I knew it might be somewhat uncomfortable. Not being in shape shows up very quickly when you to start your exercise program. I planned to only walk about 15 minutes. I’m smart that way. There’s a wonderful back road with very little traffic and lots of nature. I started out with the best of intentions of course, it’s early, it’s not sweltering yet and I’m in the right frame of mind. First thing I notice is how my back hurts, it’s been hurting ever since my dedicated yard weekend. Then I become aware of how much my belly sticks out and how I wouldn’t want anyone to see this. Then I get this pain in my chest and wonder if it’s my heart or just muscle. Then I’m wondering about the benefits of walking, I mean really!

In spite of my discomfort, I feel a sensation that only occurs when I am moving! It’s alertness; a deep awakening that stirs up the familiar.  I immediately think back to all the hiking I used to do and how much pleasure I received from that. I’ve always needed movement, a lot of it, as I suppose most of us do, in order to feel really alive! So how come I don’t stick to it? I have never figured out the answer to that and I get tired just trying to figure it out. Life happens and you get out of your routine. It’s so easy to stop and so damn difficult to start again. 

So back to the discomfort, this is my first walk after all. I’m walking along and all of sudden there’s an uncomfortable stirring in the belly region. Oh oh, I soon realize that between all that coffee I drank this morning and all this movement something is stirring and making its presence known and I better deal with it. Immediately! But I can’t because I am too far from home!  This is ridiculous!  Without going into specifics, I hightail it back to the house.

Anyway, I get home, and much to my relief, no pun intended of course, I feel really good. I know I have started something good and I am proud of myself, I also notice that my back pain has diminished quite a bit.

If a little is good, a lot is better is my motto, so I took another walk! I felt cheated because my earlier walk had been cut short by, well, you know… so I decided to take my dog, Dobie this time. (Her name has been changed to protect her anonymity)

This walk was so much nicer; I only walked about 20 more minutes and was able to really enjoy it this time. Paying attention to the wonderful noises and silence of nature, I knew I had taken the right steps toward a better frame of mind and body.

So what ever your reasons are, a need to move, a need to gain control over your life, a way to get healthy, get out there and take that first walk. Then tomorrow do it again! I promise it will get easier and more fun. Hey, it’s not something you don’t already know!

Just make sure you take care of business before you go!

P.S. If you are on the fence about getting back to exercising listen to this little fact.  A half hour of moderate exercise a day reduces the chance of all cancers by 50%????  How’s that for incentive!

I can’t believe a squirrel took over the bluebird nest! Just crawled up there and won’t get out. Yesterday I was watching from my office window as about 6 bluebirds, don’t know where they all came from, were letting that squirrel have it. Heck there was even a Goldfinch on that fence. Each taking a turn flying up to the hole and who knows what they were saying but I’ll bet it wasn’t very nice. Alas, it didn’t do any good. Now what? I don’t see them today. The baby bluebird is flying and is apparently big enough to go elsewhere but it was sad knowing they were homeless all of a sudden. Such is nature! It’s so wonderfully diverse. As in our lives, we have our good days and then our bad ones too. You can count on it.

I have discovered a new saying; actually it came from a Wayne Dyer lecture I was listening to. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” I love that saying and it is so true. Apparently it is a proven fact, physiologically speaking. For those of you who like to stick to the facts!

I have realized it to be very true and I practice it daily. Especially when I am not happy about something. You know, it truly is up to us to think differently when we are dealing with something we don’t like. It’s a powerful tool and works instantly. It’s not as difficult as you think either. Just change the way you look at your situation. We all have the power and capability to change our thoughts.

Another way to deal with life is to think from the end. Yesterday I had an appointment downtown and had not left in time to take a leisurely trip. I was beating myself up pretty badly especially since it had started raining and I ended up in a traffic jam. The entire trip I kept telling myself that I would be there on time, albeit just in time since anything else was truly impossible, that I would find the perfect parking spot, not likely downtown, and that I wouldn’t get all wet, ummmh, it WAS raining. But I held to those thoughts even as I had my doubts. So what happened you ask? I had 2 minutes to spare, found a parking spot RIGHT in front of the building and it was only slightly raining. So thinking and seeing from the end works!!

I want to see a manicured lawn and weed free flowerbeds! I suppose you really have to work for some things, it doesn’t always happen as miraculously as my trip downtown did.

I promise I will get to the pesticides and answers to problems in the garden. I have just not had the time to devote to it. Please give me your comments and let me know what you would like for me to address. Ants, Chinch bugs, Fleas, fungus in your lawns, you let me know.

Oh, my, the Bluebirds are all back. Apparently they haven’t given up yet! Who knows, they might just get their nest back.

It’s Saturday and I have looked forward to this day all week. Yes, those boxes are still piled up all over the house but today I will not deal with those. I will work in the yard all day, if my back will let me. It seems like it’s been a long time since I was able to dedicate an entire day and from the looks of it you can bet it really shows too!

I’m ashamed to call myself a gardener and the only reason I can is because who else but a true gardener looks forward to spending an entire day weeding and mowing! On a weekend too! Most folks are lying around relaxing or doing something fun but you see, I find this a labor of love. It’s not the work itself that is so gratifying; it’s the result I crave. That manicured look makes me feel like I have control over my life. More so outside than inside my home, I guess that is where my true nature lies. If my flowerbeds are weed free (which almost never happens) and my lawn (all 5 acres) is mowed. I feel in control.

I am not crazy about summer gardening though. This time of year my garden looks the least manicured. Some would say that’s putting it lightly. On some level I have accepted this, I’m getting older, the heat is unbearable and even though I love breaking a sweat, Florida heat is just not normal. It saps the life out of you if you’re in it more than a few hours. Sometimes it takes only minutes. So I forgive myself knowing that I cannot stay out there as long as I used to.

I have found an agreeable way to work this out though. I work really hard in the morning, then I go in for lunch and then I take a nice nap. Now, even a year ago this was totally unacceptable to me but as I get older and I like to think, wiser, who cares! It’s the weekend after all! This has become a wonderful way for me have the best of both worlds, a fine balance between hard work and the ultimate break, a nap! Does this still count as an entire day of work you ask? Yes, I think it does because think about it, other then landscapers and lawn maintenance companies who get paid to work out there all day, most of us only garden for a few hours, so when I work all morning and most of the afternoon, it rates as a full day to me.

Okay, I promise to start adding some gardening hints, pest control facts and all the reasons you might actually want to read this blog. Not today. I am going to do the work I love and will get to those details later. I think I’ll feel more like my life is under control!

Oh, and for those of you who are looking for grammatical perfection, it’s not gonna happen here. I know my writing leaves a lot to be desired with all my syntax errors and misplaced punctuation marks. I speak from the heart and if you like what I have to say rather than how I spell, great. I’m sure I’ll improve with practice so bear with me, if not, go out and pull some weeds and hopefully you’ll feel like you have more control. Right now, I’m out the door!

Happy gardening!

Well, I have to start somewhere! I call this first  blog ” a new start” for more than the obvious reason of it being the very first blog.  My entire life seems as if it has changed and I am starting over, once again!

Having just moved from my office and warehouse of 23 years to my home, has not been an easy transition. After spending much thought, energy, plenty of anxiety and lots of hard work on moving out, I realized I had to move in as well!  Just as I thought moving out was the main goal, thus expending all my energy on that, I realized that my home was now turned upside down and inside out.

I have yet to clean out my car filled with stuff from my warehouse and it makes me wonder if I need any of it.  Boxes filled with files sit in my living room, all the rooms have some evidence of this move and yet I have not had the energy or desire to go through it all.  After all I’ve doing that for weeks already just getting here!   

Having to make room for my new work space is taking much more time and energy than I thought it would.  I’m sure many of you have taken on the same feat, whether you were forced to do it or did it voluntarily.

I think some of the confusion comes from changing the daily routine I’ve had for 23 years, commuting to Tampa. The drive took an hour and I never minded this at all. This was a transition time from home to work that was relaxing to me. Liking to drive and listening to talk radio, I never saw it as a disadvantage.   Now the transition time is very short, only a hallway. I say goodbye to the dogs and tell them to have a nice day. Naturally they have already taken it for granted. You would think they would be more appreciative that I am now at their disposal all day but they just lay around like they did when I was gone, I’m sure!

It’s confusing to work from home for me. As I made the descision to close my office, or rather the economy made that descision for me, I imagined a typical day to be integrated, with me working at my computer, working on my websites, taking orders and then going outside to do some yard work, throw in a load of laundry, and all the daily chores that I used to have to do on my supposed time off, the weekend.

 So far this has not happened.  I LOOK outside and I see lots of activity, there is a bluebird nest practically right outside my window and this morning I was rewarded with watching the baby bluebird fly around and mom and dad watching close by. But as far as actually doing any real much needed yard work, nope. 

That is where the confusion comes in as well, look, you’re either at work or you’re not!  My phone rings all day, how will it look to a prospective customer if I’m working in the yard instead of slaving in front of a computer?  Okay, great…they can’t see me but I know I’m not working.  Well, yard work isn’t called that for no reason, but you know what I mean. 

I seem to a bit lost. I’m sure many of you have made this transition very easily but for me the distinction between home and work are now gone. There isn’t enough of a difference for me now.  I know it’s only been a week really, so I try to be kind to myself and just let myself flounder for a while but I know at some point I will have to really get to work!!

Or, is it possible to just relax and let it all flow naturally with a few moments taken to water my potted plants and do a bit of much needed weeding and then coming back to the computer to be more inspired and creative. It is those small daily breaks that give us our energy after all.  I think I wrote about that in a previous newsletter.

I think things will work out. I hope they will for you too if you’ve made this transition.

This blog will be a mixture of daily life events, the hardships and the joys and of course last but not least any advice I can give to those who love to garden and to those who use my products.  Whether it be your roses, your lawns or flower beds, I’ve got direct experience and a long career behind me to help you decide which fertilizer or pesticide to use. Coming to you from my 5 acre homestead, which I will make sound like heaven at times and represent realistically most of the time,  I have the same problems you have.  Ants, Chinch Bugs, weeds, ,making descisions on what to plant, landscaping new beds, planting trees or just renovating, all of it! I’m sure I can learn from you and I hope I can be of benefit as well.

I have to go take out the trash now so if you call me, just pretend I am in my office hard at work.  Just know that you, my customer, are very important to me and all kidding aside I always take the time necessary to expedite your order or help you any way I can , no matter where I am!

 Monique