TheThe BackyardBackyard Gardener Gardener VOLUME 3 ISSUE VI NOV. - DEC., 2012 Coordinator’s Corner Seems hard for me to believe greater, but I look forward to for those MGs that I run into that it was only five years ago helping the Florida’s commer- from time to time. Feel free when I took office as the Ur- cial agriculture economic in- to pop your head in and keep ban Horticulture Extension dustry and their vested inter- me updated on your fun ad- agent and Master Gardener ests with the help from the ventures. INSIDE THIS Coordinator. And now, as I University of Florida research ISSUE: For this last issue of The Back- look back, I realize I have center. yard Gardener, I want to take An Itinerant 2 trained 99 Master Gardeners I will continue to act as in- the time to thank you for Gardener for the Volusia County Mas- terim Coordinator and Urban your volunteerism and sup- ter Gardener program and Horticulture agent until the port you have shown me Holiday on a 2 have made countless friends. String time comes when we fill the over the years. The best is I have enjoyed my time in this Urban Horticulture position. yet to come! Florida 3 position, and now I am asked Rest assured that I will be Fly-Baiter to venture into the realm as a here to help train the new Commercial Horticulture class of 2013, which will begin Karen Stauderman Don’t be 4 agent. The stakes are higher in February. I will still be in Commercial Horticulture Disappointed and the challenges are the same office down the hall Extension Agent Turf Tales 4 Oh Deer, My Roses! Over the past several the bushes leafed out very months, we have been devel- vigorously and again they got oping a rose garden with sev- stripped. Only the hybrid eral hybrid teas, a couple of teas had this problem. The knockouts, a blueberry, and a next time, I went out early in with an aluminum foil pie poinsettia. All have been do- the morning and looked at plate swaying in the breeze ing well, lots of roses in bud the ground carefully and no- on a string between two vases, until a couple of weeks ticed the faint remains of stakes and several solar lights. ago. hoof prints. I came to the A month into this trial, it conclusion that deer are the One morning, all of the seems to be working. The mysterious “disease” affecting leaves and several buds were roses seem to be thriving, my roses. stripped from the hybrid we're cutting daily blooms, teas. The bushes leafed up Someone suggested moth and I don't notice any deer again and the same thing hap- balls, so we tried a couple of tracks in the rose garden. So pened. I suspected insects, mothballs on top of the far this looks like a success. so I started spraying. Again, cairn. Complemented this John Meikle, NSB PAGE 2 An Itinerant Gardener The Foundation for The Gator Nation In June, I joined a group of and Whitesbog Village, There are displays of medici- An Equal Opportunity Institution Maryland Master Gardeners known as “The Historic nal plants (natives and exot- UF IFAS EXTENSION - and Master Naturalists on a Center for Cranberry Inno- ics) from the 1920s. Pam- VOLUSIA COUNTY day trip to a small section of vation and the birthplace of phlets encouraging landscap- 3100 E. New York Avenue the million acres in south ing with native plants are DeLand, FL 32724-6410 and central New Jersey available for local residents. DeLand: (386) 822-5778 Daytona Beach: (386) 257-6012 known as the Pine Barrens. While we never came New Smyrna Bch: (386) 423-3368 This National Reserve and across the infamous Jersey Fax: (386) 822-5767 United Nations Biosphere Devil, the blueberries were 2012 Newsletter Staff Reserve is a unique ecosys- the most flavorful I’ve ever Karen Stauderman tem that balances thriving eaten. MG Coordinator cranberry bogs and blue- What gardens have you vis- UF Residential Ext. Agent berry farms with controlled ited recently? For more [email protected] burns of pine forests to http://volusia.org/extension information check out these maintain meadow habitats. sources and for information Patricia Caradonna Office Assistant III That day the Master Gar- on growing blueberries in [email protected] deners of Burlington County the Florida landscape. (New Jersey) were working http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg359 Contributors: on the Bishop farmstead Linda Anderson ('06) the Highbush Blueberry,” to http://www.whitesbog.org Marty Borkosky ('80) gardens, home of the Pine- Bob Maddern, Port Orange lands Alliance. In addition, restore Elizabeth White’s www.pinelandsalliance.org John Meikle, NSB there are efforts at Suningive landscaping from the 1920s Laura Rocco ('11) Laura Rocco ('11) to 1940s. Gwen Swertfager ('99) Holiday on a String Home is where the heart is. here in Florida with all the lights within the rich green; As mercurial temperatures tropical foliages that can be the traditional wreaths of occur this month, and as we gathered at no cost such as pine and pine cones; euca- put the air conditioner on palmettos and palm leaves lyptus and red berries; gar- hold and open the windows, which can be manipulated by lands simply made of long it is time to let the outdoors cutting, plaited, or spray branches of pine with green in and refresh our home painted to make creative or red velvet streamers that interiors as the holiday sea- designs at little or no cost. capture the spirit of the sea- son approaches. Plants of all Gather grasses, seed pods, son are most festive and Now these are award win- kinds, fresh or dried, can take little to no time to ning poinsettias! and autumn berries for an- Photo: Bob Maddern, Port make for a creative sensa- other informal display. make and at relatively no Orange tion. Don’t limit yourself to Dried pressed tree leaves cost. Use your creativity to a pumpkin by the front always are colorful. An- say “welcome and happy door. Bring in the season other popular plant is the holidays.” with gourds, squash, and a hydrangea, fresh or dried, These simple gestures of variety of pumpkins ar- makes a wonderful, vivid decorating bring warmth to THE BACKYARD ranged around your home. splash in any room. your heart and bring heart The variety of colors will Welcome the holidays with to your home throughout GARDENER pop when mixed with bright a season of decorating. Box- the holiday season. greens. We are fortunate woods with twinkling of Gwen Swertfager ('99) VOLUME 3 ISSUE VI PAGE 3 Florida Fly-Baiter During the summer months flies other attractants. Once the fly is within the black stripes covered seem to be in full force irritating us at the device, they eat the toxic with insecticide which line the out- at picnics and in our landscapes. bait which rapidly kills them. This side structure. Hertz found that Fortunately, the University of Flor- device works as a bait station that by adding dark stripes on the de- ida researchers have patented an does not trap the flies, but instead vice, it fools the flies by mimicking innovative new fly control device lures them to eat, then enables hiding locations that flies are at- known as the Florida them to leave to die away from the tracted to. Fly-Baiter. Most of Diclaro, who is us are familiar with lead author of the the yellow-colored study and de- fly control traps that signer of the de- currently are on the vice, used his ex- market; however, perience as a U.S. this new device is Navy hospital blue. According to corpsman in Phil Koehler, a pro- Cuba in 1991. fessor of urban en- “At the time, tomology with UF’s there were so Institute of Food and many displaced Agricultural Sci- people living very ences, a key discov- closely together, ery found that flies and the garbage were three times Phil Koehler and Roberto Pereira with Florida Fly-Baiter and waste accu- more attracted to mulated, produc- bait device. This is convenient the color blue than yellow. In in- ing tons of flies,” Diclaro said. “I since it isn’t compromised when it sect behavior studies, Kohler’s remember walking out of my tent fills up with flies, like standard group found the color yellow actu- and just being covered with them.” ally repelled flies. traps can. The baiter can be used outdoor or for limited indoor use. “It’s a much more targeted way to Koehler, along with his graduate It is flexible, easy to assemble, and deal with the problem,” Koehler students, Joseph Diclaro, and Jeff can be suspended or attached flat said of the fly control device. The Hertz have found success with to surfaces such as walls or trees. device, which controls house flies, their device. Both graduate stu- phorid flies, and blow flies, is now Koehler’s lab recorded during test- dents serve in the U.S. Navy and available through pest control dis- ing; in excess of 40,000 flies were this research is funded by the De- tributors. Insecticide is sold sepa- killed with one insecticide applica- partment of Defense’s Deployed rately. War-Fighter Protection program, tion. Additional insecticide can be which seeks to better protect applied as needed. Karen Stauderman troops from insect spread diseases. This research, recently published in The Florida Fly-Baiter works by the Journal of Medical Entomology, alluring flies using color, scent, and adds effectiveness of the device lies Don’t be Disappointed PAGE 4 My daughter, an elementary art entering and found a special agenda check out the winners of the teacher, asked if our garden club was required: a notebook with de- awards.