The latest tidbit to cross our paths is regarding Scale on Sago's. It is an organic route and it does takes a while to show the benefits but by this time next year your Sago's could be scale free. What is it? Coffee Grinds. We have heard with continual application of coffee grinds to the surrounding ground of your Sago it can be an effective treatment in eliminating the scale on the Sago's. This is an ongoing application as is any routine to keep the plants healthy. Give it a try, it could save you a lot of aggravation and added expense trying to keep the scale off your Sago's.
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FAN AND FEATHER NEWSLETTER
Published by the Gulf Coast Chapter of the International Palm Society
SPRING ISSUE * MARCH 2017
Feature Article: ZAMIA PUMILA
BY:J Taverniti
This issue of Fan and Feather instead of featuring a palm we
will be looking at a cycad: Zamia pumila also is listed as Z.
floridana and commonly known as Coontie. It is the only cycad
native to North America, (not counting Mexico) specifically,
peninsular Florida and three counties in SE Georgia. It was at
one time abundant throughout peninsular Florida but due to it
being a source of food for humans and being very slow
growing it is not very common presently in the wild.
The name 'Coontie' actually is derived from the Native
American word meaning 'flour root'. Another common name
for this plant is 'arrow root', and during the early 1900's it was
widely harvested and processed into starch in factories all
over South Florida. These factories produced starch from
Coontie, some of them up to 10 to 15 tons per day. By 1925
the once vast populations of Coonties were reduced to a small
remnant. In some areas of south Florida there were large
colonies especially near what is now Miami and Ft
Lauderdale. In fact, there were so many in the Ft Lauderdale
area that the Indians called this place "Coontie Hatchee".
The Seminole moved to Florida in the mid 1700s and used
this plant as an important source of food. It was the Seminole
who gave us the name 'Coontie' which as stated above,
means 'flour root.' They processed the Coontie by cutting up
pieces of the root, pounding it nearly to powder, then putting
them through several washes, letting the starch sink to the
bottom. The resultant paste that formed was fermented, and
then dried to a powder and then used to make a flat bread,
called Seminole bread. Nowadays, Coontie are rarely
consumed for food but rather are appreciated for their value
as a landscape plant.
The hardiness zone range for Coontie is 8B to 11, which
encompasses all of Florida, the Gulf Coast and much of the
West Coast as well as the most significant population centers
of Texas and Arizona. Coontie are best suited for partial
shade but do well in full sun. In Florida they are frequently
used in low maintenance landscape situation including urban
highway medians. This is a rugged but subtle accent plant
that boasts a deep green color and unique form. Although a
slow grower, Coontie is very tough, drought resistant and easy
to maintain. And although it is not a palm, in its low growing
profile, its leaf habit suggests a palm look-alike. Speaking of
form, with its arching leaves a single Coontie can stand
upwards of 3 feet and a colony of suckers can slowly form a
mound 5 to 6 feet wide. Coontie do best in soils with
moderate to good drainage. Soil pH is not usually a
limiting factor, and Coontie are considered to be salt
tolerant. The plant stores carbohydrates in a caudex
which allows it to survive relatively long periods without
water. The caudex also makes it possible to sell bare root
plants, which can be a great advantage when shipping
long distances Unfortunately, due to its long tap root in
mature plants, and the fact that Coontie roots are very
sensitive to being disturbed, it is very difficult to dig without
damage to the root and transplanting has a low success rate.
Plants should not be dug from the wild, as it will continue to
deplete the native population and survival rate is low on
these extracted plants. Instead Coontie are readily available
from certain nursery outlets and online. Also, Coontie produce
an abundant seed crop and individuals can be grown from
seed which we'll talk about further along in this article.
Coontie are dioecious plants. The male plants produce
cones that emerge in August and shed pollen in
November and December. Male cones can be up to 16
cm in length and are usually 3-5 cm in diameter.
Female cones emerge at the same time and are
rounded and 14 cm in diameter. Female cones are
generally shorter and always broader than male cones.
Pollinators for Coontie are two different species of
beetle and the wind. At one time there was an
extensive planting of Coontie around the Naval Hospital.
From them, I collected seed and grew the Coontie that I
presently have on my property. Unfortunately, all of
those Coontie were removed when the hospital grounds
were re-landscaped during an expansion project.
Growing your own from seed is the primary way to get
Coontie. The key to Coontie seed germination is
removal of the seed coat residue. The seed coat is
thought to inhibit germination. To do this, collect seed
from female plants when the seed cone begins to break
apart. Soak seed in water for six to eight weeks to
soften the seed coat. After this step place the seeds in
a bucket 1/4 to 1/2 full of uncleared seed. Add sufficient
water to barely cover seed. Use an electric drill
equipped with a long shank and a round wire brush to
agitate the seeds in the bucket. When the water is thick
with seed seed coat residue, empty the bucket into a
strainer or onto a wire mesh screen and wash with a
stream of water. This may take three or four cycles.
After seeds are clean they can be planted in community
pots to save space as the seeds will germinate
erratically over a two year period. Keep the community
pots watered to remain moist. As they germinate and
attain a little size they can be transplanted to single pots
and eventually placed in the ground.
CAUTION: seeds in community pots should be covered
with hardware cloth. I like to cut the wire into a disk that
neatly fits into the top of the pot and can also be easily
removed. Why do this? Because rats and squirrels like
these seeds more than you do and will steal them right
out of the pot even though planted under soil.
There are few pests that bother Coontie. About the only
one of significance is Red Scale, which can be controlled
with horticultural or dormant oil.
A close relative of the Coontie is the Cardboard Palm -
Zamia furfuracea, a species native to Veracruz state of
eastern Mexico. Most of us are familiar with this species
of Zamia. It is an attractive plant with thick, very stiff
leaflets, hence the name cardboard, but is not as cold
Hardy as the Coontie. That said I have gone winters
without it dying back to the ground, but if it dies back it
will send leaves up again when the weather warms.
Unfortunately, specimen plants in the ground rarely
attain any significant size due to periodic freeze backs.
Spring is the second best time to plant trees and shrubs, unless you are planting tender shrubs or flowers.
There are several reasons that it is the optimal time such as:
· When transplanting make sure to dig a large enough root ball (get as much of the root system as is possible), get the plant back into the prepared soil as quickly as possible to keep the roots from drying out.
· Now is the time to replace your summer flowers with the more winter hardy ones. For the fall colors, look towards the Pansies and Violas. They are the number one choice for blooming-bedding plants. They are hardy and will bloom over the long season. They come in a wide range of colors also. Other bedding plants to consider include snapdragons, and dianthus. For colorful foliage, see the Croton or Ornamental kale/cabbage.
· Camellias will soon be coming into bloom. First the Sasanqua and later the popular Camellia japonica. Select new varieties for a winter planting while in flower.
· Don’t forget, plants with berries can add color to the landscape. Pyracantha, Hollies, Nandina and Beautyberry are just a few of the choices available for bright, winter interest.
· Citrus trees should have ripening summer fruit. Don’t get too eager to harvest as most taste much better after a couple frosts, and fruit is a very colorful addition to the landscape.
· A soil test is recommended every two or three years.
· An ideal time to adjust high-acidic lawn and garden soil is late fall and early winter. Centipede is the exception but most grasses prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH. And the only way to know whether your lawn is in need of an application of agricultural lime and how much is: …to have the soil’s pH tested, however, most soils do not require yearly applications. Your soil test let’s you know the proper fertilizer ratio to apply to lawn and shrubs.
· Begin gearing up for your tree pruning. Prune the dead limbs now before leaves fall will help to identify which limb needs to go, and any hazardous limbs that should be removed. Continue to hold off on major pruning for a couple of months as any unnecessary pruning now can still encourage new growth that would easily get freeze-damage in the event of frost/freeze.
· Don’t get in a hurry to prune woody plants. Late December through February is typically the best time to prune them - even later into March for crape myrtles. Once the trees and shrubs are dormant, begin selective pruning those plants that don’t bloom in the early spring
· You can shape your evergreens or berry plants, like holly and yaupon, now and the trimmings can be enjoyed as cut material inside the house. Use good pruning practices when selecting greenery from landscape plants. Don’t destroy the natural form and beauty of the plant.
· Clean-up rose beds. Be sure all diseased leaves are raked and disposed to help reduce diseases next season.
· If you have drip irrigation you may consider turning it off now but, stay on top of the weather. Where there is no rain, you need to make sure to irrigate as the soil becomes dry. Dry roots are more easily injured by freezing temperatures. This is particularly true of evergreen plants. Moist soil can store more of the sun’s energy and for a longer time than dry soil. This energy is released as heat after the sunsets and provides a degree or two of moderation.
· Also protect your lawn from excessive winter-damage by providing irrigation during dry periods
· Inspect your trees and shrubs for bagworm capsules. Remove and destroy them to reduce next year’s pest population.
· For fruit trees, it is a good time to apply the first application of dormant spray (the first of three applications needed between now and March 1st, to get the job done while trees are dormant). Most trees want a lime sulfur spray. Use copper for preventing Peach Leaf Curl. Also, scale and other hard-to-kill insect pests may be over wintering on your trees or shrubs. Pecan and fruit trees, euonymus, camellias and holly are favorite hosts. Spray with dormant oil, following label directions on the container to avoid plant damage. Protect any winter annuals from the oil spray.
· Remove all old fruit from trees and rake and destroy those on the ground.
· Rake leaves from around fruit trees to help control insect populations and remove disease-causing organisms over wintering on leaf debris. You will help reduce rodent populations by removing all fruit remaining on the tree or on the ground.
· Protect trunks of fruit trees from rodent/rabbit damage with tree wraps.
· Remember, every weed pulled now will be many less to pull in spring.
· Control dandelions, henbit and chickweed before spring green up.
· Winter heating dries the air out in your home considerably which will dry out your houseplants too. Help them by misting them or placing the pots on a pebble-filled tray of water to ensure adequate humidity and moisture.
· Make sure the canes of climbing roses and other vining plants are securely fastened to their supports. Winter winds can severely damage unprotected plants. Also, any newly planted trees or shrubs should be staked to protect them from wind during winter storms. Keep them staked until the roots have a chance to develop and anchor them.
· Keep leaves raked from the lawn. They should be composted. This would also be a good time to just mow over them, turning them to mulch, which adds important nutrients back to the lawn.
· Check the mulch throughout the landscape. It’s a good practice to keep about a three-inch layer of organic mulch around all plants year-round, so add more to any bare or thin spots. The mulch will help keep the soil and plant roots warm. However, avoid piling mulch up against the trunks and stems of your plants.
· Collect dried seedpods, grass stalks, seed heads and other dried plant materials, as well as your trimmings from your berrying shrubs for use in making flower or plant arrangements.
· Start a compost pile with fall garden debris.
· If you have deciduous trees, keep on top of the leaves. If you compost, you should shred the leaves before composting or run a lawn mower over them. If not, they can mat and take forever to decompose, making a slippery, gooey mass in your compost pile or beds.
· Winter sun can scald newly planted trees. Protect them by wrapping the trunks with special tree wrapping tape. Add four to six inches of shredded bark, wood chips or leaves around the base of the tree. After applying, gently pull mulch away from the base.