June 20, 2026 • 40 mins
Tom MacCubbin's Dirty Word of the Day – Aphid. How to identify them & control them with Insecticidal soaps. Special Guest Lance Walheim Author of Citrus: A Gardeners’ & Fruit Lovers’ Guide. July chores to do in the garden. Think about adding Joseph's Coat to your landscape.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Good morning to you. Welcome to our number two at
Better LUNs and Gardens, coming to you from the summit
Responsible Solution Studios. We are here for you and during
the program a little later on, we'll be happy to
take your calls at one Triple eight four five, two
nine six seven or one Triple eight forty five Lawns.
You can text us anytime at two three six eight.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Oh, I.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Overlooked Howie said that they're listening to us at Peterson Nursery,
and Roy appreciate that and thank you for being there.
Howie and Karen. We enjoy having you as one of
our sponsors, that's for sure. I'm the Toma Coomban, of course,
a former University of Florida Extension Agent, host emeritus a
Better LUNs and Gardens. And very shortly we've been talking
(00:53):
with Lance Walheim, author of Citrus, a Gardeners and Fruit
Lover's Guide, brand new, nice revised edition, new edition, completely
revised of his book. And I think it's roy just
one of the great ones out there, so Roy, I
appreciate it. Had a lot of good information during our
number one. If you misgiven us a call or Texan
(01:14):
US two three six eight oh, we'll be fine. Somebody
said they missed Teresa's email address.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Okay, that is Teresa without an ah.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So it's t E.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
R E. S A.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Dot Watkins at live dot com. So that's Teresa dot
Watkins at live dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay, so there you got it. If you'd like to
send her a picture, somebody said they wanted to send
her a picture she could take a look at. I'm
sure she'd be happy to do that for you. Right now,
I have the dirty worder today, and the dirty worder
today for me is a fed I have to tell
you a story about a fits here. My daughter made
a lettuce salad from our garden. When we sat down
(02:04):
to eat, there were black specks moving throughout the lettuce. Yes,
aphids kind of looked like little pieces of pepper there,
didn't they And we didn't eat the salad. They're so common,
I'm getting questions about them. Aphids are kind of pudgy
little insects, and they come in green and yellow and
(02:27):
black and afferent kind of little colors, about a sixteenth
of an inch or more or less in diameter at best.
They come in again red and yellow and black, and
if you look at them, closely. I don't know how
close you want to get to an aphid, but if
you look at them closely a little magnifying glass, they
have what they call conicles on their behind. These little
(02:49):
projections look like stove pipes, and I guess that's part
of the breathing mechanism air exchange. That's how you can
tell their aphids. What aphids do is suck juice from
the plant portions. Normally they feed in the tender new gross.
As they feed, they emit excreta in plants sap. I
see them in flower tops of flowers. I see them
(03:11):
in five burnhams, one of their favorite ones, when they
get new growth on them. And like I said, they
were in my lettuce that my daughter prepared for our salad.
And the excreta and the plant sap is a food
for the sooty mold fungus aphis cause leaves the curl
and flower buds to a board. They can spread diseases.
(03:35):
We do have some help in controlling aphids. Normally they're
very clustered and you won't have any troubles seeing them
in eternal portions of the plants. Some beneficial insects, including
ladybugs and lace bugs feeling aphids, so they may give
you some control. If the aphids are out of control,
they can be washed off with a strong stream of
(03:55):
water or a soapy solution if you want. Where I
find aphids quite often is on my hoya plants, and
there'll be uh orange aphids and you can just wash
them off and rub them off whatever it might be.
Insecticidal soaps can get control, but you have to hit
the aphids with the soaps to be effective. Other common
(04:16):
insecticide for use on plants control a fits too. If
you have an aphan infestation, I think you want to
get it under control, or you might like me watch
them creep across your lettuce salad that your daughter made,
little black ones. I think you missed that portion. We
sat down for supper one time and my daughter made
the salad and hear these little black black specks creeping
(04:38):
across the lettuce that.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Is so sweet.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
The extra protein.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, she didn't MA wash it off. We didn't. We
didn't eat it also coming up anyway, So it's just
some of the things that we have to deal with.
I guess I have. I didn't do this during the
first hour and I wanted to do it. If you're
interested in making a patriotic display for the fourth of July. Yes,
and this is a question that came in. What are
(05:04):
the good red and white and blue flowers for the planning? Well,
if you want to display two hundred and fiftieth year,
by the way, so it's kind of important that we
all get together. I'm not hearing as much about it
as I thought we might. I hear it in ads
for products. But we display the patriotic colors this summer
and the rest of the season with annuals and perennials.
(05:25):
Some good reds are found among the begonias, the Pentus,
New Guinea and patients and Salvia's. My salvias right now
are beautiful and they've been flowering along, so it's a
good one for us. The red Salvi's the annual salaries, Salvia's.
The whites that are available, you can select Angelonia again, Pentus,
(05:47):
there's some white salvias, and there's some periwinkle flowers that
are whites, so you could use them. The blue is
the hardest to find. If you're interested in blues, you
can find them available with Terina Blue Days and they're
both good. The Blue Days has done amazingly well. We've
gotten new varieties, just very tolerant. So if you're interested
(06:10):
in somebody like that, either the Terina or the Blue
Days would work out well for you. And they'll overhang
the planners, which is kind of nice. All these should
be available at your garden center throughout the summer, but
if you want it for the fourth July, you want
to get things fired up, now would be the time
to do that, So I suggest you go out and
make that patriotic garden red, white and blue. Of course,
(06:32):
you're listening to Better Lugs and Gardens here, Summit Responsible
Solutions coming up during the next hour, we'll have Lance Walheim,
author of Citrus a Gardeners and Fruit Lover's Guide. It's
brand newest really neat. I'm time of Coming and this
is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network. Thank you for joining
(07:04):
us today here at Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Tom A.
Cove and your host, extension agent emeritus at University of Florida,
and Teresa's off today, but we are here and we're
happy to have you a little bit later on, we'll
be happy to take your calls here at one triple
eight forty five Lawns or one triple eight four five five,
two nine sixty seven, or you can text us at
any time at two three six eight. Oh, I do
(07:26):
want to tell you you can't send us pictures here,
but you can send them. Can't text pictures. You can
send them to Teresa. We've given out her address there
and we'd be happy to you know, I'm sure she'd
be happy to look at them and take a look
at them. Right now, Please join me and welcome me.
My good friend, Lance Walheim, the longtime great friend of
(07:46):
Joni and me, plus a TV and radio personality, speaker,
company representative, author of her over thirty books, including Roses
and Lawns for Dummies, plus editor of Sunset Western Garden Book,
and now author of a revised Citrus a Gardener and
Fruit Lover's Guide. Lance, Good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Hey, Tom, it's good to hear your voice a while.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It's good to hear your voice too. It has been
a long time. How's the weather out there in Oregon?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Well, it's sunny and warm actually, and then Monday and
Tuesday we're supposed to get up into the nineties. So
really almost one hundred. Yeah, well, cold for a couple
of days are cool anyway, then it's hot. We never
know what we're going to get here.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
You might as well be living in Florida. I remember
when you came to Florida and you did some neat things.
You even controlled the weeds in our walkway. Janie appreciated that.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I'll bet she did.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
We had fun.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
We did have fun. Hey, you have a wonderful new book, Citrus,
a Gardener's and fruit Lover's Guide. It's a lot of
time you put into this book, and you've guts, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I read only thought it was going to take me
about six months to revise and update the book, which was,
you know, thirty years old the original. It ended up
taking me two and a half years. But it was
a lot of fun. So much has changed in the
citrus industry, and so much has changed in the publishing industry.
(09:21):
I self published a book, and it's really a whole
new book. It's got twice the pages, three times the
color photography, and dozens of new varieties. But yeah, it's
been a labor of love. Citrus has been a big
part of my whole life, and I enjoyed working with
(09:41):
it and all the people that are in the citrus industry.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, you've been growing citrus for over fifty years. It's
a long time. I can't believe you're that old, and.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
You I can't believe it either, But every time I
get it in the morning, I believe it.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Actually at this time, yeah, we have to.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Tell everybody you have to get up three hours earlier
to be with us here at eight o'clock on the
eastern portion of the United States. Hey, it's a few.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Stub for the early hour too.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So do you normally get up at that time just
to be up.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
No, No, I get up to listen to the early
hour of your show.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Oh okay, you did get up early then, that's for sure. Yeah. Well,
I'd love the photos. Also. You did obviously a lot
of research. I mean you can contacted researchers extension agents
throughout the country where we grow citrus. And I didn't
realize there was so many different citrus fruit varieties you got.
You have lots of new pictures and fruit varieties there.
(10:40):
It's really neat.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah. In the last thirty years, when we had our
thirty five acre ranch in Exeter, California, we grew a
lot of the new and unusual things, and they've grow
a lot of them have gradually moved into the normal
commerce and have become important commercial varieties. But yeah, we've
got well over one hundred varieties described. The citrus family
(11:06):
is such a huge family of fruit. I think at
the U See Riverside Field Station they've got over five
hundred varieties there. So there's a lot to see, a
lot to taste.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
What does the future of citrus look like? I mean,
you've been a grower, you've been growing for fifty years
or interested in them in for fifty years. What does
it look like right now?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Well, you know, I got to be honest, I'm more
optimistic than I was ten years ago. I mean, it's
been a rough couple decades. Look where we are now,
Florida citrus commercial production is down ninety percent. Yeah it
was twenty years ago, and I mean tens of thousands
of gardeners have lost their trees. But honestly, I'm optimistic.
(11:50):
There are millions and millions of dollars are being spent
to fight citrus greening and thecillad. The best minds are
working on it, and there's some things to be excited about.
So I'm not given up, that's for sure. I know
a lot of gardeners, you know, really have been frustrated
losing the trees. Are you had a couple of trees
(12:11):
that you lost, Yeah, lost in.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
The greening and huh my, my neighbor has restarted with
one of the lemons. I'm going to put something back
in also. But it's about time. I've got this whole
list of the resistant varieties, and I'm thinking about either
sugar Bell or maybe Marathon one of those that I
could put. Maybe I put them in a container. Maybe
(12:33):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, you know, keeping them container is a good idea
because you'll be able to keep the trees smaller, and
you know, it'll be easy, they'll be easier to spray.
You just got to keep up on that new tree
and trysinge. But yeah, you know, there's a whole bunch
of new varieties coming out, and there's more on the way.
(12:56):
I don't know if you remember the Aura Blancos that
I sent you here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Well the universe
of Florida's got a new grapefruit hybrid. It's you know,
it takes years to develop enough of a supply for
these new varieties and really make them available to the
home gardeners. So we're going to have to be patient.
But they've got a new red grapefruit Pamelo hybrid that
(13:18):
really looks good. So there's even better things coming down
the road, I think.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah. So, I guess what you're saying is, you know,
a lot of residents have stopped growing sisters, but they
should start.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Again, I think so. You know, my favorite website from
the University of Florida is called Citrus in the Home
Landscape Initiative, and they just have all the tips that
we've learned from all these years, since two thousand and
oh five, and there's a lot of great things there
people can do to make sure they have the best
(13:51):
chance of succeeding. I mean, it's not going to be easy,
and we aren't out of the woods yet, but it's
looking a lot more positive than it has in a while.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Matt Smith, extension agent, who I talked with about citrus
varieties and greening and everything. You know, he gave me
this list here and it looks it's a long list,
it really is. And he emphasizes that the citrus is
tolerant and not necessarily resistant, totally resistant.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
And what that basically means is that the tree can
get greening, but it will still produce a reasonable crop,
so they are not resistant. And you know, another thing
that I didn't hear mentioned is the Australian finger lines.
Now they're showing what they call high tolerance. Yes, the
(14:42):
researchers are looking at the genetics of that to possibly
incorporate into other varieties. But if you like the finger line,
which is that you know citrus cavia a that you
squeeze out and you can do sushi and in salves
and stuff, that's that's another one. We're taking a look at.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Have you f sunline which is a finger line and
that right when they're they say it's the closest to
greening resistant, which which which is good. We're talking with
Lance Walheim, author and revised edition of Citrus of Gardeners
and Fruit Lover's Guide. If you don't have it and
you want to grow citrus, you're growing sistress, you got
to have It's the best book that I have seen. Lance.
(15:22):
This is this is complete. It really is good for
the home. I'm not sure it's not the best one
for the commercial producer too.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, I hope the commercial guys will find it useful.
We tried to get a lot of information. I mean
it's directed at home gardeners mostly, but the variety of
information is very complete, you know that it was. There
were a lot of people said, well, why are you
doing a book on citrus with the greening and stuff,
And there's so much available on information online and so
(15:49):
what we decided to do is put in references of
where all the information comes from in terms of giving
them search you know, what to search so that they
can get to the original information and get more detail.
Because these varieties and the situations, the quarantines, everything's changing
so fast, so you need to be able to, you know,
(16:09):
use your computer to get up to date, and you
do your homework.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
And find out where you can get the varieties in
Florida also. And that's that's easy enough to do. And
it's taking time for him to get them on the market,
that's for sure. So if you know, with the Asian
sell it out there, greening is so common, should I
guess we should only select tolerant varieties, right, I mean,
don't go back to the old varieties.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well, I mean I think that's for you. That's a
good place to start, that's for sure. I know that
a lot of people want to stick with some of
their favorite varieties, like the honeybell mandarin or whatever. But
you know, some of the smaller trees, like the seedless kishoe,
which is easy to protect and easy to spray. It's
not going to be easy. But I wouldn't give up
(16:54):
in all those great old varieties. I kind of did
a deep dive just to see how much people are
growing some of those older varieties, and there's a lot
of them still trying them. You know, people trying the
blood oranges and the care of Care and navels and
the seedless key shoes. There's a lot to try out there.
But I mean, we have to be real about what's
(17:15):
going on in the state right now, so using some
of the tolerant varieties is a great place to start.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I don't think i'd take a chance if I
was putting in citrus. I wouldn't go with the old
navels or Hamelin's or any of those. Go with the
newer varieties.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's right unless you're ready to. And you know,
some of the people, especially up in the northern areas,
they still got some older trees and so you know,
they need to go to the information that they need
to protect them.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, we're going to run out of time here, answ
very quickly. So what can we do now to prevent greening?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
What can we do now to prevent greening? Yeah, well,
there are a number of things. You know, a lot
of growers are using protective covers. You want to make
sure that you're fertile lives aggressively, including micronutrients. You know,
get the University of Florida recommendations. You want to make
sure that you're using control methods to you know, keep
the insecticides used that control the sihlids. There's a number
(18:15):
of organic ones. Unfortunately, they've got to be used often.
And there's also the systemic products which are not you know,
they're not you know, surefire, they're not magic bullets. I
guess that's the word I want to use. You know,
the only last three months. You can't use them on containers,
but it is still one of the most valuable tools
(18:36):
that we have provide consistent moisture. Root growth slows down
when the trees get greening, so sandy soils of Florida.
You want to make sure you're providing consistent moisture. That's
very important. Then there's people using reflective mulches. You want
to encourage and release beneficial insects. That's a great idea.
(18:57):
You know, plant things that attract benefit shootings that'll help
control the sellogs. Yeah, Lanslie, those are some of the
things you can do.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Your book is so complete. How do we get a copy?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You can go to Walheim Press dot com. But they're
also available on all the usual places online. But Walheim
press dot com you'll get a little bit of discount.
So I appreciate you going there.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Lance, thank you so much. I appreciate appreciate you being
with us. That's Lance Walheim.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I appreciate being on.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Okay, thank you sir, you have a great time out
there in Oregon. Glad you got up to listen to
the first hour of the program. Also, oh yeah, Lace Walheim,
longtime friend of Joni and Me radio personality plus now
the author of this Citrus a gardener and fruit Lover's Guide.
It's just a terrific book. I mean, you've got to
get a copy, got to look at it, and has
(19:48):
information for across the country, all the different varieties. It's
just amazing. Well, well, we got the next portion of
the program, last half hour coming up here. Why don't
you give us a call one triple eight forty five
Lawns one eight eight eight four five five, two nine
six seven, And you can text us at two three
(20:09):
six eight. Oh. You're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens
and it's as far as talk and Entertainment Network and
welcome back to Better Lines of Gardens. Happy to have
you with us today, that's for sure. We are in
(20:30):
the final half hour. Believe it or not. Time just
is zipping one by, and uh, we'd love to have
your call. If you have a question for you can
call Lizzie. She's waiting for your call at one triple
eight forty five Lawns or one triple eight four five five,
two nine six seven. Some people say I say it
too fast, so we'll do it one more time one
eight eight eight four five five two nine sixty seven.
(20:53):
Or you can text me at two three six eight
oh two three six eight Oh. Love to have your
text message also, and you will get you up on
the program with us and things that we can talk about.
I have a whole list of things to do. But
first let's go to Rico in Valkeria. Rico, good morning
to you. Good to hear your voice.
Speaker 7 (21:13):
Yeah, good to hear yours. Tom I've got a couple
of questions, and the first one is is it too
late for tomatoes? My chickens got out of their pen. Oh,
I ate all my little tomatoes back in I think
it was March. So I started new ones and they're
(21:34):
just now starting to flower.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Okay, it's not too late, but the problem is they're
probably not going to fruit very well until we get
into the fall. Now, if they're cherry tomatoes, you'll probably
get fruit, You'll get some fruits. But if they're regular slicers,
probably just going to grow a lot of vines. And
the next I'll be starting my tomato seeds in the
(21:57):
middle of July, which is coming up very quick quickly here,
and then I'll be putting the transplants out in the
garden in August, so that I will get good sized
plants and flowering during late September early October. But you know,
you can probably go ahead and get some production out
of them.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
Well, I'm going to spray them with that stuff that triggers,
the fruiting on the flowers whatever. I can't remember what
it's called, but anyway, that was my first question. My
second question is do you think I'll get any mangos
next year?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Okay? How far back were your trees frozen?
Speaker 7 (22:36):
Pretty bad?
Speaker 5 (22:37):
You know.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
I'm in Balcaria, which is just south of Bombay at Melbourne,
I know, And they survived, and the small ones I
banked hay around the trunk up above the graft. That
hay comes in layers, so I took a layer and
wrapped it around the trunk. They all survived. The stuff
(22:58):
that I forgot to pretend it's toast.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Yeah, yeah, well, you know, my guess is my guess
is you. My guess is you've got two years probably
probably yeah, probably not going to get anything next year
unless the trees that you're able to save were you know,
pretty large trees as a possibility.
Speaker 7 (23:18):
Uh but yeah, yeah, well one of them's one of
them's forty years old. Most of them are teenagers or
maybe a little better.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
You know.
Speaker 7 (23:26):
The big one's got probably a sixteen inch trunk, So yeah,
but how much rive nicely? And there's probably a growth
all up in the canopy.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
But okay, well, I think I think you got a
chance there that if the new growth matures and time
that one that one might get.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
I was about it.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
It's nice to hear you on the radio, even if
it's just for a one weekend.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Okay, well, I'll be back to you.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
By the way, Are you doing any speaking engagements?
Speaker 1 (23:52):
You know I've I pretty much gave up on the
speaking engagements. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
We loved you when you we had you here at
the I know several times club in Melbourne.
Speaker 5 (24:02):
We love you at that.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
But we're hoping that you can we could get you back.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, thank you, but I think I'm pretty much giving
up on the speaking engagements. But thanks for asking. Okay, Rico,
take care. Let's go to Jerry and Citrus County. Jerry,
good morning to you, Good morning time, Yeah, good morning.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
Questions. Yes, I got questions on the Cranberry high biscus
and the roselle.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Okay, sure, rosel.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Yeah, the roselle seems to be quite nice, but it
takes quite a while to grow it out. Does it
keep over the freezer a winner or anything or an annual.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
They're going to freeze? You can keep them over, but
most of the time. We grow it as an annual.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Annual okay, and the Granton's very high biscuits. I got
a variety that some people call it October rose or
they got other names too, but it has a large
purple flower. It cycles flowering, you know, almost daily, and
it's good for tea, I guess, and uh it's uh
(25:09):
does it cross? I'm starting to get some the last
year's growth. I got like a hundred plants came up well,
and they seem to have differences.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Oh yeah, you might. You might get some mutations and changes,
maybe some cross poundation possibly. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:25):
Oh oh, okay, are there are there other other name,
other name varieties.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I do not know. Yeah, I do not know of
other name varieties. Possibly it's not one that I've really
followed along, to be honest with you.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
Oh okay, Well, I appreciate your help, and uh, I
continue to grow to it was out, but I don't
get the production that I need from like the cranberry
one I see.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Okay, Okay, well, at least you're doing at least you're
doing it, that's for sure. Jerry, thanks for the call. Okay,
let's talk to Bill and Georgetown. Bill good morning to you.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
Morning Tom. Really nice to talk with you again, even
and it's just for a short minute.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Well, it's nice to talk with you too. How's everything going.
Speaker 6 (26:05):
Well, Okay, I'm trying to live your philosophy. You told
me the last time I talked with you to stay busy,
but you know, yeah, it gets tough, and I'm not
gardening like I used to. But I've I've got one
experiment going right now, one of these seedless watermelons. There,
of course, there was a seed in it, and I
know I'm not going to get a seedless watermelon, but
I planted it and I'm going to try to do
(26:25):
what I did in Mount Dora was just hanging and
had watermelons that were hanging off the fence and I
thought that was pretty neat.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
That again, yeah, that's pretty nice. Yeah, so you're growing
anything else besides watermelons.
Speaker 6 (26:36):
I still grew my Cherokee purple tomato and we have
I know, we always had a difference on cherry tomatoes.
I like the wild cherry a lot of flavor. That's
the name of a wild cherry, and I grow them
and instead of growing the big tomatoes because these cherry
tomatoes have so much flavor, and I put them in
like scrambled eggs or even a turkey sandwich, and they're
(26:57):
delicious and you grow them all summer. That's a nice
part about it.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah, I saw Lizzie kind of wins here when you
said turkey sandwich.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
That sounds good. Were looking together in trade.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
That's That's what I always appreciate when I called in,
because i'd get you guys laughing, and.
Speaker 8 (27:12):
I really appreciated that.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Thank you for that.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
You're still you're still dealing with the ignoramas that you
always did. I don't have a computer, so I don't
I can't communicate with you much. It's snail mail, and
I don't want to bother you with that. So I
just wanted to call in and say it nice to
talk with you and maybe i'll call it in July.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Okay, Bill, thanks for calling. We appreciate very much. And
Bill's been a long time listener over years and good
friends with Joni and me, and if he came to
some of our programs and things like that, which was
really kind of nice. Anyways, break time and you still
have time. If he was called William and Melbourne, hang
on there, we're going to give you some containers garden
suggestions coming up here, and you can call too. It's
(27:52):
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven.
That's one eight eight eight four five five two nine
sixty seven. Or you can tech it's just two three
six eight. Oh. You better get that text message in
quickly and we'll be right back. You're listening to Better
Laws and Gardens. This as far as Talk Entertainment Network. Hey,
(28:19):
welcome back to Better Laws and Gardens. Happy to have
you with us. I'm time of cove of course, I
just want to remind you of Les Waldheim's great book Citrus,
a Gardener's and fruit Lover's Guide that just throw a
terrific book. And I appreciated Lands being with us and
giving us information and encouragement to start planning citrus again.
I think if I plan citrus, it's going to be
(28:40):
in a container, and I've got the perfect spot, a
couple of spots actually where I'd like to have them,
and it's going to be one of the resistant varieties.
If you want to know the resistant varieties, get up online,
do a search and just go the citrus greening Tolerant
citrus varieties I think that's the way to do it.
You can search it out. You can find all the
(29:02):
new citrus greening tolerant varieties, plus you can find out
where to get them. They do have The university has
a list there. It's called selecting Us Citrus and it
has the varieties that you may may want to grow.
Becaud of Neat. Let's go to William and Melbourne. William,
thanks for holding on. We appreciate it. How can we
help you today?
Speaker 8 (29:22):
Good morning? Yes, this is William how One. I'm looking
for some low maintenance garden. I'm interested in the hydroponics.
I got a small bag deck and I want to
know if I could do five gallon buckets out there
and set set up a hydroponic something because I'm blind
(29:47):
and I need help.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Sure, well, you know they've grown hydrophonic type situations in
five gallon buckets there. There was a technique at one
time developed where they put mulch in the container and
the container would have mortar in the bottom of it
and the plant roots would grow down through the mulch
(30:12):
into the into the water and that would work out.
Other people have little pond like structures and float starfoam
in it. And plant hydropontic things like lettuce and herbs
in that. So you have all different kind of opportunities.
And you could just grow plants in water. I mean
that's a possibility also, so the things that you could do,
(30:35):
but there would be the lower growing plants, probably things
like herbs, which is good of you have the lettuce
type varieties, maybe even strawberries when strawberry seasons in what
do you think?
Speaker 8 (30:50):
Well, I'm thinking more like egg plant, tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And okay, well you know, you know, I think for
what you want, why don't you get something like earth
box or you know, containers that you put soil in
and you just have to make sure you keep moist.
But earth boxes, for instance, are self watering. You just
have to keep track of the water and you can
(31:14):
feel that, of course, and then you can grow your tomatoes.
You can grow your I'd grow low, ok, I would
grow the lower varieties, lower growing varieties bush tomatoes. You
can still grow peppers. I love peppers. You heard Lizzie
talk about her hot peppers, and so that's what I do.
(31:34):
I think something like that. It's gonna work better, maybe better.
Speaker 8 (31:38):
I just start that in what August September.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
August mid August, September.
Speaker 8 (31:42):
Yes, okay, thank you, sir, okay.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
William, good luck to you. I appreciate it and I
hope it helps out a little bit. Earth boxes have
worked out well and you can just go ahead and
they're self watering. Just make sure you keep track of
the water and should work out pretty well. Speaking of
things to grow coming up here, I brought July calendar along.
It's going to be printed in the paper, I think
next week. And some of the vegetables that you can
(32:10):
still grow, you can grow them during June. Also, things
like calabasa, cherry tomatoes, Okra, seminole, pumpkins, Roselli you heard
ricoch on't thing it was Rico. I forget what was
talking about, Roselli sweet potatoes still, and then we started
transplants of the eggplant, the peppers and tomatoes. You start
(32:31):
all those from seed, and I think that should work
out pretty well for you. Some of the flowers besides
the ones for the fourth July, things like ageratum, the
bush daisy, which was one of my top shrubby type plants.
We have cats, whiskers, colius. I have grown lots of
colias this year and started them from seed, and they
(32:54):
are doing so well, and I have them on one
side of the house. It's kind of kind of hot,
and I go out during the day and kind of
miss them. But when the rains come then the coliers
do just fine. They perk up and they're looking good.
So in the shade you can always grow colias, but
nice new ones. There have things like ginger, impatience, Joseph's coat.
(33:15):
I'm trying to get people interested in Joseph's coat. Okay,
it's a well biblically remember the coat of many colors,
but that's what it looks like. Another name for it
is alternan thera altern and there most people are not
gonna remember that. Remember Joseph's coat. You can look it up.
And you have ones that are purple leaved. You have
ones that are mixed the colors, the reds and pinks
(33:37):
and white together. I have one like that. I have
the purple one, but I want to get some more.
And they're pretty tough. They're pretty tough.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Where okay, where would you suggest planting the full sun?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Well, sun's fine, okay, all sun to like filtered sun
one or the other.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
And then like how much watering are we expected here.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Typical annual, so prett much. If it's in the container daily.
If it's in the ground, probably every couple of days
once they get established, that's the important part to it.
There other ones. I have lantana melopodium. A lot of
people don't know melopodium, pretty yellow type of flower. And
we also have uh see moonflower. My moonflowers are flowering
(34:22):
right now. I love moonflowers. Some people say they're a
bit invasive. Uh, they're native evidently a South Florida and
so minor flowering. Pentus roy neat Purslaine, Salvia's sunflowers. My
sunflowers just finish flowering. I'll plant some more terinas and
the classic zenyas, and I'll be planting more zenyas, that's
(34:45):
for sure too. Okay. Here are a couple of things
that well, let's see, I got a question here that
I wanted to answer. It says the question was we
protected our pineapples grown in containers. That's how they protect
them from the cold. If they were in the cold,
they probably froze back and said they're now growing large fruits.
(35:06):
When will they be ready to harvest? Most pineapple fruits
are ready to harvest five months after the fruit first
started forming. So most of them will flower in March,
and then about middle August is when they start changing color.
The pinapple fruit is ready to harvest when it turns
from a green to light green to orange color. Some
(35:30):
pineapples don't really turn the total orange color. They're turning
kind of a yellowish green. So it's possible. And the
deeper the color, the sweeter the fruit. And like I said,
many of the protected plants flowered in March and they'll
be ready in August. Now here's the problem. The problem
is you're not the only one interested in those pineapple fruits. Okay,
(35:52):
there's a lot of critters out there. And I'll tell
you the story. I had this pineapple. The pineapple looked
like it was getting ripe, it was turning the orange,
and I said, one more day, Tom, give it one
more day. So the next morning I got up and
it was beautiful orange on the one side and half
eaten on the other side. So some critter got it.
(36:14):
So if you have pineapples and you think you have
critic gritters, squirrels, rats, what have you in your area,
you're going to have to protect it from the cold,
I mean from the critters, just like you did from
the cold, so so that you get to eat it.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
What is down here, Just eat pineapples, because you got
to get past their.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Their their their the leaves.
Speaker 5 (36:35):
Yes, that is.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I didn't realize that they had like saw teeth on
them until.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yes, some do, some don't. Not all of them.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
I got caught up a couple of them.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yeah, you got the ones that have the spiny edges
of the sas. But some of them are some are
smooth edge. But I'll tell you what. The critters got them,
no doubt about it. They climb up there, and I've
learned the hard way, so I don't know. Uh, here's
another question I have. Should I wait for the new
growth to appear on the Norfolk Island pine? Does that
(37:05):
mean I shouldn't cut the brown branches off? I talked
about Norfolk Islin pine, various degrees of recovery of Norfolk
colin pines out there. If you have the brown on there,
you want to cut those brown branches off, that's fine.
Check to see if there's some nice new green coming
on your plants there. That would be a good one. Also,
a lot of cold questions Okay, let's see.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Okay, so we have heard heard experts say that the
black cow manure mix has changed over the years. Let's see,
a black cow makes your dirt turn to clay. This
is Mark from d Land is this have you? Have
you experienced that?
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Or I have not? No, black cow hasn't changed as
far as I know. That looks like now.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
I know that they come out with a couple new
periods so much. I was really impressed with so that
they came out with that. But yeah, I haven't experienced
that the that clay type of maybe it's one of
their newer products, is maybe maybe set for something like that.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Yeah, I think the standard black out is still regular
black owl.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Yeah, give them a call, you can, you can easily
can look up their number and give them a call
and maybe ask them that question.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Up on line they have they're up online also.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Yeah, So Linda and Zone eight B says, what size
pot will you have for citrus trees?
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Citrus trees, I'm going to go up to probably a
thirty gallon, maybe maybe as big as a fifty gallon
even I want something big that I can have in
the landscape. Probably thirty gallons easier to handle than if
you can hire in that. But the bigger to container,
the better. That's good. Okay.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
And then Ken from Northwest Orlando. My Bismarck palm is
suffering from a freeze. We have trimmed two layers of
the palms and it looks like more need to be
trimmed to anything I could do. This is a favor
as a gift from his mother fourteen years ago, and
it is thirty feet high.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
I trim off anything is dead, that's the main thing.
Hopefully there's nice new growth at the top. Yeah, somewhere
you got those messages. I did not get them on mine.
I'm special, you are no doubt about that. Yeah, I
appreciate Lizzie. Thank you very much for everything to our listeners.
We had a good program, that's for sure. I want
(39:23):
to thank Lance Waldthime again, author of Citrus a Gardener
and fruit Lover's died, for joining us. Also, if your
local station isn't broadcast, let's give us a call, and
please remember to visit with our sponsors, Black House Summit,
Responsible Solutions, Quality green specialists, but Dana Venrick and Delay
and remember that we'll be getting the tolerant varieties in
You're sold out right now Peterson's Nursery with Hallie and
(39:46):
Karen and Lakeland, and let them know you appreciate them
and we certainly appreciate them being here. And Lizzie again,
thank you for everything coming to you from the summit.
Responsible Solutions, maker of organic misqui though bits and dunks,
some at your round sprayls, sum At Green Armor and
sec Repellage. I'm Tom and coming a Saturday morning. You're
listening to better laws and gardens.
Good morning to you. Welcome to our number two at
Better LUNs and Gardens, coming to you from the summit
Responsible Solution Studios. We are here for you and during
the program a little later on, we'll be happy to
take your calls at one Triple eight four five, two
nine six seven or one Triple eight forty five Lawns.
You can text us anytime at two three six eight.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Oh, I.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Overlooked Howie said that they're listening to us at Peterson Nursery,
and Roy appreciate that and thank you for being there.
Howie and Karen. We enjoy having you as one of
our sponsors, that's for sure. I'm the Toma Coomban, of course,
a former University of Florida Extension Agent, host emeritus a
Better LUNs and Gardens. And very shortly we've been talking
(00:53):
with Lance Walheim, author of Citrus, a Gardeners and Fruit
Lover's Guide, brand new, nice revised edition, new edition, completely
revised of his book. And I think it's roy just
one of the great ones out there, so Roy, I
appreciate it. Had a lot of good information during our
number one. If you misgiven us a call or Texan
(01:14):
US two three six eight oh, we'll be fine. Somebody
said they missed Teresa's email address.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Okay, that is Teresa without an ah.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So it's t E.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
R E. S A.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Dot Watkins at live dot com. So that's Teresa dot
Watkins at live dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay, so there you got it. If you'd like to
send her a picture, somebody said they wanted to send
her a picture she could take a look at. I'm
sure she'd be happy to do that for you. Right now,
I have the dirty worder today, and the dirty worder
today for me is a fed I have to tell
you a story about a fits here. My daughter made
a lettuce salad from our garden. When we sat down
(02:04):
to eat, there were black specks moving throughout the lettuce. Yes,
aphids kind of looked like little pieces of pepper there,
didn't they And we didn't eat the salad. They're so common,
I'm getting questions about them. Aphids are kind of pudgy
little insects, and they come in green and yellow and
(02:27):
black and afferent kind of little colors, about a sixteenth
of an inch or more or less in diameter at best.
They come in again red and yellow and black, and
if you look at them, closely. I don't know how
close you want to get to an aphid, but if
you look at them closely a little magnifying glass, they
have what they call conicles on their behind. These little
(02:49):
projections look like stove pipes, and I guess that's part
of the breathing mechanism air exchange. That's how you can
tell their aphids. What aphids do is suck juice from
the plant portions. Normally they feed in the tender new gross.
As they feed, they emit excreta in plants sap. I
see them in flower tops of flowers. I see them
(03:11):
in five burnhams, one of their favorite ones, when they
get new growth on them. And like I said, they
were in my lettuce that my daughter prepared for our salad.
And the excreta and the plant sap is a food
for the sooty mold fungus aphis cause leaves the curl
and flower buds to a board. They can spread diseases.
(03:35):
We do have some help in controlling aphids. Normally they're
very clustered and you won't have any troubles seeing them
in eternal portions of the plants. Some beneficial insects, including
ladybugs and lace bugs feeling aphids, so they may give
you some control. If the aphids are out of control,
they can be washed off with a strong stream of
(03:55):
water or a soapy solution if you want. Where I
find aphids quite often is on my hoya plants, and
there'll be uh orange aphids and you can just wash
them off and rub them off whatever it might be.
Insecticidal soaps can get control, but you have to hit
the aphids with the soaps to be effective. Other common
(04:16):
insecticide for use on plants control a fits too. If
you have an aphan infestation, I think you want to
get it under control, or you might like me watch
them creep across your lettuce salad that your daughter made,
little black ones. I think you missed that portion. We
sat down for supper one time and my daughter made
the salad and hear these little black black specks creeping
(04:38):
across the lettuce that.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Is so sweet.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
The extra protein.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, she didn't MA wash it off. We didn't. We
didn't eat it also coming up anyway, So it's just
some of the things that we have to deal with.
I guess I have. I didn't do this during the
first hour and I wanted to do it. If you're
interested in making a patriotic display for the fourth of July. Yes,
and this is a question that came in. What are
(05:04):
the good red and white and blue flowers for the planning? Well,
if you want to display two hundred and fiftieth year,
by the way, so it's kind of important that we
all get together. I'm not hearing as much about it
as I thought we might. I hear it in ads
for products. But we display the patriotic colors this summer
and the rest of the season with annuals and perennials.
(05:25):
Some good reds are found among the begonias, the Pentus,
New Guinea and patients and Salvia's. My salvias right now
are beautiful and they've been flowering along, so it's a
good one for us. The red Salvi's the annual salaries, Salvia's.
The whites that are available, you can select Angelonia again, Pentus,
(05:47):
there's some white salvias, and there's some periwinkle flowers that
are whites, so you could use them. The blue is
the hardest to find. If you're interested in blues, you
can find them available with Terina Blue Days and they're
both good. The Blue Days has done amazingly well. We've
gotten new varieties, just very tolerant. So if you're interested
(06:10):
in somebody like that, either the Terina or the Blue
Days would work out well for you. And they'll overhang
the planners, which is kind of nice. All these should
be available at your garden center throughout the summer, but
if you want it for the fourth July, you want
to get things fired up, now would be the time
to do that, So I suggest you go out and
make that patriotic garden red, white and blue. Of course,
(06:32):
you're listening to Better Lugs and Gardens here, Summit Responsible
Solutions coming up during the next hour, we'll have Lance Walheim,
author of Citrus a Gardeners and Fruit Lover's Guide. It's
brand newest really neat. I'm time of Coming and this
is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network. Thank you for joining
(07:04):
us today here at Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Tom A.
Cove and your host, extension agent emeritus at University of Florida,
and Teresa's off today, but we are here and we're
happy to have you a little bit later on, we'll
be happy to take your calls here at one triple
eight forty five Lawns or one triple eight four five five,
two nine sixty seven, or you can text us at
any time at two three six eight. Oh, I do
(07:26):
want to tell you you can't send us pictures here,
but you can send them. Can't text pictures. You can
send them to Teresa. We've given out her address there
and we'd be happy to you know, I'm sure she'd
be happy to look at them and take a look
at them. Right now, Please join me and welcome me.
My good friend, Lance Walheim, the longtime great friend of
(07:46):
Joni and me, plus a TV and radio personality, speaker,
company representative, author of her over thirty books, including Roses
and Lawns for Dummies, plus editor of Sunset Western Garden Book,
and now author of a revised Citrus a Gardener and
Fruit Lover's Guide. Lance, Good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Hey, Tom, it's good to hear your voice a while.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It's good to hear your voice too. It has been
a long time. How's the weather out there in Oregon?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Well, it's sunny and warm actually, and then Monday and
Tuesday we're supposed to get up into the nineties. So
really almost one hundred. Yeah, well, cold for a couple
of days are cool anyway, then it's hot. We never
know what we're going to get here.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
You might as well be living in Florida. I remember
when you came to Florida and you did some neat things.
You even controlled the weeds in our walkway. Janie appreciated that.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I'll bet she did.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
We had fun.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
We did have fun. Hey, you have a wonderful new book, Citrus,
a Gardener's and fruit Lover's Guide. It's a lot of
time you put into this book, and you've guts, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I read only thought it was going to take me
about six months to revise and update the book, which was,
you know, thirty years old the original. It ended up
taking me two and a half years. But it was
a lot of fun. So much has changed in the
citrus industry, and so much has changed in the publishing industry.
(09:21):
I self published a book, and it's really a whole
new book. It's got twice the pages, three times the
color photography, and dozens of new varieties. But yeah, it's
been a labor of love. Citrus has been a big
part of my whole life, and I enjoyed working with
(09:41):
it and all the people that are in the citrus industry.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, you've been growing citrus for over fifty years. It's
a long time. I can't believe you're that old, and.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
You I can't believe it either, But every time I
get it in the morning, I believe it.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Actually at this time, yeah, we have to.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Tell everybody you have to get up three hours earlier
to be with us here at eight o'clock on the
eastern portion of the United States. Hey, it's a few.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Stub for the early hour too.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So do you normally get up at that time just
to be up.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
No, No, I get up to listen to the early
hour of your show.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Oh okay, you did get up early then, that's for sure. Yeah. Well,
I'd love the photos. Also. You did obviously a lot
of research. I mean you can contacted researchers extension agents
throughout the country where we grow citrus. And I didn't
realize there was so many different citrus fruit varieties you got.
You have lots of new pictures and fruit varieties there.
(10:40):
It's really neat.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah. In the last thirty years, when we had our
thirty five acre ranch in Exeter, California, we grew a
lot of the new and unusual things, and they've grow
a lot of them have gradually moved into the normal
commerce and have become important commercial varieties. But yeah, we've
got well over one hundred varieties described. The citrus family
(11:06):
is such a huge family of fruit. I think at
the U See Riverside Field Station they've got over five
hundred varieties there. So there's a lot to see, a
lot to taste.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
What does the future of citrus look like? I mean,
you've been a grower, you've been growing for fifty years
or interested in them in for fifty years. What does
it look like right now?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Well, you know, I got to be honest, I'm more
optimistic than I was ten years ago. I mean, it's
been a rough couple decades. Look where we are now,
Florida citrus commercial production is down ninety percent. Yeah it
was twenty years ago, and I mean tens of thousands
of gardeners have lost their trees. But honestly, I'm optimistic.
(11:50):
There are millions and millions of dollars are being spent
to fight citrus greening and thecillad. The best minds are
working on it, and there's some things to be excited about.
So I'm not given up, that's for sure. I know
a lot of gardeners, you know, really have been frustrated
losing the trees. Are you had a couple of trees
(12:11):
that you lost, Yeah, lost in.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
The greening and huh my, my neighbor has restarted with
one of the lemons. I'm going to put something back
in also. But it's about time. I've got this whole
list of the resistant varieties, and I'm thinking about either
sugar Bell or maybe Marathon one of those that I
could put. Maybe I put them in a container. Maybe
(12:33):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, you know, keeping them container is a good idea
because you'll be able to keep the trees smaller, and
you know, it'll be easy, they'll be easier to spray.
You just got to keep up on that new tree
and trysinge. But yeah, you know, there's a whole bunch
of new varieties coming out, and there's more on the way.
(12:56):
I don't know if you remember the Aura Blancos that
I sent you here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Well the universe
of Florida's got a new grapefruit hybrid. It's you know,
it takes years to develop enough of a supply for
these new varieties and really make them available to the
home gardeners. So we're going to have to be patient.
But they've got a new red grapefruit Pamelo hybrid that
(13:18):
really looks good. So there's even better things coming down
the road, I think.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah. So, I guess what you're saying is, you know,
a lot of residents have stopped growing sisters, but they
should start.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Again, I think so. You know, my favorite website from
the University of Florida is called Citrus in the Home
Landscape Initiative, and they just have all the tips that
we've learned from all these years, since two thousand and
oh five, and there's a lot of great things there
people can do to make sure they have the best
(13:51):
chance of succeeding. I mean, it's not going to be easy,
and we aren't out of the woods yet, but it's
looking a lot more positive than it has in a while.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Matt Smith, extension agent, who I talked with about citrus
varieties and greening and everything. You know, he gave me
this list here and it looks it's a long list,
it really is. And he emphasizes that the citrus is
tolerant and not necessarily resistant, totally resistant.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
And what that basically means is that the tree can
get greening, but it will still produce a reasonable crop,
so they are not resistant. And you know, another thing
that I didn't hear mentioned is the Australian finger lines.
Now they're showing what they call high tolerance. Yes, the
(14:42):
researchers are looking at the genetics of that to possibly
incorporate into other varieties. But if you like the finger line,
which is that you know citrus cavia a that you
squeeze out and you can do sushi and in salves
and stuff, that's that's another one. We're taking a look at.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Have you f sunline which is a finger line and
that right when they're they say it's the closest to
greening resistant, which which which is good. We're talking with
Lance Walheim, author and revised edition of Citrus of Gardeners
and Fruit Lover's Guide. If you don't have it and
you want to grow citrus, you're growing sistress, you got
to have It's the best book that I have seen. Lance.
(15:22):
This is this is complete. It really is good for
the home. I'm not sure it's not the best one
for the commercial producer too.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, I hope the commercial guys will find it useful.
We tried to get a lot of information. I mean
it's directed at home gardeners mostly, but the variety of
information is very complete, you know that it was. There
were a lot of people said, well, why are you
doing a book on citrus with the greening and stuff,
And there's so much available on information online and so
(15:49):
what we decided to do is put in references of
where all the information comes from in terms of giving
them search you know, what to search so that they
can get to the original information and get more detail.
Because these varieties and the situations, the quarantines, everything's changing
so fast, so you need to be able to, you know,
(16:09):
use your computer to get up to date, and you
do your homework.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
And find out where you can get the varieties in
Florida also. And that's that's easy enough to do. And
it's taking time for him to get them on the market,
that's for sure. So if you know, with the Asian
sell it out there, greening is so common, should I
guess we should only select tolerant varieties, right, I mean,
don't go back to the old varieties.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well, I mean I think that's for you. That's a
good place to start, that's for sure. I know that
a lot of people want to stick with some of
their favorite varieties, like the honeybell mandarin or whatever. But
you know, some of the smaller trees, like the seedless kishoe,
which is easy to protect and easy to spray. It's
not going to be easy. But I wouldn't give up
(16:54):
in all those great old varieties. I kind of did
a deep dive just to see how much people are
growing some of those older varieties, and there's a lot
of them still trying them. You know, people trying the
blood oranges and the care of Care and navels and
the seedless key shoes. There's a lot to try out there.
But I mean, we have to be real about what's
(17:15):
going on in the state right now, so using some
of the tolerant varieties is a great place to start.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I don't think i'd take a chance if I
was putting in citrus. I wouldn't go with the old
navels or Hamelin's or any of those. Go with the
newer varieties.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's right unless you're ready to. And you know,
some of the people, especially up in the northern areas,
they still got some older trees and so you know,
they need to go to the information that they need
to protect them.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, we're going to run out of time here, answ
very quickly. So what can we do now to prevent greening?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
What can we do now to prevent greening? Yeah, well,
there are a number of things. You know, a lot
of growers are using protective covers. You want to make
sure that you're fertile lives aggressively, including micronutrients. You know,
get the University of Florida recommendations. You want to make
sure that you're using control methods to you know, keep
the insecticides used that control the sihlids. There's a number
(18:15):
of organic ones. Unfortunately, they've got to be used often.
And there's also the systemic products which are not you know,
they're not you know, surefire, they're not magic bullets. I
guess that's the word I want to use. You know,
the only last three months. You can't use them on containers,
but it is still one of the most valuable tools
(18:36):
that we have provide consistent moisture. Root growth slows down
when the trees get greening, so sandy soils of Florida.
You want to make sure you're providing consistent moisture. That's
very important. Then there's people using reflective mulches. You want
to encourage and release beneficial insects. That's a great idea.
(18:57):
You know, plant things that attract benefit shootings that'll help
control the sellogs. Yeah, Lanslie, those are some of the
things you can do.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Your book is so complete. How do we get a copy?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You can go to Walheim Press dot com. But they're
also available on all the usual places online. But Walheim
press dot com you'll get a little bit of discount.
So I appreciate you going there.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Lance, thank you so much. I appreciate appreciate you being
with us. That's Lance Walheim.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I appreciate being on.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Okay, thank you sir, you have a great time out
there in Oregon. Glad you got up to listen to
the first hour of the program. Also, oh yeah, Lace Walheim,
longtime friend of Joni and Me radio personality plus now
the author of this Citrus a gardener and fruit Lover's Guide.
It's just a terrific book. I mean, you've got to
get a copy, got to look at it, and has
(19:48):
information for across the country, all the different varieties. It's
just amazing. Well, well, we got the next portion of
the program, last half hour coming up here. Why don't
you give us a call one triple eight forty five
Lawns one eight eight eight four five five, two nine
six seven, And you can text us at two three
(20:09):
six eight. Oh. You're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens
and it's as far as talk and Entertainment Network and
welcome back to Better Lines of Gardens. Happy to have
you with us today, that's for sure. We are in
(20:30):
the final half hour. Believe it or not. Time just
is zipping one by, and uh, we'd love to have
your call. If you have a question for you can
call Lizzie. She's waiting for your call at one triple
eight forty five Lawns or one triple eight four five five,
two nine six seven. Some people say I say it
too fast, so we'll do it one more time one
eight eight eight four five five two nine sixty seven.
(20:53):
Or you can text me at two three six eight
oh two three six eight Oh. Love to have your
text message also, and you will get you up on
the program with us and things that we can talk about.
I have a whole list of things to do. But
first let's go to Rico in Valkeria. Rico, good morning
to you. Good to hear your voice.
Speaker 7 (21:13):
Yeah, good to hear yours. Tom I've got a couple
of questions, and the first one is is it too
late for tomatoes? My chickens got out of their pen. Oh,
I ate all my little tomatoes back in I think
it was March. So I started new ones and they're
(21:34):
just now starting to flower.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Okay, it's not too late, but the problem is they're
probably not going to fruit very well until we get
into the fall. Now, if they're cherry tomatoes, you'll probably
get fruit, You'll get some fruits. But if they're regular slicers,
probably just going to grow a lot of vines. And
the next I'll be starting my tomato seeds in the
(21:57):
middle of July, which is coming up very quick quickly here,
and then I'll be putting the transplants out in the
garden in August, so that I will get good sized
plants and flowering during late September early October. But you know,
you can probably go ahead and get some production out
of them.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
Well, I'm going to spray them with that stuff that triggers,
the fruiting on the flowers whatever. I can't remember what
it's called, but anyway, that was my first question. My
second question is do you think I'll get any mangos
next year?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Okay? How far back were your trees frozen?
Speaker 7 (22:36):
Pretty bad?
Speaker 5 (22:37):
You know.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
I'm in Balcaria, which is just south of Bombay at Melbourne,
I know, And they survived, and the small ones I
banked hay around the trunk up above the graft. That
hay comes in layers, so I took a layer and
wrapped it around the trunk. They all survived. The stuff
(22:58):
that I forgot to pretend it's toast.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Yeah, yeah, well, you know, my guess is my guess
is you. My guess is you've got two years probably
probably yeah, probably not going to get anything next year
unless the trees that you're able to save were you know,
pretty large trees as a possibility.
Speaker 7 (23:18):
Uh but yeah, yeah, well one of them's one of
them's forty years old. Most of them are teenagers or
maybe a little better.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
You know.
Speaker 7 (23:26):
The big one's got probably a sixteen inch trunk, So yeah,
but how much rive nicely? And there's probably a growth
all up in the canopy.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
But okay, well, I think I think you got a
chance there that if the new growth matures and time
that one that one might get.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
I was about it.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
It's nice to hear you on the radio, even if
it's just for a one weekend.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Okay, well, I'll be back to you.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
By the way, Are you doing any speaking engagements?
Speaker 1 (23:52):
You know I've I pretty much gave up on the
speaking engagements. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
We loved you when you we had you here at
the I know several times club in Melbourne.
Speaker 5 (24:02):
We love you at that.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
But we're hoping that you can we could get you back.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, thank you, but I think I'm pretty much giving
up on the speaking engagements. But thanks for asking. Okay, Rico,
take care. Let's go to Jerry and Citrus County. Jerry,
good morning to you, Good morning time, Yeah, good morning.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
Questions. Yes, I got questions on the Cranberry high biscus
and the roselle.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Okay, sure, rosel.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
Yeah, the roselle seems to be quite nice, but it
takes quite a while to grow it out. Does it
keep over the freezer a winner or anything or an annual.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
They're going to freeze? You can keep them over, but
most of the time. We grow it as an annual.
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Annual okay, and the Granton's very high biscuits. I got
a variety that some people call it October rose or
they got other names too, but it has a large
purple flower. It cycles flowering, you know, almost daily, and
it's good for tea, I guess, and uh it's uh
(25:09):
does it cross? I'm starting to get some the last
year's growth. I got like a hundred plants came up well,
and they seem to have differences.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Oh yeah, you might. You might get some mutations and changes,
maybe some cross poundation possibly. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:25):
Oh oh, okay, are there are there other other name,
other name varieties.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I do not know. Yeah, I do not know of
other name varieties. Possibly it's not one that I've really
followed along, to be honest with you.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
Oh okay, Well, I appreciate your help, and uh, I
continue to grow to it was out, but I don't
get the production that I need from like the cranberry
one I see.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Okay, Okay, well, at least you're doing at least you're
doing it, that's for sure. Jerry, thanks for the call. Okay,
let's talk to Bill and Georgetown. Bill good morning to you.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
Morning Tom. Really nice to talk with you again, even
and it's just for a short minute.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Well, it's nice to talk with you too. How's everything going.
Speaker 6 (26:05):
Well, Okay, I'm trying to live your philosophy. You told
me the last time I talked with you to stay busy,
but you know, yeah, it gets tough, and I'm not
gardening like I used to. But I've I've got one
experiment going right now, one of these seedless watermelons. There,
of course, there was a seed in it, and I
know I'm not going to get a seedless watermelon, but
I planted it and I'm going to try to do
(26:25):
what I did in Mount Dora was just hanging and
had watermelons that were hanging off the fence and I
thought that was pretty neat.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
That again, yeah, that's pretty nice. Yeah, so you're growing
anything else besides watermelons.
Speaker 6 (26:36):
I still grew my Cherokee purple tomato and we have
I know, we always had a difference on cherry tomatoes.
I like the wild cherry a lot of flavor. That's
the name of a wild cherry, and I grow them
and instead of growing the big tomatoes because these cherry
tomatoes have so much flavor, and I put them in
like scrambled eggs or even a turkey sandwich, and they're
(26:57):
delicious and you grow them all summer. That's a nice
part about it.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah, I saw Lizzie kind of wins here when you
said turkey sandwich.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
That sounds good. Were looking together in trade.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
That's That's what I always appreciate when I called in,
because i'd get you guys laughing, and.
Speaker 8 (27:12):
I really appreciated that.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Thank you for that.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
You're still you're still dealing with the ignoramas that you
always did. I don't have a computer, so I don't
I can't communicate with you much. It's snail mail, and
I don't want to bother you with that. So I
just wanted to call in and say it nice to
talk with you and maybe i'll call it in July.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Okay, Bill, thanks for calling. We appreciate very much. And
Bill's been a long time listener over years and good
friends with Joni and me, and if he came to
some of our programs and things like that, which was
really kind of nice. Anyways, break time and you still
have time. If he was called William and Melbourne, hang
on there, we're going to give you some containers garden
suggestions coming up here, and you can call too. It's
(27:52):
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven.
That's one eight eight eight four five five two nine
sixty seven. Or you can tech it's just two three
six eight. Oh. You better get that text message in
quickly and we'll be right back. You're listening to Better
Laws and Gardens. This as far as Talk Entertainment Network. Hey,
(28:19):
welcome back to Better Laws and Gardens. Happy to have
you with us. I'm time of cove of course, I
just want to remind you of Les Waldheim's great book Citrus,
a Gardener's and fruit Lover's Guide that just throw a
terrific book. And I appreciated Lands being with us and
giving us information and encouragement to start planning citrus again.
I think if I plan citrus, it's going to be
(28:40):
in a container, and I've got the perfect spot, a
couple of spots actually where I'd like to have them,
and it's going to be one of the resistant varieties.
If you want to know the resistant varieties, get up online,
do a search and just go the citrus greening Tolerant
citrus varieties I think that's the way to do it.
You can search it out. You can find all the
(29:02):
new citrus greening tolerant varieties, plus you can find out
where to get them. They do have The university has
a list there. It's called selecting Us Citrus and it
has the varieties that you may may want to grow.
Becaud of Neat. Let's go to William and Melbourne. William,
thanks for holding on. We appreciate it. How can we
help you today?
Speaker 8 (29:22):
Good morning? Yes, this is William how One. I'm looking
for some low maintenance garden. I'm interested in the hydroponics.
I got a small bag deck and I want to
know if I could do five gallon buckets out there
and set set up a hydroponic something because I'm blind
(29:47):
and I need help.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Sure, well, you know they've grown hydrophonic type situations in
five gallon buckets there. There was a technique at one
time developed where they put mulch in the container and
the container would have mortar in the bottom of it
and the plant roots would grow down through the mulch
(30:12):
into the into the water and that would work out.
Other people have little pond like structures and float starfoam
in it. And plant hydropontic things like lettuce and herbs
in that. So you have all different kind of opportunities.
And you could just grow plants in water. I mean
that's a possibility also, so the things that you could do,
(30:35):
but there would be the lower growing plants, probably things
like herbs, which is good of you have the lettuce
type varieties, maybe even strawberries when strawberry seasons in what
do you think?
Speaker 8 (30:50):
Well, I'm thinking more like egg plant, tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And okay, well you know, you know, I think for
what you want, why don't you get something like earth
box or you know, containers that you put soil in
and you just have to make sure you keep moist.
But earth boxes, for instance, are self watering. You just
have to keep track of the water and you can
(31:14):
feel that, of course, and then you can grow your tomatoes.
You can grow your I'd grow low, ok, I would
grow the lower varieties, lower growing varieties bush tomatoes. You
can still grow peppers. I love peppers. You heard Lizzie
talk about her hot peppers, and so that's what I do.
(31:34):
I think something like that. It's gonna work better, maybe better.
Speaker 8 (31:38):
I just start that in what August September.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
August mid August, September.
Speaker 8 (31:42):
Yes, okay, thank you, sir, okay.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
William, good luck to you. I appreciate it and I
hope it helps out a little bit. Earth boxes have
worked out well and you can just go ahead and
they're self watering. Just make sure you keep track of
the water and should work out pretty well. Speaking of
things to grow coming up here, I brought July calendar along.
It's going to be printed in the paper, I think
next week. And some of the vegetables that you can
(32:10):
still grow, you can grow them during June. Also, things
like calabasa, cherry tomatoes, Okra, seminole, pumpkins, Roselli you heard
ricoch on't thing it was Rico. I forget what was
talking about, Roselli sweet potatoes still, and then we started
transplants of the eggplant, the peppers and tomatoes. You start
(32:31):
all those from seed, and I think that should work
out pretty well for you. Some of the flowers besides
the ones for the fourth July, things like ageratum, the
bush daisy, which was one of my top shrubby type plants.
We have cats, whiskers, colius. I have grown lots of
colias this year and started them from seed, and they
(32:54):
are doing so well, and I have them on one
side of the house. It's kind of kind of hot,
and I go out during the day and kind of
miss them. But when the rains come then the coliers
do just fine. They perk up and they're looking good.
So in the shade you can always grow colias, but
nice new ones. There have things like ginger, impatience, Joseph's coat.
(33:15):
I'm trying to get people interested in Joseph's coat. Okay,
it's a well biblically remember the coat of many colors,
but that's what it looks like. Another name for it
is alternan thera altern and there most people are not
gonna remember that. Remember Joseph's coat. You can look it up.
And you have ones that are purple leaved. You have
ones that are mixed the colors, the reds and pinks
(33:37):
and white together. I have one like that. I have
the purple one, but I want to get some more.
And they're pretty tough. They're pretty tough.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Where okay, where would you suggest planting the full sun?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Well, sun's fine, okay, all sun to like filtered sun
one or the other.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
And then like how much watering are we expected here.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Typical annual, so prett much. If it's in the container daily.
If it's in the ground, probably every couple of days
once they get established, that's the important part to it.
There other ones. I have lantana melopodium. A lot of
people don't know melopodium, pretty yellow type of flower. And
we also have uh see moonflower. My moonflowers are flowering
(34:22):
right now. I love moonflowers. Some people say they're a
bit invasive. Uh, they're native evidently a South Florida and
so minor flowering. Pentus roy neat Purslaine, Salvia's sunflowers. My
sunflowers just finish flowering. I'll plant some more terinas and
the classic zenyas, and I'll be planting more zenyas, that's
(34:45):
for sure too. Okay. Here are a couple of things
that well, let's see, I got a question here that
I wanted to answer. It says the question was we
protected our pineapples grown in containers. That's how they protect
them from the cold. If they were in the cold,
they probably froze back and said they're now growing large fruits.
(35:06):
When will they be ready to harvest? Most pineapple fruits
are ready to harvest five months after the fruit first
started forming. So most of them will flower in March,
and then about middle August is when they start changing color.
The pinapple fruit is ready to harvest when it turns
from a green to light green to orange color. Some
(35:30):
pineapples don't really turn the total orange color. They're turning
kind of a yellowish green. So it's possible. And the
deeper the color, the sweeter the fruit. And like I said,
many of the protected plants flowered in March and they'll
be ready in August. Now here's the problem. The problem
is you're not the only one interested in those pineapple fruits. Okay,
(35:52):
there's a lot of critters out there. And I'll tell
you the story. I had this pineapple. The pineapple looked
like it was getting ripe, it was turning the orange,
and I said, one more day, Tom, give it one
more day. So the next morning I got up and
it was beautiful orange on the one side and half
eaten on the other side. So some critter got it.
(36:14):
So if you have pineapples and you think you have
critic gritters, squirrels, rats, what have you in your area,
you're going to have to protect it from the cold,
I mean from the critters, just like you did from
the cold, so so that you get to eat it.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
What is down here, Just eat pineapples, because you got
to get past their.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Their their their the leaves.
Speaker 5 (36:35):
Yes, that is.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I didn't realize that they had like saw teeth on
them until.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Yes, some do, some don't. Not all of them.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
I got caught up a couple of them.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yeah, you got the ones that have the spiny edges
of the sas. But some of them are some are
smooth edge. But I'll tell you what. The critters got them,
no doubt about it. They climb up there, and I've
learned the hard way, so I don't know. Uh, here's
another question I have. Should I wait for the new
growth to appear on the Norfolk Island pine? Does that
(37:05):
mean I shouldn't cut the brown branches off? I talked
about Norfolk Islin pine, various degrees of recovery of Norfolk
colin pines out there. If you have the brown on there,
you want to cut those brown branches off, that's fine.
Check to see if there's some nice new green coming
on your plants there. That would be a good one. Also,
a lot of cold questions Okay, let's see.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Okay, so we have heard heard experts say that the
black cow manure mix has changed over the years. Let's see,
a black cow makes your dirt turn to clay. This
is Mark from d Land is this have you? Have
you experienced that?
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Or I have not? No, black cow hasn't changed as
far as I know. That looks like now.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
I know that they come out with a couple new
periods so much. I was really impressed with so that
they came out with that. But yeah, I haven't experienced
that the that clay type of maybe it's one of
their newer products, is maybe maybe set for something like that.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Yeah, I think the standard black out is still regular
black owl.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Yeah, give them a call, you can, you can easily
can look up their number and give them a call
and maybe ask them that question.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Up on line they have they're up online also.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Yeah, So Linda and Zone eight B says, what size
pot will you have for citrus trees?
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Citrus trees, I'm going to go up to probably a
thirty gallon, maybe maybe as big as a fifty gallon
even I want something big that I can have in
the landscape. Probably thirty gallons easier to handle than if
you can hire in that. But the bigger to container,
the better. That's good. Okay.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
And then Ken from Northwest Orlando. My Bismarck palm is
suffering from a freeze. We have trimmed two layers of
the palms and it looks like more need to be
trimmed to anything I could do. This is a favor
as a gift from his mother fourteen years ago, and
it is thirty feet high.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
I trim off anything is dead, that's the main thing.
Hopefully there's nice new growth at the top. Yeah, somewhere
you got those messages. I did not get them on mine.
I'm special, you are no doubt about that. Yeah, I
appreciate Lizzie. Thank you very much for everything to our listeners.
We had a good program, that's for sure. I want
(39:23):
to thank Lance Waldthime again, author of Citrus a Gardener
and fruit Lover's died, for joining us. Also, if your
local station isn't broadcast, let's give us a call, and
please remember to visit with our sponsors, Black House Summit,
Responsible Solutions, Quality green specialists, but Dana Venrick and Delay
and remember that we'll be getting the tolerant varieties in
You're sold out right now Peterson's Nursery with Hallie and
(39:46):
Karen and Lakeland, and let them know you appreciate them
and we certainly appreciate them being here. And Lizzie again,
thank you for everything coming to you from the summit.
Responsible Solutions, maker of organic misqui though bits and dunks,
some at your round sprayls, sum At Green Armor and
sec Repellage. I'm Tom and coming a Saturday morning. You're
listening to better laws and gardens.
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.