How to Pinch An Avocado Tree - Part 3

I pinched my avocado tree back in mid-April. Now, in mid-May, there are 5 new branches that formed near the top of the plant. Each will branch out and form a bushy tree instead of a twiggy tree. Here's the original posts about how to pinch an avocado tree. The arrows in this photo show where the plant formed a little scar over the part I pinched off.

The new branches began just above leaf nodes. They started out as little red nubbies and have formed into these branches with leaves.

Florida Hedge Recovers from Freeze

Our fence hedge has finally recovered from the 20 degree weather we had back in January. The bougainvillea snapped back a lot quicker than these plants.

Remember when I figured out the difference between a frost and a freeze? Here's an easy way to remember it...it takes a lot more time to recover from a freeze.

From left to right...
oleander (just beginning to bloom for the season)
dracena (can't really see)
palm (don't knwo the variety)
peach double hibiscus
fuschia bougainvillea
red hibiscus
fuschia bougainvillea

Faux Sundried Tomato Recipe

I just picked most of the patio tomatoes I've been growing. I was really happy with them and will plant a bunch more next season.

Use the search bar at the top of my blog to look for earlier posts about these little 'maters.

Faux Sundried Tomato Recipe

Halve and core the tomatoes
Spinkle with sea salt
Place on a baking rack on top of a roasting pan
Stick in the oven at 200
Leave them in for 6-12 hours

Make sure to check on them after 6 hours, then again every hour. Pull them out when they look right to you.

The Well-Travelled Tomato - Part 3

The well-travelled tomato plants have grown about 8 inches in the last 13 days. Here's Part 1 and 2.

The first photo was taken April 30; the second was taken today. They are both watered for 3 minutes every 6 hours via the drip irrigation system. There are little tomatoes all over the plant and I'm beginning to think these are determinate plants (not indeterminate).

Rate of Growth: Peas

I posted this first photo on Earth Day to document one of my small ways of helping conserve water. Here's the same pea seedling 8 days later. These very pretty little vines grow quite rapidly in the early stages.

How to Pinch An Avocado Tree

One year ago, I blogged about how to pinch back your avocado tree so it will branch out instead of growing straight up. This year, I have another young avocado tree that needed to begin branching out. Here's what I did...

The above photo was taken two days after I plucked off the top 2 inches of this young tree. I just pinched it off with my fingers.
Less than a week later, new growth is bursting out all over. The new growth is bright red and grows from the top few inches of the main stem just above a node. Now, each of these three red blobs will form into a tree branch. Each will grow straight up and should begin to form leaves within the next month. Pretty cool.

Node: (noun) the part of the stem of a plant from which a leaf, branch, or aerial root grows.

Replanted the Front Planters

I planted a few things I've never tried before.

Above: Caladium, purslane (portulaca oleracea), vinca periwinkle (catharanthus roseus), begonia, spike dracaena (dracaena indivisa). The large twiggy vine is a recovering bougainvillea. I've also planted some peas, morning glory, and marigold seeds.

Above: petunia, caladium, periwinkle, bougainvillea, and assorted seeds (not yet germinated).

Leaf Spots on Palm Tree

I have leaf spots on my Christmas Palms. I noticed them last year when I planted the palms, but I thought it was normal. Over the past year, they've gotten worse though, and now I need to do something about it. Here's the photo.

I've scoured the internet for the name of this disease, but can't find it. I've tried an organic fungicide/pesticide, but it didn't work. So, now unfortunately I'm resorting to sevin, the bad stuff. Argh.

In Honor of Earth Day

Here's a shot of one of the small things I'm doing to help reduce my footprint. I use a drip irrigation system.

This photo is the top of my upside down tomato planter. I decided to plant pees that will vine up the hangers. The tomato probably won't make it becaues it's so hot these days. To set fruit most tomatoes need 75 degree nights.

A Blackberry is Not Really a Berry - Green Thumb Sunday

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A raspberry (and blackberry) is not a true berry. Instead one blackberry is actually comprised of many drupelets, and is technically an aggregate fruit.

Each incipient drupelet has its own stigma and good pollination requires the delivery of many grains of pollen to the flower so that all drupelets develop. Here's a well-pollinated blackberry photo from answers.com.



Here is a blossom from my blackberry bush.

Here's the above blossom again. Photo taken last week.

A drupelet is a botanical term for a fleshy fruit with a single stone enclosing the seed that does not split along defined lines to liberate the seed.

How To Propagate African Violets

I learned this from my mother in law. I pinches two leaves off another plan and dipped the tips in rooting hormone. Then I planted.


You don't water them the normal way, you instead fill up the saucer.

Planted the UF Sun Peach in Zone 9b

I planted the UF Sun Peach Tree this passed weekend. I could have planted tansy below it, but all I had on hand was some grocery store garlic. Both of tansy and garlic ward off pests and are recommended to use as companion plants to peach trees. I hope this little peach tree does well...it should, I'm doing everything right.

Orchid Tree Seed Pods Explode in April

Bauhinia variegata (Orchid Tree) seed pods literally explode. I was in the garage yesterday for 8 hours getting work done, and I kept hearing little exlosions come from the two trees nearby.

I'm talking "explode"!!! They didn't just fall to the ground, they have been bursting sideways, straight up, and straight down. A few of them even put a little nick in my car (which I'm not upset about cause it's cool). Some of them have burst into my garage from across the street. I'm so serious.

Dehisce (v. "burst open") is the term used to describe bauhinia variegata seed pods exploding behavior. The seeds are very hard, brown, and flat.

I'm going to plant a few of the seeds to see if they grow. This tree is considered invasive to Florida, so I will not actually keep the seedlings. I really don't like the dropped leaves that are persistently blowing around the neighborhood, so I wouldn't grow this tree even it weren't invasive. It's beautiful when in bloom though and I like to admire it from a short distance.

Palm Tree Progagation

I am always weeding little palm tree sprouts from underneath the queen palm. The seeds fall all over and kill the grass because they mound up. This week I decided to save a few of the sprouts.

I thought I was done with palm sprouts for the day...
Then, I decided to clean out the jungle under my potting table. That's when I found this little guy growing in the sand under a 20 lb 12" concrete stepping stone.

He was getting no sun and no water. But he did have a tiny red rat snake roommate. I can only pray this is a baby lipstick palm (aka sealing wax palm). It's probably just another queen palm seedling.

The story is that I ordered a lipstick palm seed over a year ago, planted it, and waited..........and waited...........and waited. Then I finally used the pot and soil for something else. Lipstick palm seeds can take up to 3 years to germinate. I just got impatient and consequently lost track of the seed. Maybe someday I'll find it...maybe this is it!

Here's a lipstick palm seedling photo from Top Tropicals, the company from which I ordered the lipstick palm seed. It looks the same.

Blueberries for South Florida Zone 9b - Green Thumb Sunday

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There is a class of blueberries (southern highbush) that thrive in warm cilmates. I have three of these varieties: a gulf coast, sharp, and misty. Northern highbushes require over 1,000 chill hours. Southern highbush varities require as little as 150 chill hours. I don't know that we'll get 150 chill hours this year, but I'll go for it.

I bought the 3 gallon bushes at a garden show and was told I need more than one variety so they pollinate. Now I realize this was the vendor's way of getting $20 as opposed to $10.

Today, nearly all of the blueberries harvested in April and early May in the northern hemisphere and during October and early November in the southern hemisphere trace their ancestry back to a Florida lowbush blueberry found in Winter Haven in the 40's.

I would love to be a purist and not support nor grow anything genetically engineered or cross bred, but I'd be fooling myself if I thought this was feasible. Oh well. The small misty cuttings still don't have roots, but have begun to burst with foliage. I sat on a waiting list for a year before I received them from the national germplasm repository.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

How to Use Moss in Your Garden

I love this moss. I planted it last year, but not in the right place. This year, it's in a bright spot, but will never get direct sun.
It was $12 (kinda expensive), but it's totally different than all the tropical stuff I have. I hope it doesn well next to the sprinkler. Our water restrictions are getting extended to twice-a-week! Whoo Hoo!

How to Make a Bee House

So, if bees go extinct, all humans will die within 4 years. Well, that's what Einstein said.

Theoretically, if we have no bees, we have no plants. Then, we'll have no animals, and eventually no humans. Do an internet search on "bees extinct" to see what I mean...it's kinda scary, maybe.

I need extra bees because I just planted some blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry plants. I also just hacked down their current home, the old swingset. So, with the leftover wood, I made a couple little bee houses. I used some old cut up roof shingles, a cedar 4x4, my drill, and some nails.


So, near my new bee house, I noticed this lizard (anole) trying desperately to get her to care. I guess they're all the same, whether it's peackock feather, a corvette (yuck), or a giant red dewlap (lizard throat).

My Plants Have Googly Eyes

The Christopher Walken skit on SNL a few weeks ago inspired me to analyze "where I stand with my plants." He says the only way to do this is to look them in the eyes. It started innocently enough, now I'm going to be the weird cat plant lady of the neighborhood.

Here they are: the plants I was kind of unsure about. Now I know where I stand with them.
The rule of thumb with cacti is that you don't turn your back on them.


I'm making an effort with this one (aloe vera).


Here's the fern. I got the idea for googly eyes from my cacti. What would your last thought be if something happened to you...my last thought would be, "I always knew it was going to be the ferns."

I don't feel comfortable around this plant whatsoever. I made an effort with this one.

My drip irrigation system

I have an average size lot and use three drip irrigation systems to water the vegetables, citrus, and front walkway. I frequent an excellent gardening forum and responded to a recent general question about a drip system. I figured others might like to know about this type of system, so here's some info.

I use the dig system. I can't say enough good things about this system, and I don't get free stuff for saying this. I highly recommend the Adjustable Micro Sprayer Kit, plug $40 in extra fittings. Here's my young tomato with a 360 micro sprayer attached to quarter-inch poly tubing. The quarter-inch poly is connected to half inch tubing which leads back to the faucet. I also attached a battery operated timer to the system.

The kit contains a few 360° micro sprayers. You'll want more. They cost $2.50 for a bag of two. It also has an adequate amount of 1/2" poly tubing and 1/4" micro tubing. You need a back-flow device, pressure regulator, and punch, which all come with the kit.

You can get a cheap timer for $20 from Wmart which will save you $10-20. HD has a 20 page booklet on how to set up the dig system. I carefully read it 4 times before installing everything.

My hints and tips...

• Use the micro sprayers instead of the drip emitters. Reason: emitters don't dispers water.
• You want the water to spread over the root ball which is NOT always at the base of the stem. Think citrus.
• Always make the 1/4" runs 6-10 inches longer than you think you'll need. Reason: You want flexibililty. Plant stems grow, so you want to be able to move the water source. Plus, from year to year, you'll have different plants in different places.
• I tend to favor the accessories that are adjustable.
• The $10 trigger punch rusts, but the $2 does not rust.
• Don't burry the emitters, they will get clogged if they are under the dirt.
• Get extra 1/4" Barbed Tees and goof plugs.
• Let the hose sit in the hot sun for 30 mins so it's more pliable. Your fingers WILL hurt putting together all those little barbed connectors.

Clearance Plant Sale

I scored this $22 Easter Planter for $5 yesterday at one of the home improvment stores. The two lilies have buds all over. It has ferns, marigolds, lilies, petunia, and ornamental sweet potato. The pot is nice too.

Know Where You Stand With Your Plants

This Saturday Night Live Skit about gardening is hillahious. I can't wait to put googly eyes on my cactus tomorrow.

Tigridia – Mexican Shellflower Bloomed

I planted these Tigridia bulbs (Mexican Shellflower) about 65 days ago. Here's the original post and the 1-month update.

Today, the first flower bloomed and then wilted in the florida heat by 2pm. The foliage was very suceptible to some kind of pest. Nothing else was affected though.

Sweet Potato Flower

Sweet potatoes get flowers. Who knew!?

I showed the flower to a friend today, and she said it looks like a morning glory. Sure enough, sweet potatoes are in the same family as morning glories. I did a google image search for "sweet potato flower" and the first search result was a posting by a fellow garden blogger at MrBrownThumb.com. Last year, he went through the same thing when he saw a vine bloom in Chicago.

Lula Avocado Tree

I planted my new lula avocado tree today. I let it sit in this slightly shady area for a few weeks prior to planting; I wanted to see how it would do. I may have planted it in the wrong area. We'll see. This very knowledgeable local gardener told me that nothing down here in south florida truely loves full sun.


Today, a friend told me she heard it takes 8 years for an avocado tree to bear fruit. I had heard this before, but I've also heard they bear fruit within two years. Below is what my internet research indicates...by the way, everything you read on the internet is always true.

3 years to fruiting - link here (gardener Q&A)
4-5 years to fruiting - link here (purdue university)
10-15 years to fruiting - link here (some extension office)
3-6 years to fruiting - link here (avocadofruit.com)
30 years to fruiting - link here (gomestic.com)

My Recent Favorite Blogs

I get excited when I see new posts from some of my favorite garden bloggers. I use RSS feeds in Outlook to save tons of time.

Dragonfly Garden - http://yearroundgarden.blogspot.com/
Pure Florida - http://pureflorida.blogspot.com/
Hoe & Shovel - http://hoeandshovel.blogspot.com/
Gardening in Central Florida - http://centralfloridagarden.blogspot.com/

A True Lemon (eureka lemon)

"The true lemon (Eureka & Lisbon types) is not recommended for home use because of its susceptibility to scab," or at least, so says IFAS Extension. I don't have scab on my citrus, but I guess that's because I have a pretty good maintenance routine.


Here's a shot of my Eureka lemon tree. It still has fragrant blooms. It's been flowering for a while now, so I guess that means, it bear ripe fruit for a while too. We'll see.

Persian Lime Season

I recently moved 4 of my citrus trees (bushes) closer to the porch. They'll be closer to another new drip irrigation system I'll be installing this week.

According to IFAS, the Persian Lime is in season during June-September. These small limes are about the size of a piece of popcorn. I hope they do well as the temps get hotter. Yesterday, our pool got up to 83 degrees!

Upside-Down Tomato - Season Two

The upside-down tomato is now turning skyward. He's been in the upside-down pot for about two weeks now. Here's a photo from two weeks ago and here is info on how I made the upside-down planter.

Bougainvillea Looper

Green Thumb Sunday

JoinI have Bougainvillea Loopers. "When a bougainvillea shrub is disturbed, the caterpillars drop unobserved to the ground, leaving most people wondering what is eating their bougainvillea plants."

Here's a shot of the very tiny caterpillar along with a leaf he munched on. I just sprayed an organic fungicide & insecticide made mostly of semase oil on the plants and hope to be rid of these pests soon.


Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Banyan Tree at Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale

We were at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend. It's an older hotel and the rooms are in need of a renovation, but the location is top notch. Here's a giant Banyan tree I climbed inside of for a photo. I wonder how old something like this is.

The internet says that you can figure 233 years for every acre of land a banyan tree covers. This one might cover an acre...I dunnno.

Hanging Planter gets Too Hot

The heat and sun really wreak havoc on container gardens that get full sun. This small planter used to be home to ivy (seen in photo below from 03/07). It burned up last year within a month.

Today I put two little sprigs of organo in the planter, then moved it to a location where it will get moisture from the drip irrigation system.

First, I lined the planter with spaghum moss, then I planted the newly rooted sprigs in a homemade 50/50 mixture of perlite and potting soil.

The oregano sprigs came from my large pot of oregano. I put a few sprigs in a glass of water during January. The oregano is is the short green plant in the front of this photo. By mid-February, roots had formed, and I moved them to the ground.

When does a tomato turn red?

This young plant began to flower and set fruit in late February. During the last week of March, the larger tomato was full-grown, but was still completely green. Then, within 3 days, it turned totally red.

Here is a photo on the 2nd day of the color changing. I'm going to pick it on Sunday. The leaves have some kind of miner or fungus. I just treated it with an organic fungicide that also controls several pests. There are marigolds surrounding the plants too.

Avocado Tree & Peach Tree for South Florida

Yes. You can grow a peach tree in South Florida. Of course avocado trees thrive in our climate.

Above: UF Sun Peach Tree I just purchased from an organic grower.

Above: Lula Avocado Tree I just purchased from an organic grower.

Together, both trees were under $75 which is a fair price, considering their size, quality, and organic upbringing. I've placed them in the yard where I think I'll plant them. After a week, I'll see how they're fairing.

Lula Avocado:
A hybrid produced for Florida, "Lula" (named for George Cellon's wife) originated from a seed of the original Taft tree brought from California 1915. It was originally reported to be a Mexican-Guatemalan hybrid because the seed of Taft it grew from had come from California. This contention has not been confirmed by modern methods of analysis, and Lula's morphology suggests that it may be a Guatemalan-West Indian hybrid. The seedling first fruited in 1919, and its commercial propagation began in 1921. It remains a "major variety" to this day despite a couple of disadvantages: susceptibility to scab disease (Sphaceloma persicae) and a large seed.

UF Sun Peach (Prunus persica):
The UF Sun Peach is a ultra-low chill, non-melting peach which sweetens longer on the tree. It's got red over yellow skin and yellow flesh. It ripens in May and is semi-clingstone. reuires 100 chill hours. Self-pollinating. Plant Patent No.146764

Frogs in the Pool

Frog season is upon us again.

We had to take out the backyard fish pond because the frogs kept eating the fish. Each night last summer, he'd lie in bed so frustrated he couldn't sleep.

This summer, the pond is growing roses and an orchid, which the frogs will not eat. These two guys were chasing eachother around the pool for hours the other day. I must have watched them go around 10 times. John flung them over the fence as usual when he came home from lunch. They were okay, but had to find another pool to play in.

"I don't care if they're good for the garden"

I don't care if they're good for the garden. I want him GONE. I was less than 5 feet from him and he wasn't even scared.

I know he won't bite me.
I know he's helping keep pests away.
I know I'm in his habitat.
I know he's not poisonous.

None of this matters. I'd much rather live with spiders and rodents than a pest-ridding, creepy snake. I don't see good things in his future. I'd take an additional 20 mole crickets over a snake.

I'm done for now. Yuk.

Florida Blueberry: Southern Highbush Blueberry (150 Chill Hours)

My Misty Challenger blueberry cutting is in the family of southern highbush blueberries. It's been here in this pot for a few weeks and is sprouting leaves from the buds that were dormant.

These are soft cuttings. This variety of southern highbush blueberry is good for Florida because it only requires 150 chill hours. Chill hours are an accumulation of hours where temps are between 30-45 degrees F.

Here's what IFAS has to say about the Misty Blueberry (scroll to bottom). If you live in Florida, check out the IFAS website to see how many chill hours your zone gets. Also check out Gardening in Central Florida for lots of good info on blueberries.

Jostaberry Cutting Has Roots

I've got two soft cuttings of Jostaberry that have been sitting in water for a few weeks. They just began to sprout roots and the buds swelled up and have begun to burst with green.

I decided it was time they get a pot in the incubator...which is just my small area where baby plants stay until they are big enough to get a permanent home in my yard.

So, what is a jostaberry? Glad you asked. It's commonly thought of as a cross between a blackcurrent and a gooseberry. Here's what that online encyclopedia says (it's actually accurate this time).