December in Brevard means less lawn care and more pruning | Sally Scalera
Cool weather has arrived, and if you can find time during the busy month of December, it should be great for working outside. Here are some ideas of things you can do in your yard while enjoying the comfortable temperatures.
Enjoy less lawn care. Lawn care will be simpler through the winter, with the shorter days and cooler temperatures, so enjoy. Mow every other week (if for no other reason than to keep the weeds from setting seeds) and water, at the most, once a week. Don’t fertilize now, because the grass isn’t actively growing and won’t absorb the nutrients, which can lead to the nutrients leaching into the nearest water body. Don’t be alarmed if your grass turns a lighter green (or yellowish) and brown is visible near the soil. This is typical in the winter.
Overseed wtih ryegrass. There is still time to overseed your lawn with annual ryegrass if you haven’t already done so. Warm-season grasses go dormant during the shorter winter days, so broadcasting annual ryegrass seed will create a green lawn throughout the winter. When broadcasting the seed, walk in one direction to sow half of the seed and then walk at a 90° angle to broadcast the second half of the seed. After broadcasting, sweep the grass with a stiff broom to ensure the seed contacts the soil.
Proper watering is crucial for germination. Lightly water the over-seeded lawn for 10 to 20 minutes once or twice daily for 7-10 days to improve seed germination. When the ryegrass dies in late spring, it will provide additional organic matter to the soil. This is an easy way to enjoy a green lawn through the winter and add some organic matter to it after the ryegrass dies! For more information, visit: sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu and search for "overseeding winter lawns."
Prune trees and shrubs. If needed, deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned after they have shed all their leaves. For more information on pruning trees and shrubs, check out our bulletin at this link: hort.ifas.ufl.edu. Search for "pruning landscape trees." If you are growing temperate fruit crops, such as grapes, peaches, apples, blueberries or figs, refer to our Fruitscapes website at trec.ifas.ufl.edu and search for "temperate fruit crops" for more detailed information on their specific pruning requirements.
December flowers. Flowers that can be planted in December include alyssum, calendula, dianthus, pansy, snapdragon, viola, stock, petunia, sweet peas (these vines are very fragrant, but also toxic to cats, dogs and humans), delphinium and ornamental kale.
December herbs. Herbs that can be planted this month include garlic chives, chives, lemon grass (plant this in a large container), parsley, rosemary, Mexican tarragon, fennel, mint, thyme, Greek oregano, lavender, chervil (a winter annual with an anise flavor) and sage.
Make friends with biochar. A fantastic thing to do when planting new plants is to add biochar to the planting hole. Biochar is a gardener’s friend because it helps create organic matter in the soil. Biochar can be created by burning wood or other plant debris, extinguishing the fire after the flames die, and then crushing burned wood into pieces ranging in size from dust to approximately one inch.
A shortcut would be to purchase lump charcoal and crush it. Before adding the biochar to the soil, it must be “charged” first. The easiest way to do that is to add it to a compost pile or soak it in a bucket of water with other products to fill the charcoal pieces with biology, nutrients and food sources.
Products that are great to add to the bucket of water when charging the biochar include worm castings, sugar, oatmeal, Azomite or granite rock dust, clay kitty litter, liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer, liquid seaweed/kelp. Soak for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before using.
Feed your fruits and vegetables. Don’t forget to foliar “feed” your vegetable plants, citrus, mango, avocado and other fruit trees with a liquid seaweed solution. If numerous leaves are yellow and green, use a citrus nutritional spray to supply a higher concentration of trace elements to correct the nutritional deficiency quickly. Spray a fine mist to coat both sides of the leaves. Even if there are no signs of deficiencies, spray liquid seaweed weekly on vegetable plants and fruit-producing trees, shrubs, and vines.
December vegetables. Vegetables that can be planted in December include arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, Irish potatoes, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions (green and shallots), English or snow peas, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.
Vegetables to sow. Vegetable seeds that can be sown in December for transplanting in January include arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, English or snow peas, peppers, spinach, squash, sweet corn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips and watermelon.
Inoculate your peas and beans. When planting peas and beans in the garden, be sure to inoculate them with the beneficial bacteria Rhizobium spp. (i.e., Guard-N, Nature’s Aid, Bean & Pea Booster.) The bacteria form a symbiotic relationship with the plants and live-in nodules in the roots. They fix atmospheric nitrogen for the plant, so inoculated legumes don’t require nitrogen fertilizer.
Visit a farmers market. Are you interested in finding some fresh produce at a farmers market or a local produce stand? Check out some of the fresh produce and delicious edibles that will be available at our Brevard County Farmers Market in December, including fresh herbs, microgreens, shoots, wheatgrass and a variety of vegetables. In addition, there will be numerous other food items available. On the second Thursday of every month, Deep Roots Meat comes with their Florida-grown, grass-fed Angus beef straight from their farm. The Brevard County Farmers Market is from 3-6 p.m. Thursdays at the Wickham Park Pavilion. To stay current, follow the Facebook page at facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket.
Sign up for a class. On Tuesday, April 2, the 2024 Florida-Friendly Landscaping Class Series will begin. This $90 class series will be held from 9 a.m. until noon Tuesdays through May 28, with no class held on April 9.
In this class, you will learn how to grow healthy plants and nutritious food, all while protecting water quality. The topics will be covered during the class series include All About Botany, Our Dirt Needs Life, Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principles, Attracting Wildlife, Hands-on Gardening, Introduction to Landscape Design, All About Palms, Lawn Care, All About Trees, a native plant walk, Edible Gardening, Growing Plants in Containers, Integrated Pest Management, Plant Diseases and Pesticide Safety. Registration can be found at 2024FFLclasSseries.eventbrite.com, and there are tickets for either in-person learning or via Zoom.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at sasc@ufl.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What Florida trees and shrubs need pruning in December?
