by Garry Emery, ArtisTree Tree Department Manager

A: You both are. You definitely don’t want to make any hasty pruning decisions immediately following a storm. Secure or remove hazards, but delay pruning or removing trees and shrubs until you’ve had time to fully assess your damage.  You may decide later that it wasn’t as severe as you thought.  Split trunks, broken branches or loosely attached branches are obvious safety concerns and should be removed.  Tattered fronds should not be removed from surviving palms. Storm-hardy palms have the ability to “mine” nutrients from damaged fronds, so allow the injured fronds to stay on until they turn brown.

Following these simple steps will help your landscape bare the brunt of this season’s storms. And it just may keep you in a happy relationship, too.

 by Kirk Brummett, ArtisTree Registered Landscape Architect

Q:  I live in Sarasota, FL, and am searching for a groundcover that isn’t “vine-y” looking but still provides good coverage. Any ideas? I don’t want any kind of creeping plant.

 A:  I have a beautiful choice for you: Liriope muscari, or lilyturf. It’s the “clumping” kind that doesn’t spread by runners and basically stays where you put it. The dark green, ribbon-like foliage grows 10 to 18 inches, then curves toward the ground to form rounded clumps. As the clumps mature, they merge into a continuous carpet that resembles a plot of shaggy grass. So you don’t need to buy a lot of it. In summer, spikes of small purple flowers rise from the center of clumps. Flowers are followed by pea-sized berries in the fall.

Make sure you plant your liriope in well-worked fertile soil (although it’s tolerant of much less than ideal conditions). This plant is a true survivor and will grow almost anywhere in sun or shade.

 by Clinton Lak, ArtisTree Landscape Designer, BSLA

Q: I just moved to Florida and was told my visiting guests could write their names on the leaves of some kind of subtropical plant to thank me for their stay. What’s even stranger is that if my guests return in a year, their names will still be on the leaves. What kind of plant is it? I’d love to use it as a permanent “living” guestbook.

A: You’re talking about Clusia rosea, known as the Autograph Plant. It’s a native to Florida with leathery, paddle-shaped leaves that invite you to scratch out your name or initials. (Clusia rosea is also called pitch apple, a reference to the one-time practice of using the resinous black substance in its seed pods to caulk seams of boats.)

I can tell you right now that this beautiful, drought-tolerant plant has your name written all over it. It does very well in variable light conditions; is highly resistant to disease and insects; and makes a wonderful, evergreen screening material if left as a multi-stemmed shrub. If you’re looking for privacy in your subtropical garden as well as an interesting conversation piece, choose the enduring Autograph Plant. What other written proof do you need?

 Beau Walker, ArtisTree Account Executive

What is it?  Ganoderma butt rot is a lethal disease of palms caused by the fungus Ganoderma zonatum. This fungus degrades or rots the lower four-to-five feet of the trunk.  All palms are considered hosts of this fungus, but it does not seem to infiltrate any other plant family.  Symptoms may include wilting or a general decline.

Causes: What causes Ganoderma to develop is unknown; thus, a palm can’t be diagnosed with Ganoderma butt rot until the conk forms on the trunk or the internal rotting of the trunk is observed.  The fungus is spread by spores, which are produced and released from the conk. Currently no cultural or chemical controls exist for preventing or curing the disease.

Additionally, no environmental conditions or landscape management practices have been observed that favor the development of Ganoderma butt rot. The disease occurs in natural settings (palms never transplanted) and in highly-maintained, transplanted landscapes. It occurs on palms that have been maintained very well nutritionally and on palms that were severely stressed by deficiencies. The disease occurs in well-drained settings and in swamps. The fungus has killed trees that had no apparent mechanical injuries and those that had been severely damaged. Soil type appears to have no relationship with disease either; therefore, there are no fungicide recommendations for this disease.

Symptoms: The primary symptom is a mild-to-severe wilting of all leaves but the spear leaf.  Other symptoms include slower growth and off-color foliage. However, these symptoms alone should not be used for diagnosis of Ganoderma butt rot since other disorders or diseases may also cause these symptoms. The disease is confirmed by observing the conk on the trunk.  A conk is a hard, shelf-like structure (looks like half a mushroom) that is attached to the lower part of the palm trunk; however, not all diseased palms produce conks prior to death.

*Information compiled from Plant Pathology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Monica L. Elliott, professor, Plant Pathology Department, and Timothy K. Broschat, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

 by Shawn Gulbrandsen, ArtisTree Landscape Designer & ISA Certified Arborist

Q: Holy cryonics! My nephew told me if I watered my plants before a Florida freeze, they’d be as hard as a frozen theropod. If that’s the case, how do I protect my landscape investment from Mother Nature’s moods? 

A:  Your nephew’s been watching way too many dinosaur movies.  Well-watered plants have a more established root system and will survive low temps better than those that are drought-stressed. Plus, well-watered soil absorbs more solar radiation than dry. So here’s what you do. When a local freeze is in the forecast, thoroughly irrigate one or two days before the expected night of low temperatures. DO NOT run your irrigation all night during the freeze.  A homeowner’s best approach is to just make sure that plants have been watered recently and are not suffering from drought.

 Another tip: Provide covering for the tropical plants that will not withstand cold temperatures.  Use blankets, sheets or freeze cloth (plastic makes a poor covering).  Make sure the material is long enough to drape over the entire plant and reach to the ground, then secure it to the ground with something heavy.  The covering should be in place a few hours before the freeze and should be removed the next day when temperatures rise.  Coverings left on too long can result in plant damage.

 Sometimes a cold spell will last for several days, so after the threat of a freeze is over and temperatures are on the rise, check your plants’ watering needs again.   If there’s evidence of plant damage from the cold temperatures, delay severe pruning until the spring or when new growth appears so you’re not removing live wood. 

 Finally, start thinking of freeze threats before you even put your plants in the ground. Cold-sensitive plants should be placed on the warmest side of your property.  A south-facing area surrounded by walls, fences or other plantings often receives added protection from the cold.  Also make sure you have a good base of mulch in your shrub beds and around trees; this will help to keep the soil warmer and protect exposed roots. And hedge your bets. Planting a combination of cold-hardy and tender plants will help reduce the risk of total devastation while protecting your landscape investment.

Q: I didn’t see it coming. My plants got hit big time by a freeze and parts of my front hedge are black and withered. What can I do after the fact?

A: Whatever you do, don’t cut off the dead leaves and branches. Doing so is like taking your jacket off. Leaving on dead leaves, fronds and branches (albeit ugly) helps the rest of your plants endure the remainder of the cold season.  

 by Scott Acton, ArtisTree Lawn & Ornamental Director, Maintenance Division

Q: We hope you can help us out, ArtisTree. We have a new pest, and it’s not our neighbor.  Little white flies have decided to take up residence in our palms and bushes. Can you tell us what they might be and if we should be worried about an infestation?  

A: Well, at least you have a nice neighbor. Sounds like you have Spiraling Whitefly, not to be confused with ficus whitefly. Spiraling whitefly is a large, slow-moving pest which can infest any number of plants and palms.  Some of its favorite hosts are gumbo limbo, palms, live oak, black olives, cocoplum and wax myrtle, among others.

The most noticeable symptoms of an infestation of this whitefly are an abundance of white, waxy material covering the leaves, eggs laid in a spiral pattern on the host plant leaves and excessive sooty mold, which is the insect’s excrement. Originally called the gumbo limbo whitefly, it is now named the rugose spiraling whitefly and it was first found in Miami in 2009. Scientists believe it originated in Central America.

Spiraling whitefly feeds by inserting its mouthparts into the plant cells and sucking out the sap.  The sugary sap rapidly moves through the whitefly dropping onto anything and everything. Many experts contend spiraling whitefly is a nuisance pest which creates a mess but does not kill the host plant. In general, whiteflies can cause plant decline, defoliation and branch dieback.

Treatment for this pest can be as simple as using a strong stream of water to wash the whiteflies away. Large palms and trees may require treatment with a pesticide applied as a drench to the roots or injection in the trunk. Work with your landscaper or pest control professional to determine the best treatment for your landscape.