Fence or a dog will keep armadillos out

By MARY COLLISTER

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 14, 2000

I can tell that local gardeners are back in their yards because I've received a number of questions from readers. We're not fighting the drought in our gardens (although technically we are still in a drought condition and must conserve water), so everyone is anxious to get their yards in shape.

A reader in the Carrollwood area has a major problem with armadillos. Wildlife has also been affected by the drought, and animals' habits may change a bit as they search for food. In years past they may not have been a nuisance, but they may now enter your yard looking for a meal.

Armadillos are diggers. They dig burrows to hide and raise their young and can hold their breath for six minutes. They can also walk across the bottoms of rivers if they want to get to the other side! Their favorite meals are termites, grubs and ants, so that's what they are looking for in your yard. They'll also eat snakes, beetle worms, snails and root fruit (carrots, turnips, etc.).

Armadillos are as difficult as rabbits to control. A two-foot chicken wire fence is the best way to keep them out of your garden. Also, get rid of the food source, which means keeping your yard free of grubs and ants. Rabbit traps can be used to capture the animals. Armadillos are timid animals, and noisemakers or whirligigs may keep them away. If you have a dog, that will scare the armadillos off your property. Leave the dog out at night sometimes. The armadillo will travel to friendlier neighborhoods!

The same reader also wanted some information on fig trees and French hydrangeas. I'm not sure if she wanted information about edible or ornamental fig trees, so I'll cover both.

Edible fig is a deciduous tree, which grows fairly rapidly to 15 to 30 feet. It is generally low-branched and spreading. If hit by a freeze it freezes back severely, and the plant behaves as a big shrub.

The edible fig is not particular about soil, but needs sun and good drainage. It is fairly drought-tolerant once established. Prune the tree lightly each winter, cutting out dead wood, crossing branches and low-hanging branches that may interfere with traffic.

Home garden figs do not need pollination, and most varieties bear two crops a year. The first crop is grown on old wood, the second on the current summer's growth. Keep ripe figs picked, and clean up around the bases of trees removing all fallen fruits.

Ornamental fig, most commonly Ficus benjamina, is grown both as an indoor and outdoor plant here. It's an evergreen and can grow to 30 feet high when planted outside. Broadly spreading, it has leathery leaves on drooping branches. It's heat- but not frost-tolerant, although large, established trees normally make it through our coldest winters. It likes to be on the dry side, so well-drained soil is a must.

If you keep an ornamental fig indoors, try not to move it. It will often drop leaves if its location is changed. Keep it dry and out of drafts. It will grow quickly and usually outgrows its place in the home.

French hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) grow to about 6 feet and thrive in full sun or partial shade. They bloom in the summer with blue to pink flowers. Constantly renew your hydrangeas by removing the older, heavier wood at the ground. The best blooms are formed on healthy shoots grown off 1-, 2-, or 3-year-old stalks. Fertilize blue cultivars with an acid fertilizer (same as your azaleas and camellias). Add lime to pink cultivars each year and fertilize them with a garden fertilizer.

An Odessa reader has some concerns about his viburnums and mangos. Viburnums are widely grown in this area, often used as a hedge. This is a large and diverse group of plants, some grown for their evergreen foliage, others for their showy flowers. Basically this group of plants prefers heavy, rich soil with ample moisture.

The reader trimmed his viburnum hedge about six months ago. Even with the drought, he feels water was adequate. The hedge was sprayed with a fungicide (fungus can be a problem with viburnums), but the plants are still declining. Leaves are turning brown and dropping, and branches are drying up. Because the plants were treated with a fungicide, I would look for pest problems. Viburnums are very susceptible to aphids, thrips, spider mites, and scale. You must look closely to recognize any of these pests on the plants. It is generally recommended to spray viburnums early each spring with an all-purpose insecticide-miticide at two-week intervals through the summer. Do not use sulfur spray on viburnums.

Check the foliage carefully for infestation and begin treatment if warranted. To cut down on chemical use, I generally recommend an early spring application, then keep a close eye on the plants. Spray weekly with a soap mixture to keep unwanted pests away. If you see a problem developing, switch to the insecticide-miticide. Once the viburnums are infested, decline is rapid.

The reader also has a beautiful mango tree but has trouble with fruit drop. This year only one mango was salvaged. Here's the general care needed for a healthy mango tree, which should increase your production:

Mangos must have warm, dry weather to set fruit. In winter, flowers can be killed if temperatures drop below 40 degrees, even for a short period of time. Pollen cannot be shed in high humidity or rain. Flowers are pollinated by flies, rarely by bees. Some types (polyembryonic) do not require pollination. Full sun and well-drained soil are best.

Regular application of nitrogen is necessary, and chelated micronutrients, especially iron, will keep the tree healthy. The fertilization schedule is similar to citrus, but don't fertilize mangos after midsummer.

Pruning is unnecessary except to control size. Mangos bear in alternate years, so some removal of flower clusters during the heavy bloom year will even out the size of the crops from year to year.

The flower panicles, young fruit and leaves are subject to powdery mildew. A spray of powdered kelp at bud break will often control it. Sodium bicarbonate and fungicide sprays are also effective.

Bacterial spot distorts and turns developing leaves black and disfigures developing fruit. Infection may spread to fresh young growth. Anthracnose can be controlled with bimonthly applications of copper spray as a growth flush begins and until the flowers open. Resume spraying when the fruits begin to form. "Soft nose," a physical disorder of shriveling at the fruit apex, seems associated with excessive nitrogen in the soil.

That's quite a maintenance routine for mangos, but a heavy crop of fruit may be worth the effort.

Hope that answers some of your questions. I'm keeping busy trying to keep the weeds out of the planting beds and lightly pruning those bushes that the rain has sent into high gear.

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