JOE'S PALM GARDEN
- PART FOUR
Citrus Park, Florida (NW Tampa) - CFPACS Webmaster's Garden
A
Wallichia Distichia obtained at the CFPACS plant sale recently in Cocoa
Beach. It came very yellow, I am hoping the 4 inches deep of manure and homemade
leaf compost will improve its color. To the right is the end of a 8 ft
long watermelon vine, one of a dozen planted among the palms of the
front line. The surface mulching was 2 inches deep shredded oak leaf
mulch, but has almost completely decomposed down to just a thin covering
since it was laid down in March.
With a lower frond
of my Caryota Laoensis visible bottom right, this eggplant is holding a
dozen developing eggplants like the black thing in the middle of the
plant which is visible. Planted from seed 45 days ago this is one of a
dozen eggplants growing between palms on the front line and the plant is
enjoying some of the 70 bags of cow manure installed in February as a
blanket mulch for the frontline palms. While palms may be slow to
show results from improved soil, the vigorous health of these plants are
telling me the sweet spot for the palms is achieved and the hot and
rainy summer and this abundant organic fertility should bring out strong
results from the palms in coming months. This plant incidentally
is covering a copernicia macroglossa at the moment.
Can't
forget the Bismarckia! Just starting to react to the heavy manure
mulching this past spring. Looking at the grass its
hard to believe all the winter rye grass died off in April and its been
a week since its been watered on this very dry day in May. The key to
high drought tolerance with St Augustine grass is lots of potassium and
magnesium. Treat your grass like your palm trees and it will do just
fine with once a week watering.
