Weekend Gardening: Remember Your Houseplants When Spring Cleaning
March 30, 2013
Warmer weather signals that spring is here. After months of being cooped up indoors, it’s finally time for gardeners to go dig in the dirt. It’s also time for cooped up house plants to be revitalized.
Locate a shady area for this work. Even if houseplants are to be left out for a short period, after being shut up all winter, leaf damage can occur with only brief exposure to direct sunlight.
First, give the houseplants a bath. Use a soapy solution made of two teaspoons of mild liquid soap mixed with one gallon of water. Wash the leaves and stems, being certain to clean both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Allow the solution to remain on the plants for a few minutes, but rinse it off thoroughly before it is allowed to dry. This not only cleans plants, making them more attractive, but the soap helps to remove aphids, mealybugs and other insects.
Next, see if your plant needs re-potting. Although some plants require being pot-bound in order to flower eventually all plants outgrow their containers and become root- or pot-bound.
Why repot in the spring? Plant roots grow most actively in the spring, which means the plant will be able to quickly overcome the shock associated with re-potting.
When repotting, start with a clean, appropriately sized pot. If you want the plant to grow larger, then you will need to repot it in a larger pot. If you want it to maintain its present size, you’ll have to prune its roots.
In general, the pot size should be increased by only about two inches per re-potting. Therefore, a plant whose root ball is in a six inch pot is normally transplanted to a pot with an eight inch diameter. For some reason, drastic changes in pot size when re-potting seems to be detrimental to some plants.
Watering the plant several hours prior will help you remove the plant more easily. Invert the pot and gently remove the plant by grasping the main stem. Give it a slight tug, and it should slip out of the pot. If it doesn’t, use a butter knife or other flat-bladed tool to loosen the sides of the pot and try again.
Once the plant is free of the pot, take the time to inspect the root system. Look for large, old circular roots which can strangle the plant and prevent much-needed nourishment. Sever or remove these old roots to allow new feeder roots to establish.
To re-pot, first add enough new soil mixture to the bottom of the pot to return the plant to its original depth. After the plant is replaced, fill in the sides with new potting soil.
Use a quality potting mix when re-potting. Gardeners generally rely on commercially available potting soil mixes for growing most types of houseplants. A lot of brands are out there and not all of them are especially good. In particular, avoid heavy, black potting soils. If the bag feels dense and heavy for its size, put it back.
The best potting mixes include vermiculite, bark and perlite in proportions that create a fairly light, loose mix that water penetrates readily but drains rapidly.
If you don’t want to change pots, there is a way of dealing with a pot-bound plant and keeping it in the same size pot. First, remove the plant from the pot and trim off one-quarter to one-third of the lower part of the root ball. Put a layer of fresh potting mix in the bottom of the original container equal to the amount of the root ball removed. Place the plant back in the pot, adding a little more soil around the sides. Water well, and place the plant in a shady location to recover.
House plants would also benefit from fertilization at this time of year. There are many commercial materials available for fertilizing indoor plants. Most are effective and safe if used as directed.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Challenge: Protect An Egg Dropped From A Bucket Truck
March 29, 2013
Jay Elementary kindergarten students had a little egg-dropping fun Thursday. The students were challenged to design a containers they believed would keep an egg safe and prevent breakage when dropped from an Escambia River Electric Cooperative bucket truck. Pictured left: Among those with surviving eggs were Natalie Hendricks Laura Gavin. Pictured right: The eggs are dropped from an EREC bucket truck. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Low Cost Health Insurance Available To Many Area Children
March 29, 2013
Many families in the North Escambia area are eligible for a program that offers private insurance to children for as little as $15-$20 per month.
Florida Kid Care covers health emergencies and a wide variety of services, such as doctor visits, shots, lab tests, X-rays, dental care, prescriptions, emergencies, hospitalization, mental health examinations and sports physicals.
Many families are eligible for the program, but the parents do not know about it. Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and United Way are working together to promote awareness of the low-cost insurance.
The family’s size and income determine if the children are eligible. The statewide program is aimed at children 18 or younger. A family of four with an income of up to $46,100 a year is eligible.
Details: In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, simply call 2-1-1. Or email InsureKidsNow@shhpens.org. For more details, contact Cheryl Pilling at cpilling@shhpens.org or call (850) 416-6040.
Molino Family Searching For Missing Special Needs Companion Dog
March 27, 2013
A local family has been searching for their dog Jasper for over a week now, and they are asking the Molino community for help in finding him.
Jasper is a male yellow lab about four years old, and he is a specials needs companion for a child named Destiny, who suffers from Downs Syndrome. He’s been missing since last week from the Brickyard Road area. The family has listed him missing on the NorthEscambia.com classifieds page and on Facebook.
“He first met Destiny when she was about six months old,” aunt Aundrea Smith said. “It was like they automatically latched onto each other.” Jasper has learned to alert the family when Destiny is experiencing difficulty breathing or find an adult when she has other needs.
“I don’t have any money, or I’d offer a million dollars reward for him; he’s that special,” Smith said.
Anyone that sees Jasper is asked to call Aundrea Smith immediately at (850) 754-0053.
Pictured: Special needs companion dog Jasper has been missing from a Molino home for over a week. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Exclusive: Sister Addresses McGhee Disappearance; Sheriff Has Message For Abductor
March 26, 2013
It has been a decade since Melinda Wall McGhee went missing from her Atmore home, a decade that has been a living nightmare for her sister Lisa Wooten.
Wooten said Monday that she’s never held any hope that her sister will be found alive since the moment she learned the details of McGhee’s disappearance .
“I live everyday with no hope that she will be found alive,” Wooten said in an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com. “I knew from the first day, I knew and believed at that moment that she was murdered.”
For Wooten, her hope now centers on closure and justice.
“Every time I hear that remains have been found somewhere, I pray that it will be my sister,” she said. “We are still hoping someone with come forward with something. We want to to find out what happened, who did it, and bring them to justice.”
The case still haunts Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith.
“We’re all a little concerned when we lay our head down and sleep, to know that a person can be abducted from their home in broad daylight, and ten years later we still have no answers,” he said.
Smith also had a message of justice for McGhee’s abductor — or murderer — at a press conference held Monday.
“We also want to remind the person who took Melinda McGhee, that every time you hear a footstep behind you, every time you hear a noise in the night, it could be us. We’re not gonna quit. We are never going to let you rest and we’re going to do everything in our power that God gives us the wisdom to seek to do, to find out where Melinda is and where you are if you’re the person who took her.”
Smith said foul play was certainly part of McGhee’s disappearance, and he vowed his department will continue their investigation. A special investigator, Tommy Calhoun, is leading the search for the suspect.
Smith said sometimes he doubts the abductor will be found locally. “The type person that will commit a crime like this is likely to commit another similar crime in 10 years,” he said. “That has not happened here.”
“People remain suspects until they can be cleared, and there are several individuals we are highly interested in that we will not clear until we have sufficient evidence and information that they are no longer a suspect,” Calhou said. Some of those people have refused to speak to investigators for the past 10 years.
The morning of March 24, 2003, was a sunny start to the first day of spring break. Melinda Wall McGhee, then 31, returned to her home about 8 a.m. after working the night shift as a nurse at a Bay Minette nursing home.
Her husband, Troy McGhee, was at work at Masland Carpets in Atmore. Their two children were at a babysitter, and Troy’s son from a previous relationship was at a dentist’s office. At about 8:30 the morning of March 24, 2003, Melinda McGhee spoke to her mother on the phone. It was the last time anyone known to Melinda would ever hear from her.
At about 4:00 that afternoon, husband Troy came home to find Melinda missing. There was blood and evidence of a violent struggle inside the home. He reported his wife missing.
In 2010, authorities issued a death certificate for McGhee after a required seven year waiting period passed.
When asked what she would like to say directly to the person responsible for the disappearance of her sister, Wooten said, “I don’t want him to know the pain, the hurt, the anger I’ve felt for the last 10 years. He is not worthy of any of my words.”
Anyone with information about McGhee’s disappearance is asked to call Investigator Tommy Calhoun at (251) 809-2154 or email him at tcalhoun@co.escambia.al.us. A reward of up to $15,000 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Pictured top inset: Melinda Wall McGhee’s mother Ouida and her sister, Lisa Wooten, sit quietly behind pictures of McGhee during a press conference Monday in Poarch, AL. Pictured inset: Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Grover Smith (left) and Investigator Tommy Calhoun discuss McGhee’s disappearance. Pictured bottom: Representatives from contingent of law enforcement agencies that have worked the case for the past 10 years. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Residents Compete In National Dog Obedience Championship
March 26, 2013
Two Molino residents recently competed with their Border Collies in the the 2013 AKC National Obedience Championship in Tulsa, OK.
Victory Hulett placed third overall among all breeds and first in her individual breed. Joanne Permowic placed fifth in her breed. Hulett also had the third highest cumulative score, among all breeds, from the two-day event.
Hulett and Permowic train together at the Leading Edge Dog Obedience School on Muscogee Road.
Pictured left: Victory Hulett and her dog Reign (left), and Joanne Permowic and her dog Clint at the 2013 AKC National Obedience Championship in Tulsa, OK. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Special Olympics Torch Run Begins In Century (With Gallery)
March 25, 2013
The 2013 Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Florida Special Olympics began in Century Monday morning.
The torch run started at the Florida/Alabama state line in the Food Giant parking lot about 7:15 Monday. Employees from Century Correctional Institution and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office escorted the torch down Highway 29 through Century.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is an event to raise awareness and support for the Special Olympics.
Law enforcement officers from over 300 Florida agencies (police departments, sheriff’s offices, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Customs, Air Force Police and Marine Patrol) all participate in the state-wide torch run to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Florida. Each year, over 5,000 officers carry the torch on a 1500-mile relay through 66 counties in Florida.
Pictured: The 2013 Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Florida Special Olympics begins in Century Monday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Unique Crop: Sodbuster Radish In Hwy 29, Hwy 97 Field
March 25, 2013
A rather unique, and pretty, plant grew throughout the winter in a field at the corner of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
According to Libbie Johnson UF IFAS Escambia County extension agent, the crop was a mixture of Sodbuster radish and oats in a filed owned by local producer Eric Koehn.
Sodbuster brand radish is a new cover crop developed in New Zealand, according to Richard Petcher, retired Auburn Extension Agronomist agent and proprietor of Petcher Seeds. The Sodbuster’s large taproots are superior and can penetrate as far as six feet deep. The fleshy upper part can “bust” a hole from 10-20 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. And the taproot both plows and breaks the hard soil while scavaging for plant nutrients.
The crop was recently sprayed by a herbicide to kill it. The root will decompose in just a few weeks, leaving open holes where rainwater can penetrate the soil. According to Petcher, the crop is an excellent scavenger for nutrients and can release 80 pounds of Nitrogen and 5 tons of organic matter for the next crop. Wildlife, especially deer, love this radish.
In November, Eric planted five pounds of seed per acre and added some oats to the mixture. Although he didn’t add apply any fertilizer to the crop, he said he is satisfied with the stand and hopes to see some benefits in the cotton he plans on growing on the field this summer.
For more information on Sodbuster radish, visit www.petcherseeds.com or call the UF IFAS Escambia County Extension office at (850) 475-5230 or email libbiej@ufl.edu.
Escambia County Students Of The Month Named
March 24, 2013
Students of the month for February have been named in Escambia County. The awards are presented monthly to a limited number of students from participating schools.
North Escambia area students of the month for February were:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Bratt Elementary — Sara Amerson, first; Sheyenne Dillon, fifth;
Jim Allen Elementary — Eluah Bianchi, kindergarten; Kayla Jarman, kindergarten;
Lipscomb Elementary — Seth Bestgen, fourth; Amaya Bullock, fifth;
McArthur Elementary — Bryson Gier, kindergarten; Heidi Lynn, kindergarten;
Molino Park Elementary — Addison Pawless, first; Evin Pedicord, first.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Ernest Ward Middle – Helen Kemp, sixth; Jacob White, seventh; Savanna Calhoun, eighth;
Ransom Middle — Jacob Kmetz, eighth; Kayla Johnson, eighth.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Northview High — Jessica Baldwin, 12th; Tristan Brown, 10th;
Tate High — Emily Lee, 12th; William Newman, 12th;
West Florida — Kelly Wyland, 11th; Samuel McKenzie, 12th.
Recipe: Magic Crust Custard Pie
March 24, 2013
Sometimes basics are best… and this tasty little custard number from home cook Robyn Witte has all the right ingredients to become a new favorite.
First, its classic vanilla custard flavor and gooey texture just can’t be beat. What’s more, this tasty confection comes together in a snap.
To prepare, simply combine all the ingredients in a blender then pour into a pie pan. The crust forms “magically” as the flour settles to the bottom of the pan during baking. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Magic Crust Custard Pie
What You Need
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 c white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 cups 2% milk,
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Directions
- Put all ingredients into a blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds. Pour into buttered 9-inch pie pan.
- Sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The flour will settle to make its own crust.