Ah Brazilian pepper. The bane of a Floridian's existence. Some people love them and their spreading habit while others curse the day they were ever brought here. Introduced in the early 21st century, Schinus terebinthifolius is known throughout Florida but grows best in the southern counties. The tree grows rapidly and spreads by underground runners. Small red berries are produced in the winter and, while the cold kills it to the ground, the roots will reproduce the tree yearly.

So why do some people love it and others can't stand it? The upside is that the tree grows quickly to 30 feet and makes a great shade tree. The problem with Brazilian pepper is its fast growth and spreading habit. In fact, the tree is actually outlawed in some communities as an exotic pest that overtakes native plants and is extremely difficult to eradicate.

I've been faced with "weed trees" ever since we moved to Florida, but I didn't know its name until recently. I was weeding the side garden about two months ago when my neighbor stopped to chat. At that time the tree was about 6 feet tall with stems outstretched in greeting. My neighbor curled his lip and said "That's Brazilian pepper. You might want to get rid of it now." He then proceeded to tell me the story of how he and his wife cleared the plant from his entire back yard when they were preparing to build their house. He's had some difficulty keeping the tree from cropping up again, but has it on the run.

As I mentioned, I've seen this "weed tree" before at my other house and in the back and side yards here. So I know what it's like to tackle it and wrestle it to the ground. The plant also has a bad habit of causing a rash on the areas of my skin that are not covered when we are in combat. Little did I know that it is a relative of poison ivy otherwise I would have dressed appropriately. So, after discussing with my husband, I decided to cut this one down and plant oleander in its place. Well, easier said than done. I got it to about 5 inches from the ground over a period of two days and then tried to dig up the root. Ha! It held fast. So I made a few cuts in the remaining trunk hoping that would bring it to its knees and moved on to other things.

Last weekend, my husband and I attended a gathering on the Pinellas Trail and had occasion to meet the park supervisor who oversees it. He told me the secret to forever banish Brazilian pepper from my garden short of bringing in a bobcat - Garlon 4. Unfortunately, it is a chemical but it works much like Roundup and the plant is not near the water. Of course the other choice I have is to pour salt water all over it. Apparently the tree has a low salt tolerance so that may work as well. I'll try the salt first, since I just can't stand chemicals, but I'll keep the Garlon 4 remedy in mind as a follow up. By the way, if you'd like to know every possible detail about the control of Brazilian pepper and how it came to Florida, read the Brazilian pepper management plan.

Oh, also if you get the chance be sure to visit the Pinellas Trail particularly in the Dunedin area. The parks service has done a tremendous job in creating a restful park just north of Curlew Road at Alt. 19. To learn more about the over 3900 acres of fabulous parks here in our county, visit the Pinellas County Park Department. You'll be glad you did. Happy Florida Gardening.