Category: Horticulture

New Invasive Turfgrass Pest: Pasture Mealybug

by Susan Haddock
July 15, 2026

There’s a new invasive insect that may invade your turfgrass…The Pasture Mealybug has been found in 15 south Florida counties in pastures including bahiagrass and bermudagrass pastures, other forage, and sugarcane. It has not been documented ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Invasive Pest, Landscape Insect, Landscape Maintenance, Landscape Pests, Pasture Mealybug, SW ProHort, Swprohort, Turfgrass Insect, Turfgrass Pest

The Landscape Order of Operations: Water. Test. Fertilize—if needed.

by Lauren Spaduzzi
July 15, 2026

A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer. When plants start looking unhealthy, it's tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water
Tags: Central Florida, Fertilizer, Fertilizer Ordinances, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Irrigation, Landscape, Master Gardener, Soil PH, Soil Test, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening, Watering Efficiently

Soil Health in Orchard and Perennial Systems

by Jay Capasso
July 14, 2026

Jay Capasso, Raymond Balaguer, and Luke Harlow Conversations on Soil Health often focus on row-crop practices like cover crops, no-till, and annual rotations. Orchard and perennial systems play by a different set of rules. Because these are ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: SV Ag Update

July Plant Clinic in Fort Walton Beach this Friday

by Larry Williams
July 14, 2026

I will hold a plant clinic at our new Sheila Dunning Extension Building from 9 to 11 a.m. this Friday, July 17. The address is 1954 Lewis Turner Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach. The new building is located to the right of and in front ... READ MORE

Category: Events, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Lawn Diagnosis, Plant Clinic, Soil Testing, Weed ID

The Vine Intervention- Choosing the right vine for your landscape

by David Outerbridge
July 14, 2026

Florida's unique climate offers gardeners a rare opportunity to cultivate myriad plants that thrive in warm, humid conditions. Among the botanical wonders that flourish in this environment, tropical vines stand out for their stunning beauty ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,

Question: I think I have a new variety of plant and want to name it. What do I do?

by David Outerbridge
July 13, 2026

There are many producers and gardeners out there playing with plants and creating new varieties through hybridization, breeding, and experimenting with new accessible genetic technologies such as (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research

July 23: Get storm-ready at UF/IFAS workshop for HOA leaders, arborists, landscape industry, homeowners

by Lourdes Mederos
July 13, 2026

One poorly maintained tree can cause thousands of dollars in damage during a hurricane, leaving homes and neighborhoods devastated. On July 23, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is hosting “Be ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Disaster Preparation, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arborist, Commercial Landscape, Disaster Preparation, HOA, Homeowners, Horticultural Sciences, Hurricane, Hurricane Impacts, Hurricane Preparedness, Hurricane Ready, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Landscape Management, News, Nurseries, Residential Tree Trimming, Severe Weather, Storm Damage, Tree Damage, Tree Trimming, Trees, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida

Growing Pumpkins in North Florida

by Lauren Goldsby
July 9, 2026

Growing pumpkins in Florida does not come without challenges. Battling pest pressure, disease, and heat can make it difficult to grow a sizable fruit that can be carved or used as decoration on your porch. However, I like to think that part ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture
Tags: Gardening In The Panhandle

Florida Tree Trivia

by Larry Figart
July 8, 2026

We are in the middle of a very hot summer. As I was mowing the yard this weekend, I stopped to take a break in the shade of the swamp chestnut oak tree in my front yard, and started thinking about the topic for this blog. Immediately my ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Arboriculture, Duval, IFAS, Landscape, Trees, Urban Forestry

Help Put St. Lucie County on the Pollinator Map

by Sara MacDonald
July 8, 2026

Join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census on August 21–22, 2026 Have you ever wondered how many bees, butterflies, flies, and other pollinators visit the flowers in your yard? This August, you can help answer that question while contributing ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Conservation, Florida Friendly Landscape, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County

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