Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping
Nematodes: The Bane of the Florida Vegetable Gardener
April 17, 2020
It is nearing the end of the Spring vegetable gardening season here in Central Florida. Some of you might be frustrated with some of your vegetable plants. They get watered, fertilized, and insect pests are controlled. Still, the plants ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & LifeTags: Aquatic, Cover Cropping, Crop Rotation, Diagnosing Vegetable Growing Problems, Microscopic, Nematode Resistant, Nematodes, Parasitic Worms, Plant Families, Soil Borne, Solanaceae, Stunted Vegetable Plants, Vegetable Gardening
Landscaping for Honey Bees
April 16, 2020
Why should the Florida homeowner care about landscaping for honey bees and other wildlife? The urban landscape is the largest expanding land use in FL. In late 2019, about 900 residents moved to Florida every day. With this expansion, what ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Keeping Your Yard Florida-Friendly
April 15, 2020
Keeping it Green If you are a gardener and you have lived anywhere else, you realize pretty quickly that Florida is different. The weather, the bugs and a whole lot of other gardening issues add to the difficulty. The key to these differences ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, WaterTags: Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Landscaping, Master Gardeners
The lollipop
April 15, 2020
By Ralph E. Mitchell I seldom see a Sabal palm in our area that is not over-pruned. You have to give a pass to newly planted Sabals which look like lifeless sticks - this is the normal and best way to transplant them! But to see a Sabal ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home LandscapesTags: Sabal Palm, Sabal Palmetto, Swamp Cabbage
Irrigation in the Home Landscape
April 15, 2020
There are many reasons to properly irrigate the home landscape. Not only do we not want to waste this precious natural resource, but we want to be sure we apply the proper amount of water to keep our plants thriving! It's still the dry season ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, WaterTags: Aquifer, Home, Irrigation, Landscape, Lawn, Money, Plants, Save, Water
Why Use Seeds?
April 15, 2020
Since ancient times humans have been propagating plants for foods, clothing, and eye appeal. Today, there are three main techniques that can be used to propagate plants including, the usage of seeds, use of cuttings (including air layering), ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS ExtensionTags: Horticulture, Plant Propagation, Seeds
Tree safety tips
April 13, 2020
Trees add value to our communities. But our recent windy weather serves as a good reminder that storm season is just around the corner. Given the large size attained by some trees, they can become hazardous to people and property when the wrong ... READ MORE
Category: Disaster Preparation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Pests & DiseaseTags: Arborist, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hurricane, Palm Diseases, Palm Nutrient Deficiencies, Palm Pruning, Reslilient Landscaping, Storm, Tree Health, Tree Safety, Trees, Wind Resistant Landscapes
Green Spaces and Public Health
April 13, 2020
Importance of Green Spaces This morning, while working at my alternate location, I listened to a cardinal’s serenade, watched a plump of Black-Bellied Whistle Ducks fly over, touched the morning dew with my feet, sat under a canopy of a tree, ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, WildlifeTags: Accessability, Air Quality, Design, Green Spaces, Parks, Public Health, Recreation, Trees, Urban Areas, Urban Design, Water Quality
Composting Tips for the Homeowner
April 12, 2020
Spring is in the air! Gardening beds are being changed over and people are starting their warm-season landscape maintenance. Its time to consider what to do with all of last season's spent vegetation and plants parts. How about recycling them ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS ExtensionTags: Composters, Composting, Counter-top Compost Bucket, Debris, Enriching The Soil, Florida Soil, Gardening, How To Compost, Kitchen Scraps, Nutrient-rich, Organic Matter, Recycling, Soil Amendments