Category: Natural Resources

Strange Palm Growth? It Might Be a Boron Deficiency

by Jamie Daugherty, Ph.D.
July 30, 2025

If you manage palms, you know they need high-quality fertilizer applied regularly. Using a fertilizer that isn’t properly balanced for palms can lead to nutrient deficiencies—some of which mimic disease symptoms or make your palm appear ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Nutrient Deficiency, Palm Care, UF/IFAS Extension, Urban Forestry, Urban Forestry Extension
a view of kids playing on synthetic turf

Scorching temps from California turf raises questions about artificial turf, xeriscaping in humid states like Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
July 30, 2025

While artificial turf and rock-heavy xeriscapes are marketed as low-maintenance, drought-resistant alternatives to traditional lawns, research by University of Florida scientists shows it comes at unexpected environmental and public safety ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Artificial Turf, Drought, Drought-resistant, Enrvironmental Horticulture, Environmental Costs, Florida Law, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Heat, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Marco Schiavon, Natural Turf, News, Public Safety, Rock-heavy Xeriscape, Surface Temperatures, Synthetic Turf, Traditional Lawns, Turfgrass Science, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Weeds
A thermometer placed on green grass

Las abrasadoras temperaturas del césped artificial en California cuestionan su viabilidad en regiones húmedas como Florida

by Luz Bahder
July 30, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Si bien el césped artificial y los xerojardines con abundantes rocas se comercializan como alternativas a los céspedes ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Ahorro De Agua, Alternativas Sintéticas, Cálido, California, Calor, Centro De Educación E Investigación De UF/IFAS Localizado En Fort Lauderdale, Césped, Césped Artificial, Césped Natural, Césped Sintético, Césped Vivo, Céspedes, Conferencia Internacional De Investigación Sobre Céspedes, Español, Exceso De Agua, Extensión De UF/IFAS, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, FLREC, Grama, Jardines, Marco Schiavon, Ordenanzas Locales, Riego, Rocas, Spanish, Temperaturas, Temperaturas Abrasadoras, Temperaturas Superficiales, UF, UF-IFAS, Xerojardines, Zonas Verdes
A close up of someone at a computer in a greenhouse.

August 7: Free workshop helps farmers, ranchers master financial planning, from balance sheets to USDA loans

by Lourdes Mederos
July 29, 2025

Running a successful farm or ranch takes more than just hard work — it takes smart financial planning. From managing taxes to applying for federal loan programs, today’s agribusiness operators must be well-versed in a range of budgetary ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Livestock, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Business Plan, Farm Service Agency, Food And Resource Economics, FSA, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Ranchers, Tax And Asset Protection, Tax Management, Texas A&M, Tropical Research & Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, USDA Loans

Celebrating 20 Years of Sustainable Communities Workshop

by Michelle Marinangel
July 28, 2025

For 20 years, the annual Sustainable Communities Workshop (SCW) has been a day of learning and community-building, a source of inspiration for local community members with an interest in sustainability. The theme for this milestone year is “Then, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Community, Environment, Events, Local, Pgm_Sustain, Sustainabiility, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County
Interpretive sign for the stormwater pond parcel at the Ripple project.

Profiles of FFL in Martin County: Ripple Stormwater Eco-Art Project

by Yvette Goodiel and Vincent Encomio
July 28, 2025

Introduction Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM (FFL) promotes nine principles to protect water resources in designing and maintaining landscapes. The practices can be applied at scales ranging from individual yards to parks to communities. Landscapes ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, , Water, Wildlife
Tags: Coastal Shoreline Restoration, Commercial Horticulture Digest, Florida Sea Grant, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Green Industry, IFASwater, Indian River Lagoon, Martin County, UF/IFAS Extension, Water

Florida Land Steward Update, July 28, 2025

by Chris Demers
July 28, 2025

THANKS TO THOSE JOINING US LAST WEEK FOR OUR FLORIDA LAND STEWARD WEBINAR ON PINE BEETLE RESPONSE FOLLOWING HURRICANES, RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE Florida Forest Service State Forest Entomologist, Jeff Eickwort discussed the pine bark beetles ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Family Forest, Florida Land Steward Program, Florida Panther, Forest Health, Forest Management, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Recovery, Hurricane Season, Invasive Species, Longleaf Pine, Natural Resources, Online Course, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Southern Pine Beetle, Tree Farm, Wildlife
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Science by the millions: How everyday people are revolutionizing global biodiversity research with tech

by Lourdes Mederos
July 28, 2025

A frog croaks from a walking trail. A hiker snaps a photo and uploads it to iNaturalist. That single act — one person, one amphibian and one click — feeds into a growing global dataset that scientists now use to map shifting species ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Agencies, Agricultural Technology Firms, Aquatic Invasives, Biodiversity, BioScience, Brittany Mason, Citizen Science, Conservation, Corey Callaghan, Dataset, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fungi, Global Ecology, High-resolution Maps, Inaturalist, INaturalist App, Invasive, Lourdes Mederos, Map Shifting, Modeling, News, Observations, Organisms, Photo, Plants, Research Grade, Scientists, Species Ranges, Study, Technology, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

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