Tag: newsletter2

The Time for Mixed Mowable Species has Come

by Donna Corbelli Castro

May 11, 2023

A lawn by any other name... The "lawn" is a cult phenomenon in the United States. Somewhere along the line, we associated a monoculture of a single grass species with the ultimate achievement in landscaping. Unfortunately, this mindset ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Alternative Lawns, Ecology, Featured Hot Topic, FFL, Florida Friendly, Landscape Ecology, Lawns, Mixed Mowable Species, Mixed Turf, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Plant Diversity, Sustainability, Turf

When a Snake in the Grass is Just a Snake in the Grass

by Donna Corbelli Castro

March 28, 2023

Spring means snakes. If you are quiet and observant, you can see the natural world around us speaking Spring. The birds are chirping more energetically, the butterflies are eagerly seeking nectar and host plants, the wildflowers (weeds to ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Biological Control, Ecology, Florida Snakes, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Snake ID, Snakes, Venomous Snakes

Pass the Torch – Plant Torchwood

by Donna Corbelli Castro

December 19, 2022

Torchwood is a very unique and under-utilized native tree that occurs mostly in South Florida and the Florida Keys. It also occurs in Mexico and the Caribbean. It can also grow on the East Coast of Florida to 9B, around St. Augustine. Torchwood ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Amyris Elemifera, FANN, Florida Association Of Native Nurseries, Florida Keys, Fragrant Trees, Giant Swallowtail, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Schaus Swallowtail, Small Trees, Torchwood, Underutilized Tree

Royal Poinciana – Beautiful, but Poor Compartmentalizers.

by Donna Corbelli Castro

September 8, 2022

A picture is often worth a thousand words. As an ISA certified certified arborist, when I saw this huge Royal Poinciana collapsed on a sunny day, with no wind, rain, or other adverse weather conditions, I just had to stop and find out what ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, , Work & Life
Tags: Compartmentalization, Delonix Regia, Ed Gilman, Newsletter, Newsletter Highlight, Newsletter2, Royal Poinciana, Tree Care, Tree Failure, Tree Pruning

How to Grow a Forest – My 25 Year Experiment

by Donna Corbelli Castro

April 21, 2022

Why make a forest? I was born in Buffalo, NY and then moved to Durham, North Carolina after college. Both of these areas were less populated and had lots of forested areas near the urban centers. South Florida, I soon discovered, had hardly ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, , Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: 2022 Blogger Award Winner, Bird Habitat, Climate Change Solutions, Earth Day, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscapes, Low Maintenance, Making A Forest, Most Impactful, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Plant More Trees, Planting A Forest, Recipe For A Forest, Urban Forest

Some Like it Short

by Donna Corbelli Castro

December 21, 2021

What is a solstice? December 21st is the Winter Solstice, which marks the shortest day of the year. After this, each following day will be longer than the previous one. This will go on until the days are of equal length. When days are ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Christmas, Dombeya, Equinox, Jacquemontia, Long Day, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Photoperiodism, Poinsettia, Short-day, Solstice

How to Root Prune and Transplant Field Grown Trees and Shrubs

by Donna Corbelli Castro

September 16, 2021

Trees growing in the landscape or field growing in a nursery need special care when transplanting to ensure success. Here's how to do it. Selection and Timing Select only healthy trees that are capable of successful transplantation. Root ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Arboriculture, Field Grown, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Relocating Trees, Root Pruning, Transplanting

THE SABAL PALM – Our Tree of Life

by Donna Corbelli Castro

August 4, 2021

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR LIVING Our native sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) is a treasure. It has been used by the Native Americans for centuries to provide food, shelter and other useful items. It is considered a "Tree of Life" in their cultures. An ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Ecosystem, FANN, Honeybees, Lethal Bronzing Disease, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Palm Care, Palm Pruning, Sabal Palm, Sabal Palmetto

Much Ado About Weeds

by Donna Corbelli Castro

June 24, 2021

Now that the rainy season is officially here, weeds will explode in our plant beds. There is much ado about weeds. What can we do about them? Water Starve Them! We went through a very long dry spell. During that time I decided to do an experiment ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscapes, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Weed BMPs, Weed Management, Weeds

Why Florida Needs More GI-BMP and FFL

by Donna Corbelli Castro

November 6, 2020

When I first started at UF/IFAS, these acronyms meant nothing to me. It took me some time to really understand what they stood for. Now, I see how important they are. GI-BMP stands for “Green Industries Best Management Practices": “What, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Algae Bloom, Birds, Donna Torrey, FDACS, Fertilizer License, FFL, Florida Friendly, GI-BMP, LUF, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Pesticide Licenses, Pollution, Water Conservation

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