Category: Pests & Disease

Garden Tool Care: Take Care of Your Tools and They’ll Take Care of You

by Susan Haddock
December 2, 2025

Having the right garden tool is important but keeping them in good condition is just as important. Garden tools often get used hard and put away dirty or wet, which causes rust and damage. With a little maintenance, your tools can work well ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Cleaning Tools, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Garden Tool Care, Gardening, Gardening Tools, Landscape, Landscape Tools, ProHort, Sharpening Tools, SW ProHort, Tool Care

Plant Status Change – Tropical Milkweed is Now Listed as a Category II Invasive

by Tia Silvasy
November 5, 2025

  Tropical Milkweed is now Invasive! Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) was once a go to larval host plant for monarch butterflies. As of June 2025 the plant status has changed. It is now listed as invasive in the entire state ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Asclepias, Butterfly, Invasive Species, Native Plants, Tropical Milkweed, Tsilvasy

Chinese Crown Orchid – An Invasive Species you Need to Know

by Tia Silvasy
September 30, 2025

Introduction Chinese crown orchid, Eulophia graminea, is a relatively new invasive species spreading through the state of Florida. It was first found in mulch in Miami, FL in 2007 and is now listed as a Category II invasive species by the ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Crown Orchid, Invasive Species, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy

Hillsborough County Plant Clinic Offers Free Service to Answer Lawn and Landscape Questions

by Tia Silvasy
July 23, 2025

Plant Clinic Services UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County has trained Master Gardener Volunteers and staff to answer your questions about turfgrass, vegetables, fruit trees, ornamental plants, shrubs, trees and more. We offer insect and ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Disease, Free, Garden Help, Help Desk, Hillsborough County, Insect, Plant Clinic, Soil, Tampa Bay, Uf/ifas Extension

Great Southeast Pollinator Census – Hillsborough County

by Tia Silvasy and ambernorrisAvatar photo
June 27, 2025

Great Florida Pollinator Census - Hillsborough County Join us for the Great Florida Pollinator Census, a citizen science project where citizens record and upload data on the number and types of pollinators they see for two days on Aug. ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease
Tags: Citizen Science, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Garden, Great Florida Pollinator Census, Greatsoutheastpollinatorcensus, Hillsborough County, Insect, Pollinator Census, Tsilvasy, Ufifasextension

Fall Vegetable Gardening – What to Plant When in Central Florida

by Tia Silvasy
November 2, 2024

The weather has finally cooled enough to start the fall vegetable garden. Here are our UF/IFAS recommendations of what to plant when. Getting Ready Starting in September, start preparing your vegetable garden by removing weeds and amending ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Central Florida, Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Fruit And Vegetable, Green Beans, Tsilvasy, Vegetable Garden, Vegetable Gardening, Video, Videos, Youtube

Mosquito Management

by Susan Haddock
September 9, 2024

Mosquitoes are annoying, especially that zzzzzzz next to my ear at night when one gets in the house. The rainy season promotes mosquito breeding. Mosquito breeding may lead to viruses that are transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and back to ... READ MORE

Category: Camp, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, Water
Tags: Are Mosquito Sprays Safe, Mosquito, Mosquito Disease, Mosquito Licensing, Mosquito Misting, Mosquito Prevention, Mosquito Spraying, Mosquitoes, Protect Against Mosquitoes, Repellents

Healthy Landscapes: The Micronutrient Advantage

by Michael J. Masucci
August 27, 2024

  With summer in full swing, it's important to remember Hillsborough County's fertilizer ordinance. From June 1st to September 30th, you can't apply fertilizers containing nitrogen (N) or phosphorous (P) to landscapes and lawns ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Fertilizer, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Hillsborough County, Home Landscape, Micronutrients, Soil Fertility

Native Plants to Protect the Tampa Bay Watershed

by Tia Silvasy
July 11, 2024

Thanks to a $5,000 bay-mini-grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County was able to develop a Bay Friendly Landscaping program. Educational classes were offered to teach residents about protecting the environment ... READ MORE

Category: , Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Native Plants, Tampa Bay, Tampa Riverwalk, Tsilvasy, Urban Wildlife, Video, Water, Water Quality, Watershed, Webinar, Wildlife

Subscribe For More Great Content

IFAS Blogs Categories