Category: Pests & Disease

Buyer Beware: “Pollinator-Friendly” Doesn’t Always Mean “Pollinator-Safe”

by Jeremy Rhoden
March 19, 2024

Pollinator gardening is becoming more popular across Florida and the United States, and for good reason! Recent studies have indicated that small microhabitats incorporated within home landscapes have extensive benefits for pollinators and can ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pollinators

Happy Halloweeding: Tropical Soda Apple

by Amanda Marek
September 30, 2022

Fall is known for pumpkin picking, cooler weather, and trick-or-treating. While we are enjoying our yards in this cooler, drier weather, it is a good time to look for something truly spooky that may be lurking amongst the bushes: invasive ... READ MORE

Category: , Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Invasive Weed, Small Watermelon, Spiny, Tropical Soda Apple, Weed

Doveweed: A Pesky Weed that may Destroy Your Lawn

by Jeremy Rhoden
July 11, 2022

Typically, this time of year many homeowners are tackling a variety of weeds in their landscapes. One of those weeds may very well be the invasive and aggressive weed known as Doveweed (Murdannia nudifflora). Doveweed emerges when average temperatures ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Dermatitis, Dog, Doveweed, Grass Weeds, Jeremy Rhoden, Sod

Herbicide Damage: The Mysterious Case of Curling Leaves

by Amanda Marek
May 26, 2021

As an Extension Agent or a Master Gardener Volunteer, we oftentimes find ourselves serving as plant doctors, or even as investigators trying to solve mysteries on the farm or landscape. One type of case we see quite frequently is the mysterious ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf
Tags: Curling, Drift, Herbicide, Leaves, Plant Damage

Irrigation Orientation – A Webinar Series for Florida Homeowners

by Yilin
April 20, 2021

Are you frustrated that with all the energy and money devoted to your yard, you still have patchy turfgrass or weed spots? Or you are spending too much money to keep your grass green? Did you know... it all starts with irrigation! In this ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Extension Learning, Florida Friendly, Grass, Irrigation, Lawn, Residential Irrigation, Residential Landscape, Virtual Workshop, Water, Water Conservation

Pruning Palms

by Amanda Marek
August 14, 2020

Palm trees are a staple of Florida's landscapes, but sadly they are also commonly over pruned or poorly pruned as is the case pictured here with these Mexican Fan Palms. Palms pruned this severely are a beacon for nearby pests, particularly ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Palm, Pruning

Fig Rust

by Amanda Marek
August 14, 2020

Is your fig tree losing its leaves? You likely have fig rust. Not to worry, many fig trees including the very common Brown Turkey Fig are quite susceptible to this annual fungal disease in Florida's heat and humidity. The fig tree here at ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Fig, Fig Rust

Fungi in Your Landscape

by maxine32666
January 16, 2020

Fungi of all sorts are common in Florida’s warm wet climate. We notice them most when they decide to cause problems such as black spot on roses, brown spots in our lawn, spots on leaves or grass blades, sooty mold on many of our citrus ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Anthracnose, Bahiagrass, Black Mold, Brown Spot, Fungicide, Fungus, Grass, Hunter, Landscape, Lawn, Root Rot, St. Augustine, Turfgrass

Lethal Bronzing Confirmed in Marion County

by Amanda Marek
August 20, 2019

Lethal bronzing, a fatal palm tree disease, has been confirmed in Marion County. This disease was first discovered in Florida in 2006. Up until last year it was confirmed in the majority of south Florida and north into Alachua, Duval, St. ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Bacteria, LBD, Nursery Growers, Palms, Phytoplasma, Texas Phoenix Palm Decline, Yellowing

Tis the Season for Fungal Lawn Diseases

by Amanda Marek
May 31, 2019

It never fails, around April or May each year the UF/IFAS Extension Service gets inundated with calls from distressed homeowners and landscapers about dying lawns. This year has proven no different. Multiple grass samples have been analyzed ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Water
Tags: Brown Patch, Fungicide, Grass, Large Patch, Lawns, Nematodes, Pythium Root Rot, Root Rot

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