• “Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE!” returns in 2021, and the next episode covers lawns.
• The next event is live on April 8 at 1 p.m. Eastern, noon Central.
• Recordings are posted afterward at tinyurl.com/GardeningLive.
• Zoom requires pre-registration, and viewers have another option to tune in on Facebook Live. An expert monitors each platform’s comments to answer viewer questions live.

Looking for that lush, green lawn? You’re certainly not alone.

“Over half of the calls we receive at our office help desk are related to lawn care,” said Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County horticulture agent.

To address some of the most common home landscaping questions, McConnell and her fellow Northwest Florida Extension horticulture agents developed a free virtual series called “Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE!”

The next edition, going live April 8 at 1 p.m. Eastern/noon Central, is all about lawn care. It is aired concurrently on both Zoom and the “Gardening in the Panhandle” Facebook page.

UF/IFAS experts are on hand to answer audience questions during each event. The upcoming expert panel features Bryan Unruh, a professor specializing in turfgrass at the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay; Pat Williams, UF/IFAS Extension Wakulla County director, who also specializes in horticulture; Mark Tancig, UF/IFAS Extension Leon County commercial and residential horticulture agent; and Larry Williams, UF/IFAS Extension Okaloosa County residential horticulture agent.

“We will be addressing the most common questions, including soil preparation, weed management, selecting the right type of turf and irrigation practices,” McConnell said.

Zoom participants can submit questions when they register. Registration is required at tinyurl.com/Lawns04-2021 to receive the access information for that platform. Both the Zoom and Facebook comment sections are also monitored and addressed by UF/IFAS Northwest Extension District horticulture experts who are not on the current panel.

The series began last year as more people turned to gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual programming increased in popularity. The 2021 series kicked off Feb. 4 with a discussion on weeds, and last month explored spring vegetable gardening. After each session, recordings are closed captioned and uploaded to a YouTube playlist (tinyurl.com/GardeningLive). All previous recordings can be viewed there now.

Coming up in the next few presentations are discussions on herbs (May 13) and ornamental and turf diseases (June 10). View the rest of the schedule at tinyurl.com/y5r34fa4.

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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS

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