Seek professional horticultural help before planting
All that glitters is not gold. Be careful about your source of horticulture information. You may think you’re getting gold but you may be giving someone your money for bad information. There are many gardening gimmicks and hokey horticulture hints available to the public. People have always fallen for the “snake oil salesman.” Just because a person “glitters” (they appeared on television, wrote a book, have a charming personality, etc.) doesn’t mean their advice is as good as gold. I am aware of so-called horticulture experts that offer advice that borders on the illegal.
So, if you’re seeking sound gardening advise, how do you know the source is trustworthy? You can’t always know, but the following advice may help.
The adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” may help. The “wonder” grass that grows from Alaska to Florida is an example of this. If you buy and plant one of these wonder grass seed mixtures, you may wonder why you wasted your money and time. The seed mixtures are almost always some combination of Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass. These grasses will not produce a permanent lawn in because they will not tolerate our hot, humid summer.
One other example is the amazing apple tree that produces five different varieties of apples. I’m not going into all the reasons why this is unsound horticulturally. Two reasons will do. Number one, Florida is not an apple growing area and number two, there are only three apple varieties worth trying this far south. The varieties are ‘Doresett Golden’, ‘Ein Shemer’ and ‘Anna’.
Seek local sources for horticulture help. Ask these questions about your source of information:
- Where was the book, catalog, magazine or publication published?
- Where was the television show or “how to” video produced?
- Has the person offering the information ever gardened in Northwest Florida?
- In other words, does the advice even apply to our area of the country?
- Look for professional horticulture businesses. Are they certified or licensed?
- Are they a member of a professional association?
- Are they reputable? What are their credentials?
There are many professional horticulture associations of which a horticulture professional may join. A few include the Florida Nursery Growers Association (FNGA), the Florida Landscape Maintenance Association (FLMA), the Florida Turf grass Growers Association (FTGA) and the Florida Pest Control Association (FPCA). Being a member of a professional organization is not an automatic guarantee of quality; however, these organizations offer their members the opportunity to further their education, stay up to date in their field and to become certified in their profession.
For example, The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) offers a strenuous certification program for tree care professionals in order to become a certified arborist. Most horticulture professionals will advertise their credentials in the Yellow Pages, on business cards, etc.
Finally, is the advice or service legal, environmentally safe and economical? Legally, a pest control business must have a pesticide license in Florida. The license is difficult to obtain, requiring training, testing, fees, and proof of insurance. The license is issued through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
There are so-called gardening experts advising people to mix up homemade concoctions using such ingredients as beer, mouthwash, tobacco juice and even human urine. These mixtures may not be as environmentally safe or economical as compared to more conventional products which have been tested and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
There is a wealth of sound horticulture advice available to you through the University of Florida Extension Service and through local, professional horticulture businesses. Not all sources of horticulture information are reliable. Seek sound horticulture advice.