UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County -

What’s That Weed? Dogfennel

by Matt Lollar
July 30, 2026

Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium), which some people refer to as summer cedar, is a perennial weed that can be difficult to control. When mowed down or cut it grows back from a woody base. Additionally, it produces seeds with hairs that ... READ MORE

Category: HOME LANDSCAPES, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agriculture, Bay, Calhoun, Control, Dog, Dogfennel, Escambia, Extension, Fennel, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Gulf, Herbicide, Holmes, Horticulture, Invasive, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Manage, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Gardening, Pesticide, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Wakulla, Walton, Washington, Weed

All About Rain Gardens

by joshuacriss
June 24, 2026

With all the rainy days in northwest Florida lately, you’d be forgiven for wondering if your property would be better suited to being one giant pond. More importantly, you may begin to wonder where all that runoff will end up. It will likely ... READ MORE

Category: HOME LANDSCAPES
Tags: Agriculture, Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Extension, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Gulf, Holmes, Horticulture, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Horticulture, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

Knee High by the Fourth of July Nonsense

by Matt Lollar
June 23, 2026

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "Knee High by the Fourth of July" in reference to growing corn. Well, it's just not true in this part of the country. In fact, it doesn't hold much truth in America's Corn Belt either. If we planted ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables
Tags: Agriculture, America, Bay, Calhoun, Corn, Escambia, Extension, Farm, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Gulf, Holmes, Horticulture, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Gardening, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Vegetable, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

After the Rain: Thinking Ahead on Peanut and Cotton Disease

by Matt Pinhal
June 16, 2026

After the driest April we've seen in years in the county, May more than made up for it with close to seventeen inches of rain at the Jay station. June started off hot and dry, but the rain came back this past week, and more is in the forecast ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agriculture, Cotton, Disease, Extension, Field Crops, Panhandle Agriculture, Peanut, Santa Rosa

UF/IFAS Santa Rosa Extension to Host: Grower Lunch and Learn on Cotton Jassid and Peanut Disease Management

by Matt Pinhal
June 16, 2026

We're hosting a Lunch and Learn meeting for local row crop growers here in Santa Rosa County on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the Jay Community Center. The meeting runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and focuses on two timely problems, the cotton ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Cotton, Field Crops, Panhandle Agriculture, Peanut, Pest Management, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas

Santa Rosa County Planting Conditions: A Look Back and What’s Coming Next

by Matt Pinhal
May 19, 2026

A lot of growers I've talked to this spring said April felt drier than anything they could remember in recent years. I pulled the past 14 months of data from the FAWN station at Jay, and the numbers confirm what folks were feeling in the field. Last ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Extension, Panhandle Agriculture, Santa Rosa

Meet Santa Rosa County’s New Agricultural Extension Agent

by Matt Pinhal
May 18, 2026

Hello, Santa Rosa County. I'm Matheus "Matt" Pinhal, and I'm honored to be your new Agricultural Extension Agent with UF/IFAS. Originally from Brazil, I earned my bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering before coming to the United States ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Extension, Panhandle Agriculture, Santa Rosa, Uf/ifas

Irrigating Your Landscape

by joshuacriss
May 18, 2026

Irrigation is quite a controversial topic in horticulture. Far too often, clients come into the office with grass struggling or detrimental fungal concerns in their gardens. The “go to” conversation concerns the cultural practices being ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping
Tags: Agriculture, Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Extension, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Gulf, Holmes, Horticulture, Irrigation, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Gardening, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Wakulla, Walton, Washington, Watering

Building a Hobby Greenhouse

by Matt Lollar
May 14, 2026

Greenhouses can be used to extend the growing season and to just grow unique plants year-round. While we usually think of greenhouses as growing structures that increase air temperature, they can also keep plants cooler during warmer months. ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture
Tags: Agriculture, Bay, Calhoun, Design, Escambia, Extension, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Greenhouse, Gulf, Holmes, Horticulture, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Gardening, Propagation, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

Aphids on River Birch

by Matt Lollar
April 23, 2026

Some things just aren't as they seem. This statement is true in almost every aspect of life. This is especially true when it comes to identifying insects. Recently, a client brought in some river birch leaves infested with insects she ... READ MORE

Category: HOME LANDSCAPES, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agriculture, Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Extension, Ffl, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Yards And Neighborhoods, Franklin, Fyn, Gadsden, Garden, Gardening, Gardening In The Panhandle, GI-BMP, Gulf, Holmes, Horticulture, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Office, Okaloosa, Panhandle, Panhandle Gardening, Santa Rosa, Uf, Uf/ifas, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

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