A permit is required to dig a well. If you live in Northwest Florida, please refer to the Northwest Florida Water Management District's website at https://www.nwfwater.com/Permits/Well-Permits for more information. If you live in another part of the state, then please visit the water management district page to determine which district is responsible for permitting https://floridadep.gov/water-policy/water-policy/content/water-management-districts.

What are the rules ,regulations ,and requirements for digging a well your self ?

love it!! Great recipes!!

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I will leave them grow for now because I don’t have space in my garden.

Your description sounds like the plant is making 'pups'. This is normal. You can leave it be and you will have a multi-trunked sago or you can remove the pup and plant it elsewhere. To remove the pup, gently pull back the soil and cut off the pup vertically with a sharp shovel or blade in order to get as much of the pup as possible without harming the trunk of the original sago. Let it dry in a shady area for a day or so and then plant in a pot or directly into a planting bed. Keep moist but not too wet while it gets established.

Hi, i need help with my sago palm. Today i noticed new leaves coming out from under the ground very close to the trunk. Is it normal? or i did something wrong? thank you

The sago may be experiencing a boron deficiency. The heavy spring and summer rains could have leached the boron from the soil. Dissolve about 2 oz. of Borax in 5 gallons of water and drench the soil all under the canopy. The next set of leaves should be normal. It may be helpful to also apply a general purpose controlled release fertilizer at the same time.

Note: a smaller sago I transplanted a few feet away is growing back normally.

I have an older sago palm that I moved from one part of my garden to another last year. It did find through the year but ll the fronds got killed off in the harsh winter we had in Virginia Beach despite wrapping and covering in burlap. New fronds just started growing out, but many of the fronds are a slightly lighter shade of green and the needles on many are mutated. They are very wide and rectangular or growing forked. I've grown sagos for many years and have never seen this before. Has anybody experienced something like this?

Lubber grasshopper candy. Some years I couldn't get a bloom because the plant was eaten down to the ground.

Yes, please send some pictures to me at mderrick@ufl.edu. Include an overall photo of the landscape and then some closer shots of the plants. Also let me know what was done recently in the landscape, including fertilizing and any other products used in the vicinity.

Ms. Derrick, I had 3 beautiful Sagos that are over a decade. I had my front yard re done new soil new plants etc. They all look like they are dying all of a sudden. Would you mind if I sent you some pics? Thanks You Joanna

Mary - thank you - I have several Bromeliads and immediately went out to empty. Did not occur to me this would be a place for a mosquito. I, definitely, learned from reading your article! Jeanne Blage, M.G.

Cynthia, I would encourage you to call you local extension office for more specific help for your situation. Where are you located?

help! my pear trees had this problem last year or before( the webworms) and now the fruit is not producing like normal and it looks like the tree is slowly dying . I don't know who to ask for help in my area and my funds are limited.

You can send some photos to me at mderrick@ufl.edu. Include an overall photo and a close-up of an affected area.

Mary, My sago does not look as bad as your picture. My leaves look as if there is rust on them. Could this also be manganese deficiency? Thank You for your time. Oscie Smith

The problem does not sound like a manganese deficiency. The yellowing bottom leaves could be from overwatering. Sagos need to dry out a bit between thorough waterings. When you transplanted the sago, is it sitting at the same soil level as before? Planting at a deeper level can be damaging to the plant. Many commercial potting mixes already have a 3 or 6 month controlled-release fertilizer incorporated into the mix and no further fertilizer should be used until after that time frame is passed. Remember that sagos can take full sun; I don't know how much sun it was getting before purchase but you may gradually want to move it to more sun if it is in a shaded location. Sagos are tough plants and will survive the loss of some leaves.

my bottom leaves turned yellow only 2 days after a trasnplant and not are at the point of Frizzle bottom? every artice i see mentions the top leaves tunring yellow not the bottom but then some have pictures saying both are examples of manganese defincienty. just to be clear if my bottom leaves are turning yellow just like the frizzletop symptoms Is that a sign of mangenese defiencienty?? i need to treat it but i want too be sure i do the right thing. i just applied about 2 tablespoons of mangenese sulfate and appied some direcetly on the leaves as well. will this treat the problem? i ony got it 4 weeks ago it was in perfect condition until 2 to 3 days after i transpanted into a bigger pot because the roots where growing out of the old pots drainage holes. I used all purpose potting soil and organic fertalizer until i realized it didnt have the required nutriets. now i switched to palm gain a 8-2-12 fertalizer made for cycads and palms and i also added the magenese sulfate

Some of my sasanquas had leaf gall as you have described. My friend Jim told me about your recommended cure and following his recommendations seems to have cured my problem. Thanks for your view.

Hi Mary I have emailed you a photo of my plant and am hoping you can help. It was beautiful before I botched it! Allison

It's hard to tell from your description what is going on with your sago. Sometimes when lower leaves of a plant have a black coating it is sooty mold that grows on honeydew excreted by insect pests feeding on the undersides of leaves higher up in the canopy. Treating the insects will eventually eliminate the sooty mold. Inspect your sago carefully and email photos to me at mderrick@ufl.edu.

I have a sago palm that the lower palms are turning black. Can you tell me what I can do? It is in a container and I need to transplant it. Is it still OK. Thanks Miriam

There's nothing like relaxing in my garden after a tough day at work. I have a couple of night blooming flowers like four-o-clocks, evening primrose and moonflowers that instantly brighten up my mood when I sit in the garden after dinner. I'm just mesmerised by the lovely blooms that open up at night. Thanks for sharing ideas that can help me enhance my night garden. Will definitely try planting some of the plants you suggest. Desiree

Are you referring to the cones that males produce? That would be normal. You can send me a photo at mderrick@ufl.edu if you'd like.

My male sago has developed two crowns. Advice?

Chris, Enjoyed seeing a bit of notoriety for my little oyster reef. It was a long time coming but should be worth it. Will be interesting to see what develops around the reef. Thanks for you help in making it happen. Paul

I'd go with Oriental Persimmons grafted on to native rootstock if possible, Satsuma budded onto trifoliate, old fashioned "cooking pears" and possibly the Anna and Golden Dorsett apple.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/mg/mg24800.pdf

The yellow-brown sponge material is a natural feature of the plant, most likely yours is a female sago. Yes, sagos are either male or female plants. The leaves may be yellowing from lack of light - they like full sun so place it in a very sunny part of your home. Maybe it can stay outside unless it is freezing. You can send photos to me at mderrick@ufl.edu

Some fruit trees/bushes that do well in our area with minimal maintenance are fig, Satsuma tangerine, kumquat, persimmon, blueberry, blackberry, muscadine grape. Low-chill varieties of apple, pear, peach, nectarine can be grown but require regular specialized pruning and spraying. Go to gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu and look under the 'edible fruit' tab. Lots of great info there!

I live in Beulah (west Pensacola), I'd like to plant some fruit trees. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Can you please help me!! i have 2 Sago palms and both of them have yellow-brown sponge like material in the crown of the plant and the leaves are starting to turn yellow. I live in VA and moved the plants indoors for the season about a month back. Is it from overwatering leading to crowm rot? Pl help and how can i attach a picture?

Thanks for your response and the tips! Yes, it looks very much like the one in the picture above. I can take some pics tomorrow to send. Ours doesn't have any older fronds on the bottom because we trimmed them all off when the new leaves came out... They looked bad too, but we didn't realize it would be a continuing problem at the time.

It sounds like it may well be a manganese deficiency - does it look like my photo in the article? You can send a photo or two to me at mderrick@ufl.edu to confirm. If it is confirmed, for a sago of that size I would spread about 3 pounds of the product evenly under the canopy of the sago and water in well. I would also do a light application of a good quality palm fertilizer like I describe in the article.

Hi! We moved into our house this past summer and the sago palm was already established and has probably been here for several years. It's between the front of the house (north facing) and our sidewalk. It finally sprouted some beautiful green fronds this August and within a few weeks they started turning yellow and now brown in the center. I haven't noticed any pests and we haven't treated it or fertilized it yet. I bought some manganese sulfate today to try treating it. I'm in Jacksonville, FL. Is it likely a manganese deficiency? If so, how much should I use? Should I spray it on the plant or put it in the ground around it, or both? The palm is about 4 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide including fronds, the stem/trunk is about 8in in diameter. Thank you for your time and any advice you have!

Most refer to it as Cogongrass but some other common names are Japanese bloodgrass, japgrass, and Red Baron grass.

Mary, would I know this by another name?

Excellent article! I really enjoyed reading it and the content was very informative. The link to more info was also very good. Thanks!

Start with clean, sharp pruners or loppers (depends on the size of the fronds) and make cuts close to the trunk. Pruning tools should be cleaned with alcohol or a 10% bleach solution before using to prevent the introduction of disease into the pruning cuts. How many fronds to remove depends on your personal preference. However, remember that the green plant tissue is making food for the plant through photosynthesis and you want to keep the healthy green fronds.

What's the proper procedure for trimming a sago palm?

Email addresses not working. Is there a good one? Thanks

Please send some photos to me at maryd@santarosa.fl.gov and I will take a look.

My sago palm is all yellow-brown in middle it is 2ft high in middle of yard in Florida. Is the low magnisium the problem?the outside is green I notice spiders in there could they cause the browning?

I live in coastal NC (Wilmington) and my sago palm, which has been doing well for years, has taken a turn for the worse. We had two severe winters, which killed the palm to the east side of the sago, but not the palm on the west side. I do not note any sign of scale on the fronds, The older fronds are turning yellow and becoming crispy. The new fronds are (so far) fine. Frost damage? Low manganese? Too much sun? It is in a moist part of the yard, but the drainage is okay, and, like I said, it has done well for years. Thanks. I can send a photo if that helps. Thanks so much for any help!

Ill be sending a few shots of my sago with up close of core which newly sprouted but seems to have scale. Thanks for any advise on how to treat it. In sending them tomderrick@ufl.edu Thanks! Doris

Thank you for your comments about scent in the evening garden. They do add to the experience. The datura are showy and fragrant at night but be cautioned; datura is toxic when ingested and can be irritating to some when handled.

An excellent article on what and how to plant for a visually appealing evening garden; the mention of sound was nice, as well. But what about fragrance? You can smell flowers you can't see at night, as well as some you can. Some four o'clocks are fragrant, but apparently some are not. One cultivar of Datura inoxia (Datura meteloides) 'Evening Fragrance' has an intoxicating fragrance; moreover it's flower is white and showy. Nicotianas are fragrant at night, too, and some have white flowers. Certain ginger lilies will also perfume the evening garden. And, of course, roses, though some of those are more fragrant than others.

Yes, please send me some good photos and let's work on determining the cause and remedy for the problem.

I've read through the info and all the comments and think my sad looking Ssgo which had been doing wonderfully in a pot a short while ago has been over watered which has made it susceptiple to pests or disease. I would like to send you a photo if that's ok. I would like to be able to treat the plant and restore it to its original beauty if possible. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you!

Sharpened really refers to a older blade, when dull "sharpened" to as near new condition as possible or replaced.

What is a sharp mower blade? When I buy a new one it should be correct, but I certainly wouldn\'t call it sharp.

I live in Panama City and wondered which variety of Zoysia grass grows well here?

Could you send me photos of the sago, please to mderrick@ufl.edu? Include the age of the sago, how it hass been fertilized and where you reside. Thanks!

Contact Jennifer Bearden 850-689-5850 or bearden@ufl.edu

I am an Activities Director at Twin Cities Pavilion located in Niceville, Florida. We are an Assisted Living Facility. I am seeking a local farmer to bring in some animals for the residents to see such as cows and goats. Most of our residents do not get out much at all and it would bring great joy for them to see some animals from a farm. If any of you know of anyone please call me at: 850-833-9212 Thank you, Angela Williams Activities Director Twin Cities Pavilion

The centet of my Seko palm was yellow. I cut out the center. Watered really well. I have 3 dogs that TT on it.

Please send photos to me directly at mderrick@ufl.edu. When you do, please include what you have applied to the plants (fertilizers, pesticides, anything else), where you live, how long the plants have been there, when they first showed symptoms and we will start on figuring out the problem and then, the solution.

Not sure how to add a photo but my Sago Palms have all dried on the tips of the leaves. And a few leaves dried and died completely. The Candle Pine alongside has died suddenly too. It appears poisoning has occurred. Will the Manganese Sulfate help at all. There is a little life left in them so need help and any advice please to try nurture them back. Thank you.

Unfortunately there is not a silver bullet option as far as disease control goes for fruit trees. A good place to start would be with copper, chlorothalonil (such as Daconil), and Captan. And remember many of the diseases begin when the buds begin to swell so sprays must be applied at bud swell and during flowering.

Is there one spray that will work on apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, pecans? I have a small orchard and would like to know when, and what I need to spray on my fruit trees. Also, is there a more natural way to counter pests, diseases, fungus?

Doug, Hope things are going well for you. I will keep in mind your farm. Occasionally people ask me about farm land. Where are you moving?

Hi Blake. Thanks for the article. My lawn is the pits. One big sand pit. this past early summer i removed our above ground pool that we put in some 20+ years ago. All that has grown is plants with leaves. nothing with a blade. This past fall I broad cast rye grass that has come up. but not seeded as yet. I have a long tradition of not mowing the lawn before Easter so I have places to hide Easter Eggs for the kids. Will get soil samples to the Ext. Office today. Incidentally. I have approx 3 acres fenced and cross fence on the front of my place which I have one acre that I will be planting Sun Hemp the end of April. It was a beautiful yellow this past fall and my goats loved it. Will try to set up to see if it will product a honey crop as claimed by some. Currently I do not make any honey crop even for winter surplus here at my place. After the Spring Titi bloom goes to seed that is it for the bee's. Know anyone looking to buy a farm. We are zoned Agricultural, 3 acres fenced, 7 miles from a grocery store.

I enjoyed the article. Now if I can figure out how to keep squirrels away, I'll be all set.

Nice article!

http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2015/03/03/now-is-the-time-to-prune-roses/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

We are in Bay County, Panama City Beach, FL. So, now is a good time to do any trimming/cutting back on the knock out roses?

For trimming Knockout roses, there are several schools to thought. I would first remove any dead wood or crossing canes, and cut the remainder back by 1/2. Some people allow their Knockout roses to grow without any pruning and some prune them directly with hedge trimmers. They will do well under several different care regimes and are quite accustomed to minimal care. This is the dormant period, roses are not expected to be green all year. If it does not green up, contact your local extension office with a sample or contact your agent. What county are you in?

It's best to apply the preemergence herbicide now and then fertilize AFTER April 15. The turfgrass should be fully out of winter dormancy and growing before fertilizing. Also, I recommend a lawn fertilizer that is a 15-0-15 or 15-2-15. The nitrogen (first number) and potassium (third number) should be balanced for best results.

Thanks for the response. So I should apply a preemergence herbicide now and then fertilize by mid April, correct? Do I need to wait a certain time after the herbicide to fertilize? A week?

In North Florida, your lawn should be fertilized no sooner than mid-April. The lawn should be already actively growing and mowed at least once before fertilizing. Fertilizer applied too early can run off or leach down through our sandy soils before the grass has a chance to use it. Please see http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/lawns/ for more information on fertilizing your particular turfgrass.

After you apply a preemergence herbicide, when should you apply a fertilizer for the lawn?

When should I trim back my knock out roses? Do I also cut down to the ground the new growth of cranes that have reached the same height as the original height of the rose bush? What makes one rose bush have very few leaves?

Hello We are a pest control company in México. We are working with a Company that produces oil from corn grains and soy beans. We want to know at what temperature the next pesticides are degradated: CYPERMETRIN DELTAMETRIN CLORPIRIFOS DIAZINON DICLORVOS Do you have information about that? Would you please share that information? Sincerely Alejandro Duarte

How great to see. Kudos, community. Chris at catesgarden.com

I find that so many of my native wildflowers get 6 feet tall! Makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland sometimes standing in amongst them. <3

Mine are over 6 feet tall. I didn't know they could be pruned, so I will definitely do that next spring!

Thanks for the tips Ginny. This is a good article for our babies safety. Having a is a must.