Producers have implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs) that maintain or improve water quality, quantity, and soil conditions on their farms for many years. For the purposes of the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services… Read More
Incorporating nature or “greenspace” into your daily routine can improve your overall quality of life. Greenspace is a catch-all term to describe natural or maintained environmental areas such as gardens, urban parks, nature preserves, or… Read More
Carolina Willow, Salix caroliniana, is prolific in moist areas such as streams, swamps, marshes, retention ponds and other wetland areas of northeast Florida, and could make an excellent addition to a moist, sunny area of… Read More
Saltbush, or Baccharis halimifolia, goes largely unnoticed most of the year; but just wait until fall when it becomes a roadside showstopper! You’ll wonder where this plant has been hiding all year, as it flowers… Read More
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “pest management”? I imagine many of you conjure up images of spraying a product or sprinkling granules over an unhealthy plant… Read More
Pumpkins are making a comeback! It’s been many years since we have offered demonstrations on pumpkin varieties at UF/IFAS HAEC (Hastings Agriculture and Extension Center). A few years ago, our local ag inspector and I… Read More
One of the objectives of the Hastings Plant Triage Lab is to provide rapid diagnostics. That means providing an answer in a timely manner with the most efficient methods and equipment available to me. That… Read More
Corn smut discovered on sweet corn variety trial! Smuts, caused by Basidiomycetes (second largest phylum of fungi), include about ~1,200 species of fungi. This includes the pathogen Ustilago maydis, which causes the common smut. Smuts can… Read More
Pythium is an oomycete pathogen that can infect artichokes. Globe artichokes (Cynara scolymus) are not currently a commonly grown crop in Florida. California represents 99% of globe artichoke production in the United States. However, Florida… Read More
What is a hydroponic system? How does it differ from traditional growing of plants? How can we try it at home? Last Water Wednesday, we invited the Sustainable Ag and Food Systems Agent in Seminole… Read More
