News & Updates

Looking to plant new trees – what are best to resist a hurricane?

While many tree failures can be traced to structural weaknesses that could be eliminated with training, some trees (and palms) are just naturally more wind resistant than others and better apt to survive a hurricane.  Many other factors can all contribute to tree stability in high winds including the amount of rain, tree health, soil…

Hurricane Ian Agricultural Impacts in Collier County

In the short 5 years that I have been with UF/IFAS Extension, we have seen two major hurricanes, 2 major wildfires, a freeze and a global pandemic. Hurricane Ian was just the latest event impacting the Collier County agricultural sector, which frequency experiences weather events even in the best of times. Part of our role…

Things About Honey Bee Anatomy You May Not Know

Honey bees are interesting creatures. It’s no wonder mankind has been fascinated with them for centuries. Here are some things about honey bee anatomy that you may not have known. Eyes You may be familiar with the honey bees compound eyes, the eyes on the side of their head. But did you know that honey bees…

Citrus in the Home Landscape Research Project

Citrus in Florida Citrus is one of the most vital industries to Florida Agriculture. Unfortunately, over the past few decades, the citrus industry has battled many pests and pathogens that have taken its toll on production. While many new tools have been researched and developed to help commercial growers protect their citrus, not all methods…

Your Creepy Scary Garden – The Alien Invaders

The stuff of horror movies is in your garden; meat eating plants, larvae that devours you from within, birds that attack you.  They are the inspiration of movies such as “Little Shop of Horrors,” “The Birds” and many space alien invaders developing within your body.  The bird that attacked you was because you were too…

The State of Charlotte Harbor Estuary Following Hurricane Ian

It has been a month since Hurricane Ian made landfall in the state of Florida and as some of the adrenaline starts to wear-off people have begun asking, “What impacts is the storm going to have on water quality going forward? Are we doomed for another red tide event like the one following Hurricane Irma…

Foolproof Palm Care: Bamboo Palm

Bamboo palms (Chamaedorea erumpens) and many closely related species in the genus, are among the few palms that thrive in shade and low-light conditions. For this reason, they are widely used as potted indoor palms and in interiorscapes. Their adaptability to shade results from them being native to Central American rain forests. The lower half of…

Foolproof Palm Care: Areca (Butterfly) Palm

The Areca palm aka butterfly palm (Dypsis lutescens) like many other palms, is notable for high wind resistance. It also makes a great privacy screen plant due to its clumping growth habit, with multiple stems arising from a central growing point. Planting site Under ideal growing conditions, Areca palms can grow to 25 ft. tall but…

Does Pest Identification Contribute to Safety?

    Callus Tissue is Beginning to Roll In Over the Wound Many of us have heard from professionals that it is important to correctly identify pests. There are several reasons for this, but is safety one of them? Pest identification is the first step of an integrated management strategy or integrated pest management (IPM) program.…

Callus after the storm – time to seal

    Callus Tissue is Beginning to Roll In Over the Wound We have an abundance of wounded trees after the hurricane, and they need some time to heal.  But trees never heal their wounds – they seal them up!  A wound causes the tree to react by putting down layers of wood to shut out…

Growing a Green Thumb; It’s Strawberry Season

Spring rush and lazy days of summer yield to days of diminishing daylight. We wanted to get one more crop in the garden. Our pick for cool season cultivation? Strawberries! Strawberries are a cool season annual in North Florida, flowering best in 50-80F.  They prefer well-drained slightly acidic soil and 8+ hours of direct sunlight.…
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