Video: Growing and Using Lemongrass
Lemongrass is an easy herb to grow in the North Florida Garden. Learn the basics of plant care and ideas for use in the kitchen with UF IFAS Extension Escambia County. https://youtu.be/eC6YMeDT5ds
Camouflaged Critters
Nature is full of examples of animals that use camouflage to protect themselves, and some of the best examples are found in the insect world. They may appear to be leaves, sticks, thorns, or flowers; there are insects that disguise themselves as snakes, bird poop, or...
Fruit Drop & Fruit Split, the Heartbreak of Citrus
We’re lucky to live an environment where many citrus varieties can be grown. However, many problems can occur when growing citrus, but none more frustrating than fruit drop or fruit split. Most citrus varieties are susceptible to fruit drop. This is a major cause of...
Beneficial Insects Work Hard in Summer Gardens
I know this is going to come as a shock to some readers, but not all bugs are bad. In fact, while there are over 1 million species of insects worldwide, less than 1% are problem pests! This problem 1%, composed of common garden pests, including aphids, stinkbugs,...
Home Grown Food – Les Furr’s Fruit Trees
Les Furr, Master Gardener, UF/IFAS Extension in Jackson County, Florida shares the different fruit trees he grows in his yard to feed his family and share with neighbors. Les grows figs, soft pears, loquat or Japanese plum, pomegranate, and blueberries. These are all...
Magnolia Tree Buzzing with Insects?
Do you notice a large number of bees or wasps visiting your magnolia tree? Do you see “bumps on the twigs”? Are the leaves and branches turning black? It is probably Magnolia or Tuliptree scale. These scale belongs to a group of insects referred to as soft...
Rescue Your Summer Garden with Heat Loving Tropicals
The dog days of summer are here with high temperatures and humidity. While this sultry weather forces humans to retreat to air conditioning, our gardens suffer because the high night temperatures cause temperate plants to stop flowering, lose vigor and pause growth....
What are These Bugs in My Sod?
On a daily basis, it is not unusual for our Extension Office to get calls, emails, and walk-ins with questions about insect identification. Sometimes we even get questions about imaginary insects! The overwhelming opinion by our clientele is that the insects in...
Mysterious Chinese Seeds Show Up on Your Doorstep? Here’s What to Do
If you’ve paid attention at all to the news recently or been on social media, you’ve no doubt seen the flood of stories about mysterious seeds arriving in thousands of Americans’ mailboxes from various addresses in China. The packages may be labelled as jewelry or...
Home Grown Food – Blueberries and Satsuma
There are a number of plants that are adapted to the climate in the Florida Panhandle. Some can be grown in your yard to provide fresh, nutritious food for your family. In this episode of Home Grown Food, County Agent Doug Mayo, UF/IFAS Extension in Jackson County,...