Build a Mini Butterfly House
Working from home has given me the opportunity to take more notice of my landscape and allow more time for insect scouting. While looking for turfgrass pests a few weeks ago, I noticed a caterpillar I didn’t recognize feeding on a broadleaf weed in my lawn. Since it...
Armyworms Attacking Your Garden?
It’s been a challenging spring in this guy’s garden! Despite getting the normal early start required for successful gardening in Florida, I’ve been affected by Bacterial Leaf Spot stunting my tomatoes, cutworms that reduced my watermelon plantings by half, and an...
Proper Watering can Save a Landscape’s Life
As temperatures lean more toward summertime highs, conditions can sometimes leave a landscape looking sad. Water issues can be a major source of headaches for homeowners when they cause plants to decline. The cause is not always readily apparent. Water is something...
Video Feature: Learning When to Water Can Lead to a Healthier Lawn
Your lawn will likely need supplemental water during the growing season. Instead of setting your irrigation system to come on every few days, learn exactly when your grass needs water with Turfgrass Talk from your UF IFAS Extension Panhandle Horticulture Team. You...
The Mighty Squash Vine Borer
It’s been a few weeks, and your squash seedlings are really starting to take off. The days are blushing with summer warmth and the flicker of lightning bugs in the evening indicates the cool nip of spring is winding down. In your garden, this has culminated in...
Tomato Leaves Spotty and Yellowing? Could Be Bacterial Leaf Spot.
Tomatoes are among the most notoriously difficult vegetable species to grow in Florida. Even when you do everything right (choose disease resistant varieties, buy clean seed/healthy transplants, plant early, rotate crops, scout for insects, prune and support vines,...
Getting Started with Backyard Citrus!
Citrus is not only a vital part of our economy in Florida but it’s also a major component in our landscapes. Having grown up in the major grapefruit producing region of Florida, the citrus industry is near to my heart. So for me, it is very exciting to see all...
Pitcher Plants
If you live in northwest Florida or southeast Alabama and have never laid eyes on our wild native carnivorous plants, it is about time! April and early May are the best times to see them in bloom. We have six species of pitcher plants (Sarracenia), the most common...
Fungi Species Also Enjoying our Recent Weather
Even during global pandemics, it’s a joy to be outside during the great north Florida spring we’ve been experiencing lately. As cold fronts come through with their rain bands, some packing a punch, they leave behind the most pleasant mornings, clear blue daytime...
Grow Better Squash with ‘Multipik’
Never one to be satisfied growing “standard” vegetable varieties, last year I decided to peruse various seed sources in search of a superior yellow summer squash selection. Plain ‘Yellow Crookneck’ just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. After doing a little research...