Identify Cogongrass Now: Look for the Seedheads

We are well into spring and a wide variety of plants are showing off their colorful blooms. As lovely as most of the blooms are, some springtime colors are an unwelcome sight. Such is the case with the showy, white seedhead that is produced by Cogongrass (Imperata...
New EDIS Fact Sheets added this Spring

New EDIS Fact Sheets added this Spring

The University of Florida IFAS Extension offers a database of fact sheets available for free download on the Internet called EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) that has many publications of interest to farmers and ranchers in Northwest Florida. Each fact sheet...

Gummy Stem Blight Spreading in Panhandle Watermelons

Gummy stem blight is a highly destructive, foliar fungal disease of watermelon that can cause yield losses of more than 50%. This disease is currently confirmed in multiple locations in Northwest and Northeast of Florida. Recent weather conditions of high humidity and...
Fireweed: A Burning Problem for Farmers

Fireweed: A Burning Problem for Farmers

Fireweed (Urtica chamaedryoides), may not be a pasture weed that causes great economic losses from competition, but it can cause distress to people who come in contact with it in their pastures or around the farm.  Also known as heartleaf nettle, this plant is...

Spring is the Ideal Time for Aquatic Herbicide Application

Similar to Goldilocks’ porridge, water temperature doesn’t need to be too hot or too cold, it needs to be just right for using aquatic herbicides (70o – 80o F). Here in Florida these optimum water temperatures occur in the spring. Water temperature largely...
Spiderwort Spreading and Could Become a Hay Field Pest

Spiderwort Spreading and Could Become a Hay Field Pest

This time each spring you can see purple flowering plants up and down roadsides all across North Florida.  Common Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), a.k.a. bluejacket, blooms really make the plants standout this time of year.  Typically the blooms are most noticeable...