August Lawn & Garden #EDISpubs provide guidance for homeowners about identifying common palms and shade trees, dealing with invasive plants responsibly so they don’t spread to natural areas, managing scale insects and identifying thrips.
Lawn & Garden |
Florida Gardening Calendars – minor revision These popular fact sheets have been revised to include a reminder that some Florida municipalities prohibit the application of fertilizer to lawns and/or landscape plants during the summer rainy season (June—September), and that gardeners should check to see whether such an ordinance exists in their area. · Central Florida Gardening Calendar: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep450 · North Florida Gardening Calendar: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep451 · South Florida Gardening Calendar: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep452 |
10 Common Palms of the Tampa Bay Area Palms often serve as key specimens in urban landscape designs. Despite this, their identity is often unknown to Florida’s new, seasonal, and even long-term residents. This ten-page fact sheet serves as a quick reference for some of the most common palms found in North and Central Florida and the Tampa Bay Area in particular. Written by Gitta Hasing, Andrew K. Koeser, Melissa H. Friedman, and Timothy K. Broschat and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department. |
Chilling Injury in Tropical Foliage Plants: III. Dieffenbachia A chilling temperature is any temperature that is cold enough to cause plant injury but not cold enough to freeze the plant. Chilling injury can occur to tropical foliage plants if greenhouses become too cold or if plants are exposed to chilling temperatures outside of the greenhouse during packing and shipping. Dieffenbachia, commonly known as dumb cane, ranks among the top five most popular foliage plant genera produced and sold in the United States. This four-page fact sheet describes the chilling temperatures of Dieffenbachia cultivars in order to assist growers to better manage greenhouse temperatures. Written by Jianjun Chen and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department. |
Engaging High Water Users in Water Conservation #1: High Water Users' Experiences and Perceptions of Water Florida has an abundance of water, but still faces an increased pressure on water resources because of a growing population, prosperous tourism, and an active agricultural industry. This five-page fact sheet is the first in a series discussing how Extension can improve high water users' engagement in water conservation by focusing on high water users' characteristics, experiences with water issues, and perceptions of water. Written by Pei-wen Huang and Alexa J. Lamm and published by the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. |
Engaging High Water Users in Water Conservation #2: High Water Users' Water-related Behaviors and Willingness to Act Approximately 50% of Floridians’ daily water consumption is used for outdoor purposes, such as landscape irrigation; this is 20% higher than the national average. In order to alleviate the pressure on the precious water resources in Florida from various demands, increased public awareness and engagement in water conservation is needed especially among high water users. This four-page fact sheet is the second in a series discussing how Extension can improve high water users’ engagement in water conservation with a focus on high water users’ water-related behavior and willingness to act. Written by Pei-wen Huang and Alexa J. Lamm and published by the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. |
Herbicides to Kill Invasive Trees in Home Landscapes and Surrounding Natural Areas Several plant species that are invasive in natural areas of public lands also occur on private property. Invasive plants on private property that thrive within both landscaped and surrounding natural areas can serve as a source of infestation to other natural areas. Therefore, property owners are encouraged to remove invasive plant species from both areas. This 5-page fact sheet is a major revision that discusses different herbicides, hand-pulling, stump grinding, foliar herbicide application, cut stump herbicide application, basal bark herbicide application, hack-and-squirt, frill, or girdle herbicide application, licenses and training, and control of specific invasive plants. Written by K. A. Langeland and S. F. Enloe, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, revised May 2016. |
How to Use a Dichotomous Key: A Tutorial Featuring 10 Common Shade Trees of the Tampa Bay Area A dichotomous key is a tool used to help identify an unknown organism. This twelve-page fact sheet features a key of leaf characteristics for ten common broadleaf trees in the Tampa Bay Area. Accurately navigating this series of paired, either-or choices about leaf characteristics will lead the reader to identify the correct tree from the group of ten. Written by Andrew K. Koeser, Gitta Hasing, Michael G. Andreu, and Melissa H. Friedman and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department. |
Identification, Biology, and Control of Small-Leaf Spiderwort (Tradescantia fluminensis): An Invasive Weed of Virtually Worldwide Distribution Tradescantia fluminensis (small-leaf spiderwort) is a perennial subsucculent herb native to tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil and Argentina. The species has been introduced to the United States and countries in many parts of the world where it is often considered invasive. This seven-page fact sheet describes the small-leaf spiderwort, its taxonomy, geographical distribution, biology and ecology, reproduction and colonization, its impact as a weed in the southeastern United States, and ways of managing the spread of small-leaf spiderwort. Written by Jason C. Setiz and Mark W. Clark and published by the Department of Soil and Water Science. |
Managing Scale Insects on Ornamental Plants Scale insects are a diverse group of piercing-sucking pests (Hemiptera) commonly found on ornamental plants in landscapes and nurseries. There are over 180 species of scale insects in Florida, but only a small percentage are important pests of ornamental plants. They damage plants and secrete a waxy covering that makes them difficult to control using most chemical control measures. This 7-page fact sheet written by Eileen A. Buss and Adam Dale and published by the Department of Entomology and Nematology differentiates between armored and soft-scale insect pests and lists common types of each, provides information about the biology of scale insects and how to identify them and the damage they cause, describes how to scout and monitor for scale insects, and lists several methods for prevention and control of scale insect invasions. |
Pest Identification Guides, August 2016 Created to help growers and crop consultants, private homeowners, Master Gardeners, and the general public identify common arthropod pests and the damage they inflict, each field guide provides photos of the important life stages and crop damage associated with arthropod pests. The text highlights key general morphology and biology, distribution, and natural enemies. Written by Jeffrey Cluever and Hugh Smith, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology. |
Rhapis excelsa: Lady Palm Rhapsis excelsa, the lady palm, is an outstanding, small clustering palm for shady landscape or interiorscape use. This two page fact sheet gives a brief overview of the Lady Palm. Written by Timothy K. Broschat and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department. |
Viburnum Downy Mildew Downy mildew on viburnum is currently a serious concern throughout Florida. Winters in south Florida combine high humidity with cool nights, creating ideal conditions for disease development. Downy mildews are caused by several different species that tend to be host specific. Plasmopara vibruni is the pathogen that affects viburnum. This five-page fact sheet describes the hosts, symptoms, and management practices for Viburnum Downy Mildew. |
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