News & Updates

First, don’t panic. Second, do NOTHING right now. Yes there is a lot of brown, wilted, soggy leaves, and stems. It’s natural for us to react by getting out there and start to cut out the brown and even removing what you “think’ is dead. Take deep breath and keep Taylor Swift’s song, “Shake it…

Most gardeners everywhere enjoy the rewarding experience of being “grounded”, so to speak, by planting and maintaining beautiful garden spaces.  And what better way to become grounded in our local environment than by including Florida’s native plants in our landscapes?  The benefits of native plants are tremendous! Beauty Our area continues to experience tremendous…

The UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County is located in the rural western St. Lucie County.  We have two freshwater ponds and predominantly pineflat woods forested areas.  We are fortunate to have black-bellied whistling ducks that visit our ponds from time to time.  The video below is a quick clip of the whistling ducks I saw…

Tea has many benefits. Because there are so many types of tea, it is the second most popular drink after water. You can drink it cold or hot, and the health benefits will be the same. There is herbal tea, green tea, black tea, and many others. Let’s talk about the health benefits of tea.…

No matter your age our lifestyles have become very sedentary. Yet getting enough physical activity is a critical factor in our health status. Adequate physical activity helps your body function properly, improves sleep habits, and can reduce the risk for many chronic diseases that limit your lifestyle and life expectancy. What limits us from moving…

Recap of January First Friday with Florida First Detector       Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, Photo: Natasha Wright, Braman Termite & Pest Elimination In January, we talked all about stink bugs and other hemipteran insects. We focused on invasive insects in the subfamily Heteroptera. The subfamily Heteroptera includes not just stink bugs, but also lots of…

Family Day at the Dairy Farm is an open house held on February 11, 2023, from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the UF/IFAS Dairy Farm located in Alachua, Florida. The event has been moved to earlier in the year in hopes of avoiding bad weather. This event offers the community an opportunity to see a…

Article by UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Urban Horticulture Agent Lorna Bravo What motivates people  to adopt and model sustainable landscape practices in their urban landscapes? Meet Broward County Master Gardener Volunteer Jeannie Schmidle. Jeannie graduated from the UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Master Gardener Volunteer program class of 2018. In 2022, the University of…

Scientists apply an antibiotic paste to stop the progression of SCTLD. Photo Credit: Brian Walker.Since 2014, Florida’s Coral Reef has been fighting an outbreak of a communicable, waterborne disease called stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD). Just released, the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease & Response on Florida’s Coral Reef: Winter 2023 Overview details the status of…

Temperatures in December 2022 were very damaging to many citrus plants in North Florida. It is necessary to give plants plenty of time into spring and summer to see if they will regrow and where that growth will occur. Learn how to care for your citrus that is suffering from cold temperature damage with Beth…

Recent widespread hard freezes more than likely resulted in damage to many of the citrus trees in Northwest Florida. Cold damage will become more evident as we move into the spring and summer of 2023.   It is best to take a “wait and see” approach and delay pruning and fertilization until new growth occurs…