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Get Health Benefits this Summer! Focus on Fruits and Vegetables

July 5, 2022
Want to get healthier this summer? As part of an overall healthy diet, eating fruits and vegetables, that are lower in calories, instead of some other higher-calorie food, may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake and lower body weight. Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy…

Wild Weeds – Weed of the Month: Wild Blue Phlox

July 4, 2022
Wild Weeds – Weed of the Month Wild Blue Phlox Phlox divaricata   Wild Blue Phlox (photo by Eleanor Dietrich) Wild blue phlox is a perennial wildflower that blooms from spring into early summer. You’ll find this delicate flower in slope forest, bluffs and calcareous hammocks. You’ll have to travel to the Panhandle of Florida to see…

Tropical Milkweed in North Florida

July 3, 2022
Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) has been in the news recently.  It can be a host plant for Ophryocystis elektroscirra (OE), a parasite of monarch butterflies (Danus plexippus).  Boiled down, milkweed is a host plant for monarchs which carry the OE parasite.  The butterfly deposits OE when they land on the plant to lay eggs.  Newly hatched monarchs…

Mangoes are the King of Fruits

July 1, 2022
Mangoes are the king of fruits.  Of all the fruits in the world, the mango reigns supreme. Mangoes are grown throughout the frost-free world for their juicy, sweet fruits. There are thousands of mango varieties. Mangoes can be large or small, green, yellow, red, or even purple. They can taste like ice cream, peach cobbler,…

Rainy Season on Way; Collect Rainwater – Many Uses – Better for Plants

July 1, 2022
So where does all the water from a summer rainstorm go? It rushes off rooftops onto yards and driveways; from there it picks up fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemical pollutants before flowing into a nearby storm drain. This stormwater runoff transports the pollutants back into our groundwater system. Florida’s surface waters such as lakes, streams,…

UF/IFAS begins research to update best management practices for key Florida crops

June 29, 2022
UF/IFAS received $8.8 million to conduct new research that will provide farmers with new and improved recommendations for fertilization of key Florida crops. The funding, approved by the Florida Legislature, will be administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Farmers apply fertilizers to their crops within recommended parameters commonly referred to as…

Pollinator Plants for Full Sun

June 29, 2022
 Authored by Amanda Decker UF/IFAS Extension Orange County Summer Intern Graduating UF CALS December, 2022 B.S. Plant Science specialization in Plant Breeding and GeneticsWhy Attract Pollinators? Look closely and you may spot a cardinal nest in this pinwheel jasmine bush. Photo: Amanda DeckerBees interacting with purple coneflowers. Photo: Tyler JonesAre you looking to beautify your landscape?…

Watermelon Petiole Sap Testing

June 28, 2022
Jay Capasso, UF/IFAS Columbia County. Bob Hochmuth, UF/IFAS NFREC-SV. Luke Harlow, UF/IFAS Union County. Kelly Aue, UF/IFAS NFREC-SV. Petiole Sap testing is an educational tool and service provided to vegetable growers in the Suwannee Valley region of North Florida by UF/IFAS Extension. Using portable meters, UF/IFAS Extension agents provide vegetable growers information on the current…

‘Flip My Florida Yard’ season 2 streaming now

June 28, 2022
Earlier this year, 10 homeowners across 10 Florida counties were chosen to have either their front yard or their back yard “flipped” into a Florida-Friendly paradise. Now, the hard work of the landscape teams, planners and designers comes together when season two of ‘Flip My Florida Yard’ airs this summer on local PBS stations and…

What is Hard Water?

June 27, 2022
Hard water is a result of dissolved minerals Calcium, Magnesium, and Manganese. Hard water is a very common problem, affecting water in more than 85% of the country (Water Quality Association). The term “hardness” is applied to the soap neutralizing power of water. Hardness is usually reported in terms of an equivalent concentration of calcium carbonate which is the amount…

Provide for Wildlife- The Malachite Butterfly

June 27, 2022
Article by UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Urban Horticulture Agent Lorna Bravo Our urban yards are the first line of defense to protect local wildlife. Have you ever thought about what happens when a native wooded area is cleared for a building site? What happens to the creatures living in or visiting this area when the…
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