Elderberry and Elderflower (Sambucus spp): Markets, Establishment Costs, and Potential Returns

Photo of elderberries still on the tree and surrounded by elder leaves.

Elderberry is an alternative crop that holds promise for further commercial development in Florida. This 7-page fact sheet written by Kevin Athearn, David Jarnagin, Ali Sarkhosh, Juanita Popenoe, and Steven Sargent and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department reviews information on markets for elderberries and elderflowers and estimates establishment costs and potential returns for a 3-acre elderberry orchard in Florida. The information is intended to assist farmers in evaluating elderberry as a possible alternative crop. Includes guidance on financial planning for an elderberry enterprise.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1093

Key Plant, Key Pests: Sycamore (Platanus spp.)

UF campus "moon tree," a sycamore tree (left) planted from a seed that was on an Apollo mission. Photo taken 09-10-19. Photo Credits: UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications are designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with regional flora. This new 6-page publication of the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department helps identify the most common pests found on trees in the sycamore group, Platanus spp., and it provides information and general management recommendations for sycamore lace bug, bacterial leaf scorch, powdery mildew, anthracnose, and canker stain. Written by Matthew Borden, Kelly Laplante, Juanita Popenoe, Adam Dale, Caroline R. Warwick, and Brian Pearson.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep601

Costs and Benefits of Vegetable Gardening

A photo of a child's hands planting a vegetable in soil.

Home vegetable gardening has numerous documented benefits, including savings on the family food bill. How can a gardener calculate cost savings from a garden? Which vegetables cost more to grow in the garden and which cost less? This 10-page fact sheet written by Kevin Athearn, Hannah Wooten, Liz Felter, Catherine G. Campbell, Jessica M. Ryals, Matthew C. Lollar, Juanita Popenoe, Lorna Bravo, LuAnn Duncan, Christa Court, and Wendy Wilber and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department helps home gardeners estimate the costs and cost savings from vegetable gardening.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1092

Key Plant, Key Pests: Lilyturf (Liriope muscari)

Liriope. Credits: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications is designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with common Florida flora. This new 4-page publication of the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department provides information and general management recommendations for leaf and crown rot, anthracnose, southern blight, scales, and root rot nematodes on lilyturf. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and David J. Norman.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep600

Key Plant, Key Pests: Oak (Quercus spp.)

An oak tree in a pasture. Credits: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications is designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with common Florida flora. This new 9-page publication provides information and general management recommendations for borers, caterpillars, insect-induced galls, twig girdlers, oak leaf blister, root and butt rot, Tubakia leaf spot, mistletoe, psocids, lace bugs, woolly aphids, powdery mildew, Spanish and ball moss, and lichens. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, Adam G. Dale, and Alfred Huo, and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep596

The Pear (Pyrus spp.) in Florida Home Gardens

Harvest of ‘Pineapple’ pears. Credits: Chestnut Hill Nursery

Pears are a great tree to grow for an edible landscape or fruit garden. However, pears are not adapted to all areas in Florida, and only a few cultivated varieties will grow well here. An adaptation to warm winters (low chill hours) and disease resistance are the main factors for success. This new 6-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department provides information to help homeowners select and grow pears successfully in Florida. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Ali Sarkhosh, and Dustin Huff.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1393

Elderberry and Elderflower (Sambucus spp.): A Cultivation Guide for Florida

Elderberry and elderflower cymes. Credits: Hyldemoer + Co., Florida

The purpose of this new 9-page paper, written by David Jarnagin, Ali Sarkhosh, Juanita Popenoe, Steve Sargent, and Kevin Athearn, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, is to provide information on growing American elderberry in Florida as an alternative crop for commercial growers as well as homeowners. Although elderberry has been historically grown at commercial scale in some world regions, especially throughout Europe, in the New World it has not found meaningful commercial acceptance until recently.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1390

Summer Pruning in Low-Chill Peaches Grown in Florida

A finished example of summer-pruned peach tree ‘Tropicbeauty’ grown in Citra. Credits: D. Huff, UF/IFAS

Low-chill peach trees growing under Florida conditions can become vigorous and large. Summer pruning is a management strategy that can be applied to help restructure the canopy, direct the tree’s resources into fruit production, and improve the efficiency of fieldwork. Without summer pruning, peach orchards in subtropical regions will continue to grow vigorously and, if left unmanaged, will reach a point at which ladders will be required to harvest and maintain the trees. Summer pruning can be a means of reducing overall tree size, redistributing fruiting wood for easier harvesting, reducing disease pressure, and increasing fruit quality. This new 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, written by Ali Sarkhosh, Dustin Huff, Trequan McGee, and Juanita Popenoe, provides an illustrated step-by-step guide to summer pruning of peach trees.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1377

Oportunidades alternativas para fincas pequeñas: Producción de durazno y nectarinas versión revisada

‘UFSun’ durazno. Credits: A. Sarkhosh, UF/IFAS

El suave clima invernal de Florida y el comienzo de la temprano de primavera ofrecen oportunidades únicas para la producción de duraznos y nectarinas de temporada temprana. Durante los últimos 12 años, la Universidad de Florida ha lanzado muchos cultivares nuevos de durazno y nectarina. Estos nuevos y mejorados cultivares han aumentado el potencial de expansión del aspecto comercial de melocotones y nectarinas en gran parte de la península de Florida y en las regiones de la Costa del Golfo del sureste de los Estados Unidos.
This new 5-page article is the Spanish translation of RFAC018, Alternative Opportunities for Small Farms: Peach and Nectarine Production Review. Written by Ali Sarkhosh, Mercy Olmstead, Jeff Williamson, Jose Chaparro, and Juanita Popenoe, translated by Eva Pabon, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1374

Key Plant, Key Pests: Oleander (Nerium oleander)

A polka-dot wasp moth. Credit: James Castner, UF/IFAS

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications are designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with common Florida flora. This new 5-page publication, the tenth in the series, helps identify the most common pests found on oleander. This publication provides information and general management recommendations for oleander aphids, oleander caterpillars, sphaerosis gall, oleander leaf scorch, and scale. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Jacqueline Bourdon, Caroline R. Warwick, and Jianjun Chen, and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep574

Key Plant, Key Pests: Juniper (Juniperus spp.)

Dwarf Japanese juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) (also called creeping juniper) is used as a groundcover.

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications is designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with common Florida flora. This seven-page publication, the ninth in the Key Plant, Key Pests series, helps identify the most common pests found on Juniper, with information and general management recommendations for bagworms, eriophyid mites, scale, spider mites, webworm, mushroom root rot, needle blight, Rhizoctonia web blight, tip blight, and wet root rot diseases. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Jacqueline Bourdon, Caroline R. Warwick, and Alfred Huo and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep570

Key Plant, Key Pests: Holly (Ilex sp.)

Hollies are known for their woody branches and vibrant red berries

This series of Key Plant, Key Pests publications are designed for Florida gardeners, horticulturalists, and landscape professionals to help identify common pests associated with common Florida flora. This publication, the eighth in the Key Plant, Key Pests series, helps identify the most common pests found on Holly (Ilex sp.). This publication provides information and general management recommendations for Florida wax scale, tea scale, Cylindrocladium leaf spot, dieback, Sphaeropsis gall, root knot nematodes, and magnesium deficiency. This five-page document was written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, Jacqueline Bourdon, and Liz Felter and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Environmental Horticulture.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep566

Key Plant, Key Pests: Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)

This 8-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify the most common pests found on azalea. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, Jacqueline Bourdon, and David J. Norman and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, December 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep567

Key Plant, Key Pests: Pine Species (Pinus sp.)

This 6-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify the most common pests found on pine species. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Jacqueline Bourdon, Caroline R. Warwick, and Chris Marble and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, December 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep565

Key Plant, Key Pests: Chinese Fringe (Loropetalum chinense)

This 3-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify common pests found on the Chinese fringe. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Jianjun Chen and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, July 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep562

Key Plant, Key Pests: Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

This 5-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify common pests found on the Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia). Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Richard Beeson Jr. and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, July 2018.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep559

Key Plant, Key Pests: Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia)

This 4-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify pests found on the crapemyrtle, one of the most common landscape plants in north and central Florida. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Chris Marble and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, June 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep560

Key Plant, Key Pests: Camellia

This 7-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It discusses identification and management of pests found on the camellia, a flowering plant common in Southern landscapes. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Brian Pearson and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, June 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep558

Key Plant, Key Pests: Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum)

This 4-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It provides information on the management of common pests found on baldcypress. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Roger Kjelgren and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, June 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep557