It is frequently assumed that urban soils are homogenous, heavily disturbed, or of low fertility. But recent studies show that urban soils are highly variable, ranging from highly modified to nearly undisturbed. Still, there are observable trends and patterns in urban soil characteristics have been observed. This 6-page fact sheet sheds light on how and why soil properties vary across Gainesville and provides useful information on the sustainable management of urban soils. It was written by Donald Hagan, Cynnamon Dobbs, Francisco Escobedo, Wayne Zipperer, and Zoltan Szantoi, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, November 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr337
Category: Lawn & Garden
The Insect Community on the Soil Surface (ENY859/IN876)
It’s easy to find and collect insects, related arthropods, and other invertebrates from the soil surface using simple materials that are readily available. This 7-page fact sheet describes several collection methods and introduces common invertebrates that are found on the soil surface in agricultural fields and gardens in Florida. It was written by Harsimran K. Gill, Robert McSorley, and Lyle Buss, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, January 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in876
Fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Arctiinae) (EENY486/IN878)
This 9-page illustrated fact sheet describes this pest whose larvae form large tents in the foliage of many ornamental trees & shrubs, and also agronomic crops — synonymy, distribution, description and life cycle, hosts, economic importance, and management. Includes references. Written by Andrei Sourakov and Thomson Paris, Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology as part of the Featured Creatures collection, December 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in878
FOR276/FR338 The Decline of Florida Torreya: An Endemic Conifer on the Edge of Extinction
FOR276, a 5-page fact sheet by Jason A. Smith and Aaron Trulock, suggests a new understanding of the cause of decline and discusses current efforts to assess the population and develop a recovery plan. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, November 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr338
FOR274/FR336 Oak Wilt: A Potential Future Threat to Oaks in Florida
FOR274, a 5-page fact sheet by Kelly Peacock and Jason Smith, provides information on the diagnosis, biology, and management of the disease and should provide guidance for future efforts to identify and manage oak wilt in the state of Florida. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, November 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr336
FC47/CH092 Key Lime Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
Revised! FC47, a 12-page fact sheet by Jonathan Crane, provides homeowners with an overview of this small bushy citrus fruit tree introduced to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century — description, propagation, fruit production, placement in the landscape, care, pest management, concerns with lawn care, harvest, ripening, and storage, use and nutrition. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, December 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch092
HS1153/HS402 Lemon Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
Revised! HS1153, a 13-page fact sheet by Jonathan Crane, provides homeowners with an overview of this small vigorous citrus fruit tree — description, propagation, fruit production, placement in the landscape, care, pest management, concerns with lawn care, harvest, ripening, and storage, use and nutrition. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, December 2010. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs402
ENH14/EP098 Overseeding Florida Lawns for Winter Color
Revised! ENH14, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by L.E. Trenholm and J. Bryan Unruh, describes this practice used to provide green winter turf color for Florida lawns — selecting rye grasses, seedbed preparation, maintenance, and transitioning back to permanent grass. Published by UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, December 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep098
EENY483/IN875 European Earwig Forficula auricularia Linnaeus (Insecta: Dermaptera: Forficulidae)
EENY483, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by John L. Capinera, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes this predatory, omnivorous insect with pincer-like cerci (forceps) –distribution, description and life cycle, behavior, hosts, damage, and management. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in875
CIR1242/FE889 Handbook of Florida Fence and Property Law
Now available online as a single pdf. CIR1242, a 46-page handbook by Michael T. Olexa, Eugene E. Shuey, Joshua A. Cossey, and Katherine Smallwood, informs property owners of their rights and responsibilities in terms of their duty to fence. Discussed areas include a property owners responsibility to fence when livestock is kept on the property, the rights of adjoining landowners to fence, the placement of fences, encroachments, boundary lines, easements, contracts, nuisances, and a landowners responsibilities towards persons who enter his property. Published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, August 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe889
HS1186 Solutions for Small Farmers and Home Gardens: Building a Low-Cost Vertical Soilless System for Production of Small Vegetable and Fruit Crops
HS1186, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Bielinski M. Santos, Teresa P. Salame-Donoso, and Shawn C. Arango, provides written and graphic instructions on how to build a homemade vertical soilless (hydroponic) growing system (also known as “bottle grow”) to produce vegetables and small fruit crops at a fraction of the cost of commercially available systems, without occupying premium agricultural land and by utilizing materials available in the home and local hardware store. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, November 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1186
ENH92/MG318 Cold Damage on Palms
Revised! ENH921, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Timothy K. Broschat, describes how cold temperatures affect palms and how to treat them following a cold weather event. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, September 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg318
FOR271/FR333 Florida’s Urban Soils: Underfoot Yet Overlooked
FOR271, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Donald Hagan, Cynnamon Dobbs, and Francisco Escobedo, provides an overview of Florida’s urban soils emphasizing their ecosystem services and sustainable management. Includes references and glossary. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, July 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr333
ENH1172/EP433 Landscape Design: Aesthetic Characteristics of Plants
ENH1172, an 8-page illustrated fact sheet by Gail Hansen and Erin Alvarez, discusses form, texture, size and color of landscape plants and how to choose plant combinations based on these qualities to create a composition of plant material. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, September 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep433
ENH1160/EP420 Community ButterflyScaping: How to Move Beyond Butterfly Gardening to Create a Large-Scale Butterfly Habitat
ENH1160, a 20-page illustrated fact sheet by Kathy C. Malone, Wendy Wilber, Gail Hansen, Jaret C. Daniels, Claudia Larsen, and Esen Momol, provides developers, community associations, and homeowners with guidance in planning the vegetation in common areas, stormwater management systems, undeveloped areas, and yards to form large-scale habitats attractive to butterflies, pollinators, birds, and other local wildlife. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, Spetember 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep420
ENH1173/EP434 New Florida Foliage Plant Cultivar: Dieffenbachia ‘Sparkles’
ENH1173, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by R. J. Henny, J. Chen, and T. A. Mellich, describes the origin, description, and availability of this commercial foliage cultivar characterized by bright leaf color, and attractive paisley mottled appearance. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, September 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep434
FOR268/FR330 Urban Forests in Florida: Storm Damage Assessment Utility for Estimating Hurricane-Caused Tree Debris
FOR268, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Benjamin Thompson, Francisco Escobedo, Christina Staudhammer, Jerry Bond, and Chris Luley, explains how the USDA Storm Damage Assessment Protocol (SDAP), or i-Tree Storm, can be used to better estimate tree debris amounts and cleanup costs for pre-hurricane planning purposes and post-hurricane response. Includes references. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, July 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr330
ENH1174/EP435 The Lawn Fertilizer Toolbox
ENH1174, a 3-page fact sheet by Laurie E. Trenholm, Jason K. Kruse, and J. Bryan Unruh, describes the nutrients in fertilizer that are most important for keeping turfgrass healthy and when to fertilize. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, October 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep435
EENY481/IN870 a mosquito Culex (Melanoconion) iolambdis Dyar (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae)
EENY481, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Stephanie K. Larrick, Erik M. Blosser, and C. Roxanne Connelly, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes this small, dark brown mosquito that exists in the tropics and subtropics and about which little is known — distribution, description, biology, medical importance, and management. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, August 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in870
ENH1169/EP430 Landscape Design: Finding Inspiration for a Design Theme
ENH1169, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by Gail Hansen and Erin Alvarez, suggests types of design themes, sources of inspiration, and how to incorporate a theme into a landscape design. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, July 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep430