Hurricane Season 2012 Predictions

The latest hurricane prediction information is now out from Drs. Klotzbach and Gray from Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science. For Florida, it looks like the team is predicting a relatively mild hurricane season. A few factors such as a cooler Atlantic Ocean temperature and a possible El Niño event occurring this fall seemed to be aligning for minimum hurricane pressure for Florida.  They are predicting 10 named storms and two major hurricanes for the Atlantic basin.  For detailed information regarding this report here is a link for you to check out.  http://tropical.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2012/apr2012/apr2012.pdf

New Publication for Nurseries

When I am out and about visiting nurseries, I can usually find someone spraying glyphosate around the edges keeping the place clean.  About 9 out of 10 times the applicator is applying the herbicide incorrectly.  Usually the person applying the spray is standing over the weeds drowning them in herbicide wasting time and money in labor and product.  That prompted me to publish "Proper Use and Handling of Glyphosate in the Nursery"  Here is the link.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep459  If you would like to read it for a Core CEU credit take this link, read the article, and take the quiz.  If you pass the quiz I'll send you a CEU form.  www.tiny.cc/CEUS  Just scroll down to the last article on the page.

FNGLA Lake Region Meeting

The Lakes Region Meeting will be having the first meeting of the 2012-13 year.  The meeting will be at Mid-Florida Nursery (2324 County Line Road, Plant City, FL) on June 5, 2012 starting at 5:00 with dinner at 6:30 pm.  At this meeting we will be swearing in officers and Board of Directors.  We will also be having  the famous "Rumph Roasted" Boston butt for dinner, specially prepared by Bruce Rumph.  If you would like to attend please give Karen Peterson a call 863-644-6491 or email lakeregionfngla@juno.org by June 1st.  Don't forget to bring something for the raffle.

Plant Disease Control Workshop

Here is an ornamental disease seminar you may want to attend from BASF at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm on June 28, 2012.  CEUs will be available.

Disease Control and Plant Health Strategies in Ornamentals
8:00–8:50 a.m. – Registration

8:50–9:00 a.m. – Introduction (BASF)

9:00–9:30 a.m. – What is Plant Health (BASF)

9:30–10:20 a.m. – Plant Health: Trial Results and Significance to Greenhouse and Nursery Operations – Paul Pilon

10:20-10:30 a.m. – Break

10:30-11:30 a.m. – Ornamental Disease Management & Update – Dr. Ann Chase

11:30-12:30 p.m. - Disease Management in Ornamental Nurseries – Dr. Aaron Palmateer

12:30 p.m. – Lunch - sponsored by BASF

For More Information Contact:  Brian McCaffrey 727.858.0983, brian.mccaffrey@basf.com or Frank Fornari, 352.630.0123, frank.fornari@basf.com

Click on this link to register.
http://www.eminj.com/BASF/PageantIntrinsic/Registration.cfm

Pesticide Applicator Classes

The following pesticide applicator classes may be of interest to you.


In English:
May 17: Core and Private Applicator Exam Training: Thursday May 17, Core 9am-11am, Private 11am-1pm, Manatee County Extension Service. Can be taken for exam preparation or CEUs for current license holders. CEU’s available are: 2 in Core for Core class, 2 in Private Applicator for Private class.

Registration: http://coreprv051712.eventbrite.com/ Or call Jennifer at 941-722-4524

In Spanish:
June 22: Spanish Core Pesticide Training and Exam, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 8:00am-3:00pm: The test will be administered directly after the exam. Agenda and registration available here: http://spanishcore6-22-12.eventbrite.com/

June 29: Spanish Private Applicator Pesticide Training and Exam, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 8:00am-3:00pm: The test will be administered directly after the exam. Agenda and registration available here: http://spanishprv6-29-12.eventbrite.com/

Important Info for Spanish Classes
**Classes are in Spanish but tests are only in English**
This Class requires advance registration.
Registration fee is $20.00 per class and includes lunch. You may pay online at the websites above. If you prefer to register over the phone please call Jennifer at (941) 722-4524 and send a check to:Manatee County Extension Service, 1303 17th St. West Palmetto, FL 34221.  Make your check payable to: Manatee County Friends of Extension
Please note that checks for the Core class must be postmarked by June 15 and no refunds will be processed after June 15.

Checks for the Private Applicator class must be postmarked by June 22 and no refunds will be processed after June 22.

These classes require a minimum number of attendees. If the minimum is not reached the class(es) will be cancelled and your payment will be refunded.  Please Call Crystal or Jennifer at (941)722-4524 with any questions you may have.  CEUs will be available for current license holders pending approval.

Preemergent Herbicide Publication

What's the best herbicide to use for controlling  bittercress in containers? Which herbicide can I use over the top of crape myrtles? What herbicides are labeled for greenhouse use to control artillery fern? These are some of the common questions I get as an extension agent. In general, for these determinations we look at four basic questions:  What crop are you growing?  What weed are you trying to control?  What location are you growing at? What chemical/s are available to use on the crop?  To answer most of those questions we are fortunate to have a great publication available.  Dr. Bob Stamps (et. al) has just updated the publication entitled Preemergence Herbicides for Use in Ornamentals.  If you have questions like the ones I mentioned previously I would highly recommend you take a look at this publication.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg058   It covers many of the common weeds we see in the nursery industry, numerous facts about the herbicides available, and tolerance of different crop plants to preemergent herbicides all listed in a nice layout.  Remember to first identify the weed correctly, when you make a herbicide selection follow the label, and always rotate pesticides.   

Shaken Not Stirred

Converting between liquid and dry formulation fertilizers can sometimes be problematic in the field. When recommendations give a rate of N (Nitrogen) per acre in dry formulations it might be difficult to figure out how much liquid fertilizer you would need to obtain the same rate of fertilizer. Here is a new publication from the Horticulture Science Department at UF/IFAS that will help to clarify converting from dry fertilizer recommendations into liquid.  Just click on this link to read more http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1200 

Mid Florida Research and Education Center Field Day

The UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka is hosting a field day on May 23, 2012 from 7:45 - 4:30 pm.  It looks like they will have a great line up of information for plant producers.  I highly recommend plant producers to take a look at the agenda.  There will be a few informational tours as well as speakers to update you in the latest research in plant production science from UF/IFAS MREC.  A free lunch will be provided.  There will be a tradeshow and Adam Putnam will be a guest speaker. You will also be able to get CEU's to round off your pesticide license.  Click on this link for more information,an agenda, a map, and a link to register.  http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/fieldday/

Coffee Anyone?

This may be of interest to you.  It was forwarded to me via UF email from Duck Lake Growers.  Their price is $10 per yard or $30 per 3 yard scoop.  Their website is ducklakeonline.com

We have several thousand tons of spent coffee grounds available to organic and conventional growers. We are located centrally in Dade City,Pasco county. Can you help us reach those who could benefit from this fine organic resource?



We also have finished compost from a mixture of wood chips from tree trimming(Davey Tree Inc.),coffee grounds and high calcium limestone(Jahna mine Hernando county)


We have been using our compost for our potting soil and as the largest grower of Zamia floridana(coontie) in the world we have earned the reputation as the premier growers of this rare material. We want to make our resource available to all foreword thinking farmers and ranchers, as well as citrus,grape,peach,blueberry and ornamental growers, any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated by us and I am sure by those who can use these products. We have loaders and may be able to provide delivery throughout the state.

Thank you
Jacque Klein, Duck lake trees and shrubs
12507 duck lake canal rd.
Dade City,Fl. 33525
Ph. 352 567 9809

Invitation to Bid on Eucalyptus

Here are some new opportunities for tree producers from UF Forestry Breeding Research...

Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. (FFSP) is announcing this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for the exclusive licensing opportunity of the 'G1', 'G2', 'G3', 'G4', and 'G5' eucalyptus grandis cultivars. These cultivars were developed by the forestry breeding program at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences School of Forest Resources and Conservation.


For more information about these eucalyptus cultivars, please click here. http://ffsp.net/resources/ITN12-03-07.pdf

FFSP encourages technology transfer to be an open process among all interested external parties. Because this germplasm may be exclusively licensed, the award of this exclusive license will be handled through our ITN process. If you or your company are unfamiliar with the ITN process, please click here for more information.

There are three (3) principles used to guide the entire FFSP ITN process. In order of importance, these principles are:
For the good of the State of Florida and its people;
For the good of the University of Florida and IFAS; and
For the good of the breeding program and the breeders.

These three (3) principles are to be addressed at all levels of discussion in the ITN process.

All interested parties are encouraged to submit comments and/or proposals. In order to submit comments and/or proposals, you must first complete and submit the ITN Acknowledgment Form to FFSP via fax or mail (Fax - (877) 839-9162, Mail - 1059 McCarty Hall D, PO Box 110200, Gainesville, FL 32611-0200). The ITN Acknowledgment Form can be found at the end of the ITN Announcement Packet. After FFSP has received your signed Acknowledgment Form, your company will be sent a questionnaire, which may be used as a template for your proposal.

All proposals and comments must be received by FFSP before 12PM EST on Friday, June 1, 2012. Proposals and comments received after this time will not be accepted or considered.
To request more information about any other proprietary cultivars available for licensing, please visit the FFSP website. To receive ITN announcements and other important updates regarding other cultivars, please sign up for FFSP News Alert.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact FFSP (jwatson@ffsp.net, Phone: (352) 273-3656).

ITN Proposal Checklist

Fax or Mail the Acknowledgment Form to FFSP (Fax - (877) 839-9162, Mail - 1059 McCarty Hall D, PO Box 110200, Gainesville, FL 32611-0200).

Send in Completed Proposal and/or Comments by Friday, June 1, 2012 at 12 PM EST.

Boxwood Blight

Picture from NPND News, Vol.6, Issue 12

As far as I know boxwood blight (Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum) has not been found in Florida but I wanted you to be aware of it.  This disease is very destructive on boxwood starting with black spots and lesions that coalesce to eventually kill the plant.  It has also been found on plants and landscapes in Connecticut, Virginia, Maryland, Oregon, Ohio, New York,  Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.  So be aware and cautious about moving plants back and forth across the Florida state line.  The disease is common in the UK.  It affects all cultivars and species of Buxus to one degree or another and the same disease has been found on Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis).  If you are interested in reading more about it boxwood blight, here is a great article about the disease from Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station.    http://tiny.cc/boxblight