September is a month of curious contradictions and juxtapositions, at least for gardeners in panhandle Florida. Depending on the individual characteristics of the environmental factors of the year, events and occurrences can, and often do, cancel each other. Still, much can be accomplished during this transitional period from summer to autumn. The summer of 2024…Read more
As described in Monday’s release, there are four walls plus the branch collar that the tree uses to block the spread of decay. Below are the descriptions of these walls as listed in the order of weakest to strongest response: Wall 1 limits the vertical spread of decay up the tree. It is the weakest…Read more
There are many ways trees can be damaged. I am always amazed at how trees manage to respond when subjected to injury. Mechanical injury, such as lightning strikes and storm winds. Construction damage by vehicles, grading equipment and soil trenching equipment. All can cause damage to limbs, trunks and roots. Although we do not often…Read more
The weather forecast currently states there is likely a reprieve coming from the hot and dry weather being experienced by the residents of Florida’s panhandle. Some locales in the northwest portion of the state have already experienced rain and cooler (albeit not cool) weather. While the change cannot come soon enough for the human residents,…Read more
Ever since June 20 of this summer, the days have been getting gradually shorter. On Sunday, September 23, 2024 the autumnal equinox will occur and the days will continue to get inexorably shorter. This change in the length of daylight is so subtle it is not noticed by most of the human residents of panhandle…Read more
Florida is one of the world’s highest lightning strike regions. Securely grounding homes and buildings is a common practice (and building code requirement) to mitigate the damage done by random hits from these high voltage events. This same type of system can be used on trees to improve their chances of surviving a lightning strike….Read more
Panhandle Florida’s gardens are still producing in August, at least in plots where the weeds have not overtaken the remaining vegetable plants. Granted, the choice of crops is limited to a few stalwarts able to handle the 90-degree plus temperatures, the high humidity and the intermittent rains, some of which have been brutal in their…Read more
Late summer is the time for enjoying panhandle Florida’s great outdoors. There is gardening, boating, cycling, hiking and numerous other leisure time activities which enhance the area’s pleasant natural environment. It is easy to forget that not all nature has to offer is an enjoyable experience. One consideration before tromping off into unfamiliar forests, and other…Read more
The generalized reputation of any group is always suspect because the actions of a few can tint or taint the collective perception of all members. Any assemblage has its saints and sinners, but most of those associated are just going quietly about their assigned tasks. This concept applies to humans, and also to insects. Wasps…Read more
When reviewing trees for safety, identifying hazardous or weak limbs which may fail is an important part of the evaluation. Poor structure, decay caused by disease or other defects may be the cause of the problem bough. The usual remedy for resolving the threat is the removal of the dangerous limbs that have the potential…Read more
