For many people, 2020 was a year for home renovations and landscaping refreshes. Staying inside got many people thinking about the areas they wanted to change or update in or around their home.
With many items checked off the list, homeowners are now looking to take on more projects and setting their sights outdoors. Here are some of our expert recommendations for upgrading your Miami landscape design for 2021!
Read more “Upgrade Your South Florida Landscaping Design for 2021”
In South Florida, summer is here practically all year long. With a tropical, humid climate comes plenty of pesky mosquitoes and bothersome insects right outside your doorstep. But is your fresh garden creating your mosquito problem or solving it?
Your landscape may be the culprit, which is why it’s crucial to consider what plants repel mosquitoes and which plants attract them. Our experts at Landscaping by Steve Blaum can help you figure out just that.
Read more “Is Your Tropical Landscaping Creating or Solving Your Mosquito Problem?”
Although many homeowners approach autumn as a time for winding down on their yard maintenance, spending some additional time on fall landscaping can drastically enhance virtually any property.
Read more “Ready for Fall? Here Are 5 Appealing Lawn Looks to Welcome New Guests”
South Florida has been plagued for nearly five years by nuisance whiteflies, but a new strain is turning leaves on ficus plants sticky and stained.
This new species is popping up “in pockets” across South Florida and leaving ficus hedges weakened or unsightly. It’s the third nuisance strain of whitefly to hit South Florida, but the others “never had this icky excrement,” said Michael Orfanedes, a commercial horticulture agent with Broward County Extension Education.
The new species, discovered locally in the past month, is called Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly. They look like white blotches on the top of ficus leaves. As they feed, the flies excrete a sticky goo that leads to black discoloration from sooty mold fungus, said Orfanedes.
It’s too early to know the extent of local damage and how much homeowners will have to spend to replace damaged plants, he said.
About four weeks ago Orfanedes said, he received a call from Charles Livio, the city horticulturist in Oakland Park, to investigate an “odd type insect infestation.” Orfanedes checked it out and thought to himself: “I don’t know what this is, but it doesn’t look good.” He sent a sample to state officials who said it “looked like what had been discovered in Collier County” – Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly.
The bugs leave a “sticky mess,” Orfanedes said. To counteract them, he said, some people are releasing “beneficial” insects like ladybugs and predatory wasps. Certain insecticides can treat the problem, or better yet, “replace the ficus hedge and be done with it,” he advised.
Livio said a city employee discovered the problem in a resident’s front yard.
“It’s very noticeable because unlike the previous Whitefly Infestations Miami, this whitefly is also noticeable on the top surface of the leaf,” Livio said.
The flies present no health concerns for people, but “for ficus, it’s one more nail in the coffin,” Orfanedes said.
