UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension Florida-Friendly Landscaping In The News

UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension to offer Step by Step Florida-Friendly Landscaping(tm) Training

UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension recognizes the importance of the efficient use of our natural resources in the landscape and invites you to attend the Step by Step Florida-Friendly Landscapingâ„¢ Training. This training will consist of nine classes in five sessions. Information will be provided to help you design and maintain a landscape that uses less water, fertilizer and pesticides. Upon completion of the program, you will receive a certificate stating that you have successfully attended all five sessions.

Opportunity to obtain continuing education will be provided through the UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension Service. Cost is $25.00 for all five sessions. We urge you to register early because class size is limited.

For more information and registration information, download this printable file by clicking on the link below:

• Step by Step Flyer -Sarasota (pdf)
• Register on line for Step by Step in Sarasota (February)
• Step by Step Flyer - Venice (pdf)
• Register on line for Step by Step in Venice (February)

Upcoming Rain Barrel Workshops

There are several rain barrel workshops this summer:

Click on the dates below to register on line.

• Wednesday, January 12 @noon
• January 15 @4pm
• February 19 @10am
• March 19 @10am
• March 23 @noon

For more information and registration information, download the printable files by clicking on the links below or call 861-9815.

Reducing our Dependence on Oil

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has the makings of an enormous environmental disaster.  Oil is still leaking out of a broken underwater pipe more than a month after the initial explosion that caused the spill.  The damage to the environment will be considerable, and the fragile coastal wetland areas and the fishing industry (shellfish, shrimp, and fish) of Louisiana are already feeling the impact of the spill.  Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and possibly the coastal eastern states of the United States may feel the effects of the spill later.  The thousands of miles of shoreline, and the abundance of wildlife in the region, as well as the impact to the fishing industry can make this an environmental and economic disaster that is well beyond the scope of other spills.

While we cannot change what happened, we can evaluate our dependence on oil and try to reduce it.  In our area, Sarasota County, many residents live in community associations.  When the landscapes in those communities were designed, little or no consideration was given to the resources needed for maintenance.  Vast lawn areas require regular mowing, and plants that grow taller than desired, require regular pruning.  Mowing and pruning is mostly performed by machinery that runs on gasoline.  Most people are aware of the gasoline needed for driving their cars, but often forget that the maintenance of their landscapes also requires this resource, in addition to other precious resources such as water. 

By incorporating Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles in our landscapes we can reduce gasoline use, conserve energy, reduce our carbon footprint, and reduce the oil needed to produce energy.  For instance, the Right Plant, Right Place principle suggests selecting plants according to their mature size.  This means that for planting under a window, plants should be selected that only grow to about three feet high, to avoid constant pruning to maintain a certain height.  It is also important to consider mature plant width.  If a bed is only three feet wide, only plants that grow to that width should be used.  Consider replacing narrow strips of turf, which cannot be irrigated or mowed adequately, with mulch or groundcover and modifying large turf areas by expanding shrub beds in order to reduce mowing needs.  Planting deciduous trees to shade the southwest corner of the home in summer, will greatly reduce energy use.   
The Water Efficiently principle recommends conserving water by adjusting the irrigation system seasonally (there is less need for irrigation during the rainy season and the winter months); using rain gauges and rain shut-off devices; grouping plants with similar needs together; irrigating plant beds separately from turf areas; incorporating low-flow micro-irrigation devices in the existing planting beds; and capping irrigation heads in areas with mature xeric plants.  Conserving water in the landscape will not only conserve a precious resource and reduce stormwater runoff, but will also reduce the energy needed to run pumps, etc., reducing the oil needed to produce the energy. 

Visit http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu, for more information about Florida-Friendly Landscaping. 
To get the latest updates on the Deep Water Horizon oil spill and for volunteer opportunities visit the website of the Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs at: http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

--Annemarie Post, Extension Agent, Florida-Friendly Landscapingâ„¢ Program

 

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