What are your favorite Trees and Flowers ? (Miami, Brownsville: beaches, area)

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Manolón

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I guess your Latino friends must be from some favela, ranchito or were "paracaidistas" from Mexico. Coral Gables is pathetic and the style is "noveau rich corny" compared to many "repartos", "colonias" and "countries" in Latin America. In fact, Coral Gables is a pale and loud copy of Miramar.

ahh the pecking order again

[Chelito23]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the whitefly infect the generic ficus that is planted everywhere...and not so much the Banyans (I know Banyans are part of the Ficus family too)?

It is a shame that in SoFlo we can't have Coconut Palms, now ficus, citrus, etc. We always get the most devastating plant diseases and pests from around the world. What kills me and what I don't get is why we have lethal yellowing here, but it isn't present at areas farther south in the Caribbean, as if it was erraticated or just went away. I remember when Jamaica and Belize had a wave that wiped out their coconuts...but they are back there...so why hasn't the LY gone away here? Anyone know?

[cixcell]

chelito: it attacks all ficus including even fiddle leafs. it seems to prefer benjamina though the way mosquitos prefer human ankles.

it isnt present in certain areas of the caribbean probably because the insect vector gets gobbled up by other critters. like frogs in puerto rico. there is no reason puerto rico shouldnt have it already.
what i find very interesting is how all native florida palms are resistant to lethal yellowing but palms from the south pacific (like coconuts) are susceptible. this must be a very old disease that rears it's ugly head from time to time for all our local palms to be immune to it.

one reason it may not have gone away here is our coconuts really arent as happy as the ones down there. they still have to put up with our winter. during that time they could potentially be infected while they survive our cold fronts. i noticed after these past 2 bad winters there were lots of vitamin deficencies in palms so perhaps the cold allowed fungal infections or used up something in them or perhaps made them susceptible to disease. shame since just a few scoopfuls of miracle grow soil tossed at the base of them and theyre cured.

there is a mango plague out there as well. i really worry about that one getting here.

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the whitefly infect the generic ficus that is planted everywhere...and not so much the Banyans (I know Banyans are part of the Ficus family too)?

It is a shame that in SoFlo we can't have Coconut Palms, now ficus, citrus, etc. We always get the most devastating plant diseases and pests from around the world. What kills me and what I don't get is why we have lethal yellowing here, but it isn't present at areas farther south in the Caribbean, as if it was erraticated or just went away. I remember when Jamaica and Belize had a wave that wiped out their coconuts...but they are back there...so why hasn't the LY gone away here? Anyone know?

Here is some information on Lethal Yellowing.
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Palm Diseases: LY in Florida

[perry335654]

They are using tetraoxycycline as an injection in to the unhealthy and healthy palms as this is just a temporary cure, I believe they do these injections on a quarterly basis.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by perry335654

Here is some information on Lethal Yellowing.
\
Palm Diseases: LY in Florida

i knew one of the guys they sent down to jamaica when it first hit.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by perry335654

They are using tetraoxycycline as an injection in to the unhealthy and healthy palms as this is just a temporary cure, I believe they do these injections on a quarterly basis.

yep. 3 times yearly. thats why naples still has their tall coconut palms and why there are a few scattered around the keys like bahia honda. scars the trunk though.

[Chelito23]

Has anyone else noticed that the coconuts in the Keys and right at the beach usually resist LY better than the inland coconut palms? Do you all think this is merely because these trees are getting their injections? Or is it less stress from the colder inland night temps?

There is nothing sadder than seeing a thriving 4 or 5 year old coconut succumb to LY. And now the Ficus are being attacked. I have also noticed in Broward that the Royal Poincianas are being affected by some disease...they drop their leave and their branches curve upward as oppsoed to downward and they are toast. What disease is that? God, I would hate for yet another icon of subtropical beauty to be infected.

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by cixcell

chelito: it attacks all ficus including even fiddle leafs. it seems to prefer benjamina though the way mosquitos prefer human ankles.

it isnt present in certain areas of the caribbean probably because the insect vector gets gobbled up by other critters. like frogs in puerto rico. there is no reason puerto rico shouldnt have it already.
what i find very interesting is how all native florida palms are resistant to lethal yellowing but palms from the south pacific (like coconuts) are susceptible. this must be a very old disease that rears it's ugly head from time to time for all our local palms to be immune to it.

one reason it may not have gone away here is our coconuts really arent as happy as the ones down there. they still have to put up with our winter. during that time they could potentially be infected while they survive our cold fronts. i noticed after these past 2 bad winters there were lots of vitamin deficencies in palms so perhaps the cold allowed fungal infections or used up something in them or perhaps made them susceptible to disease. shame since just a few scoopfuls of miracle grow soil tossed at the base of them and theyre cured.

there is a mango plague out there as well. i really worry about that one getting here.

My profile picture is a group of MayPan coconuts. It is a hybrid of the green Malayan dwarf crossed with the Panama tall coconut palms. A truly beautiful hybrid and seemingly LY resistant.

[cixcell]

yep maypans are pretty good. i actually have a maypan growing in the back from a stray coconut around those lakes at fairchild that i got during a festival when they use the area as a parkinglot and sprouted it =) they dont breed true though so its a grab bag of genes with varying levels of resistance. actually those ones around the lake at fairchild are a grab bag of genes themselves according to dave romney if you know him. my favorite tree of all time though are still the tall coconut palms. its all about the slinky trunk.