2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) is an Extension outreach program of the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Conducted in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the program focuses on statewide public outreach providing scientifically based information on plant selection, fertilizer/pesticide management and water conservation for residential and commercial landscapes. The program seeks to curb nonpoint-source pollution stemming from landscape runoff, as well as promote water conservation. As population projections indicate that Florida’s current 20 million residents may grow to 35 million by 2060, effective outreach to this large audience is an ever-expanding challenge. Accordingly, FFL has developed several mobile apps that offer program content in a convenient, readily distributable format: (1) Plant-Selection App: The right plant for the right place is a basic tenant of FFL. However, what constitutes the right mix of plants for a Florida landscape can be confusing for a state with seven USDA hardiness zones, local annual precipitation ranging from less than 50 to nearly 70 inches per year, and a soil spectrum spanning xeric sands to rich clay-loams. The FFL plant-selection app provides plant recommendations to users based on their location and basic information regarding their landscape characteristics (e.g., sun/shade, wet/dry) and plant needs (e.g., turf/groundcover, shrubs, trees). (2) Butterfly App: Protecting pollinators, including butterflies, is another basic FFL principle that motivates many Floridians to plant a butterfly garden. Developed in coordination with the UF McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, the app considers a user’s geographic location within Florida, as well as their landscape conditions, and then recommends a mix of host plants for a butterfly garden that complements the locally expected butterflies. (3) Fertilizer-Ordinance Geolocation App: Florida enjoys an abundance of lakes, rivers and coastal waters, many with densely populated urbanized watersheds. In the continuing struggle to manage urban landscape practices, including excess fertilizer use that contributes to nonpoint-source pollutant loading to surface and ground waters, over 75 city and county governments in Florida have enacted fertilizer ordinances that often include blackout periods when no fertilizer at all may be applied. As landscape professionals may work daily within multiple jurisdictions for these local ordinances, this smartphone-based app allows them to confirm which ordinance or jurisdiction applies to a particular work site. The smartphone’s geolocation feature paired with a built-in map database provides the capability for the app.