- December 15, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Lakewood Ranch’s Les DaCruz wouldn’t describe himself as a gardener.
However, it piqued his curiosity when he saw a booth set up with a mix of plants and seeds at the Lakewood Ranch Library on the morning of Dec. 6. DaCruz has been living in the area for three months and is always looking for classes and workshops in which to participate.
He later spoke with Karen Eckert, a Master Gardener volunteer with the University of Florida. He asked questions about vegetable gardening and hydroponic plants, which can grow without soil with nutrient-rich water.
He said Eckert was helpful in answering his questions and he left with an assortment of handouts of information, along with basil seeds.
“I live in an apartment, so I've been thinking about what I can do there to bring more of the outside into the inside,” DaCruz said. “I really like to cook, so growing basil is right up my alley.”
Lakewood Ranch’s Karen and Tom Eckert have been volunteering as Florida Master Gardener volunteers for 10 years and did the same in South Carolina for nine years prior.
“It is a wonderful organization with opportunities for service, friendship and lifelong learning,” Karen Eckert said of the Master Gardener organization.
Karen Eckert said because Manatee County is so widespread, not everyone can make it to the extension office in Palmetto. In order to reach more members of the community, they have mobile plant clinics where they share their love of gardening and information that comes from research at the University of Florida.
“We're trying to give back to the community, and to counter bad gardening advice,” Tom Eckert said.
Tom Eckert’s example of bad gardening advice is using bathroom epsom salt on palms that appear yellow. He said that is the worst thing you could do and to use a complete fertilizer instead.
Parrish’s Larry and Susan Maas decided to come to the mobile plant clinic after their citrus plant started deteriorating and one side was completely void of leaves. They even brought one of the leaves to help diagnose what was wrong with it.
Karen Eckert said the leaf had an aphid infestation, which resulted in the plant damage Larry Maas described and also black, sooty mold.
Tom Eckert recommended they try insecticidal soap, which is non-specific, meaning it will kill every insect that comes in contact with the soap until it dries. Once the soap dries it will not kill any more bugs and it is biodegrable so it will not continue to be present in the environment. Eckert said it is a more mild solution to the problem before using harsher chemicals like acetate.
Larry Maas said the citrus tree had been inside their lanai but is now moved outside. Tom Eckert said this was a good thing, because when it’s outside, at least there are good bugs as well as bad ones.
“We got a wealth of information and learned much more,” Maas said. “Now we're in real trouble because we’ve got to go over to the extension (office).”
Karen Eckert said a lot of people who come to them looking for advice previously lived in the Northeast or Midwest, so they learned a different way of gardening than in the Florida climate. She said gardening skills might transfer to the warmer climate, but there tends to be a gap in knowledge when it comes to what plants can thrive here.
“The good news in Florida is you can garden year round,” Karen Eckert said. “The bad news is you have to.”
Karen Eckert said one of their key jobs is to help people understand what plants are in their yards and why they were placed where they are.
“A lot of Lakewood Ranch homes are new and the builder (planted) what he had on the truck,” Karen Eckert said. “A landscape that works for a front yard on one side of the street might not be the right set of plants across the street.”
Karen Eckert recommended that new homeowners evaluate their lawns over a couple of years.
She said they should learn about soil and study sun patterns while understand shade. She also emphasized when learning about gardening, it is important to learn through unbiased science-based research that is professionally gathered.
There are nine principles for Florida friendly landscapes according to the University of Florida. They are "Right Plant, Right Place," "Water Efficiently," "Fertilize Appropriately," "Mulch," "Attract Wildlife," "Manage Yard Pests Responsibly," Recycle Yard Waste," "Reduce Stormwater Runoff" and "Protect the Waterfront."
The mobile plant clinic occurs the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. and noon at the Lakewood Ranch Library.
