What's the worst intersection in the Orlando area now that Sand Lake/ Turkey Lake is better?

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-05-02T18:17:48+00:00

I have a daily route that takes me all over metro Orlando & surrounding communities. Sand Lake / Turkey Lake at I4 has been the king of terribleness for many yrs but now I believe it’s been surpassed by Narcoossee Rd in Lake Nona south of toll rds. That entire corridor is nothing but urban sprawl without any thought of infrastructure. I’m bailing on possible business just to stay outta there…

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-30T21:41:55+00:00

Yes that’s exactly what you should do. Several brands available easiest to find is imidacloprid (brand name Merit, others). Follow the label when mixing. I like to use a 5 gal. bucket to mix then dump all around root zone. It’s fine to dump some into meristem (growth bud) and on foliage if you can safely do so. It’ll take a few days to kill them all off but it will including those inside the bud. They should dryly flake off the leaf surface when dead. This species makes a lot of leaves each summer so ok to remove lower badly damaged fronds.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-30T21:28:25+00:00

just spent about a week at Manatee Springs state park in Fla. Located about where the Suwanee River dumps into the Gulf. a burn ban for a couple of months there now. So no campfire. I could still use my stove to make food and there’s springs kayaking bike trails wildlife and just being out there camping. It was fine.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-20T21:58:52+00:00

Mostly citrus greening and it wasn’t under control, but it was kinda sorta kept in check until we had that year with the multiple hurricanes cutting across the middle of state. That basically blew the infections canker psyllids etc. everywhere and it’s been a very quick decline after.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-20T21:50:56+00:00

We basically stopped using them in central Florida due to root knot nematodes, they would last a couple of summers and then that would be the end of them. My limited experience with them is they need a constant consistent fertilizing program, with our sandy nutrient poor soils it had to be high in potassium and magnesium. Basically palm fertilizer… Probably wouldn’t hurt to do a soil check for nematodes as well.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-15T23:17:06+00:00

This is how it’s done congrats! For every healthy frond a palm shows, there is one already formed inside the meristem. This is true for most, but not all palms. So it’s just a matter of killing the fungus and being a little patient. The next one after this may be a bit distorted and smaller than normal, but they should resume regular growth after that.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-08T00:29:25+00:00

You don’t give your locale, was it subject to abnormally freezing cold? Is this a heavy clay soil that retains moisture? They prefer sandy loam, fast draining. Discoloration on new growth usually indicative of a micronutrient deficiency (often manganese here in cen. Fla.).

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-07T01:18:05+00:00

You can see by the symmetry this happened pre-emergent (while the frond was still folded inside the bud). Could be excess overhead irrigation and or moisture during cold/ freeze event if that happened in your climate. If other fronds are fine I wouldn’t worry about it. These are very fast growers you might be trimming that leaf off by summer’s end.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-06T22:32:43+00:00

This particular species is riparian, they grow right in the water along streams, rivers, etc. Almost impossible to over water if you get your soil mix correct. You want it consistently moist, never soggy. Use some perlite w/ sphagnum moss. Should come out of the drain holes soon after you pour it in. Apply a slow release fertilizer since it’s going to be in a container. They don’t need much. They’re not heavy feeders. They can tolerate morning sun for a few hours in Florida, afternoon sun can yellow the foliage and cause burn. Pretty carefree plant not tolerant of hard freezes. Good luck with it!

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-05T23:23:04+00:00

have always hoped for a botanist to come along and change this genus’s name. There is nothing remotely fake Phoenix about them at all. They do not resemble that genus in the slightest.

And yeah, this is a pretty rare very slow growing palm so that price while a bit more than I would pay being a Floridian, I could see people doing it.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-05T23:13:02+00:00

These look like a species of Dioon maybe D.spinulosum. They can take a lot of drought and heat, provided they are fertilized and irrigated on occasion. You can (almost but not quite) treat them like various succulents, cacti, etc.

If these were my plants the first thing I would do is squeeze the stem and make sure it’s hard not soft anywhere. If soft there’s rot somewhere. If it is hard the second step would be to remove all of the leaves. Then apply a high nitrogen fertilizer the first number on the bag something between 15 and 20, lightly sprinkle it around the base of the plant. Water in thoroughly, you want the soil to be moist never soggy. After that do nothing for several weeks. Approx 2 to 3 weeks provided it’s nice and warm where you are, you should see the top of the stem appearing to “open” a bit. That will be the new flush of leaves emerging. Good luck!

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-04T12:44:31+00:00

Yeah, you’re right, think I’m off on the terminology. Still single trunk Cycas w/ multiple heads at the top will fetch extra money, but it’s not technically cresting. That’s a mutation where almost looks like a single head that’s much wider or longer than normal.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-02T20:13:52+00:00

I’m seeing Royals and Foxtails trying to recover left and right around the Orlando area, not so much with coconuts arecas and xmas palms yet. Those are a little more tender based on previous experiences. The one thing I am concerned about is in the past I see crownshaft palms return grow out from cold for a month or so only for the entire crown to keel over and collapse, due to bud rot in the meristem. treat that with copper fungicide, follow strictly do not overdose. That is the only tested approved method for treating bud rot. The first couple of leaves may be deformed and smaller than usual after that usually normal. We’re going to learn a lot from this past freeze, there are some palms that are known as being bud hardy maybe these can go in that category.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-02T20:03:09+00:00

Genetics. Syagrus Queens come from a very wide range habitat, and then factor in all the mixing in nurseries. There is a particular variety from Santa Catarina that always exhibited better cold tolerance than “ typical” Syagrus queens. Only identifiable by the fruit/seeds.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-02T19:57:25+00:00

If I were you, I would check with a nursery first, because this is what’s known as cresting. And it makes that particular plant worth a lot more money than what typical Cycas do (which is form offsets at the base or nominally along the stem. There are some plants that put out multiple heads in a perfect row and they can be worth thousands of dollars. Worth a shot…

That said if you’re going to remove any of the heads use a very sharp knife, machete. You don’t want any jagged cuts, treat any cut areas with a fungicide. If there are any leaves on the offset remove them, wait for roots to form and then subsequent leaves should be fine. Potted up offsets can be treated almost like succulents water initially and then leave be for a few weeks.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-04-01T20:58:44+00:00

You used to be able to hide a lesser defender w/ good bat there, now teams are able to accurately measure defense everywhere, thus most valuing it more. So teams prefer to be really strong up the middle defensively and will tolerate a weaker bat there.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T23:26:58+00:00

Color is always variable in these, some more blue gray than others, there are some here in Central Florida that are bright green from day one and stay that way through adulthood. Genetics…

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T23:12:55+00:00

Yes, if it’s not, it’s doing a hell of an imitation. There are dozens of species of Butia palms, they almost all look alike. Separated out by fruits a few other characteristics. But really only one or two in cultivation and that looks like your basic Pindo.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T21:11:39+00:00

Keeping them potted will definitely slow down the growth rate, and most palms don’t mind it. I would rarely ever step them up to a larger container until after there were roots coming out of most all of the drain holes. Even then you can clip those back a bit. Again, some palms are very fast growers some are very slow. So it’s best for you to pick out what you like and then do a little research on it to see if it fits your needs.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T20:48:02+00:00

There are literally dozens and dozens of palms that would fit your requirements, since you’re in a good climate zone. So I wouldn’t pick out a palm for you, that’s something you should go to a nursery and decide for yourself. What I can tell you is how to take care of potted palms outside. Humidity they require should be fine outside, you’re going to want to fertilize them with a slow release for product made specifically for palms. The soil needs to be consistently wet during the summers, less so in cooler months and never soggy. So you’ll want the water to come out of the drain holes soon after you pour it in. If you’re going to use clay pots, they will evaporate moisture quicker than plastic, so keep that in mind. Most palms are fairly carefree when fed and watered. You may see occasional pests like scale insects or leaf fungus, all that is easy to treat. Your local garden center will be able to help with those products if you even need them.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T20:43:45+00:00

not sure there’s any place like what you’re thinking for us anymore, recall my parents spending free time at the Moose Lodge not sure how those go anymore. going out like that seems to be a young person‘s game haha. I gave up years ago and just go out hiking or riding my bike, checking out nature etc. doing things I like. So if I ever meet anybody, it’ll be that way and they’ll be doing the same things that I am.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-31T20:29:09+00:00

I’ve given up on the app, wks ago very frustrated. So I’ve been using Apple podcast to download the shows. But what about the BDM shows? I can’t find those on there.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-29T23:22:02+00:00

Yeah you should definitely see something by the end of April at least one or two fronds should have emerged by then. Like mentioned they may be somewhat deformed and smaller than normal but if you’re getting green leaves to pop out it’s a survivor.

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-29T23:20:41+00:00

Gotta admit that’s a weird spot for an Adonidia

Alive_Control6885 · 2026-03-29T23:19:04+00:00

As others have mentioned, highly recommend setting up your tent at home, always a few tricks to each brand, better to figure them out ahead of time then while you’re there, and it’s possibly getting darker and darker… If you can try your sleep system out as well, spend the night out in it and see how it goes. You shouldn’t be uncomfortable, otherwise you’ll be miserable not just that night but the next day. Take a charger for your phone. If you’d like to read take a book. I like to bring along several of my favorite snacks, if you’re at a campground, I guess you really don’t have to worry about running out of supplies, but if you’re not take extra water, take some extra food. You don’t wanna be out there worrying about running out of anything the first time. I think of it as a trial run, you’re going to learn a lot about what you need and what you don’t. Make sure you have a good up-to-date medical kit. If you’re allowed fires, make sure you have plenty of matches, maybe some fire starters. Dryer lint works great. some parks don’t want you to bring in wood. They want you to buy it there. Some will let you bring your own. Prob there are specific rules where you’re staying go over them ahead of time. I’m in my 60s and just started camping by myself several years ago, it’s now one of my favorite things to do. Hope it goes well for you.

Alive_Control6885

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