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Originally Posted by tommy steam
I spoke with several master gardeners right here in the villages at the UF annex by the sheriffs office and also attended several of the classes given by the UF at the community centers. They were the ones who brought the subject up. I took it as great information from people who know about the proper plants and trees to grow here.
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I think the Master Gardener's course is great, for the average homeowner that likes gardening. I began the course, and found some useful information, though not much, considering I have taken several courses on horticulture and propagation, and read everything I could find over the last 30 years.
In addition to that, I have studied under and worked for some of the greatest horticulturists In the state and even the U.S. These guys had Master DEGREES, and Doctorates in the field.
I didn't finish the Master Gardeners course, because I didn't have the free time to volunteer. I did find the training course full of helpful tips, etc. but nowhere close to what I learned from talking to Jerry Baker and reading his books, the college courses I took and the college books I read, working in horticulture in THIS ZONE for over 30 years, running my own nursery, or the semester under Eddie Boston's teachings.
The same experts saying queen palms won't live here, will say Bizmark palms won't either, yet all the ones I planted 15 years ago, still look great.
I will say, that if you are looking to grow queen palms for commercial purposes, it does get to cold here for seedling queen palms, and cold enough some winters to affect optimal trunk formation.
But anyone who thought they lost a mature queen palm in TV to the cold, that isn't talking about 1989, probably actually lost it to bud beetles or lethal yellowing.