January 2026 Meeting at Palma Sola Botanical Park - Caitlin Sollazzo - Common Pests and Diseases in Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Plants

January Meeting - Caitlin Sollazzo -  Common Pests and Diseases in Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Plants

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, January 12th, 2026 7pm

Location: Palma Sola Botanical Park, 9800 17th Ave NW, Bradenton, FL 34209

Our January speaker at Palma Sola Botanical Park will be Caitlin Sollazzo, the Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent with UF/IFAS Extension in Manatee County. She grew up locally and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology and Nematology and a Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) from the University of Florida. In her role, she supports nursery and ornamental producers with a focus on sustainable practices, integrated pest management, and plant health.

Caitlin’s topic will be Common Pests and Diseases in Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Plants. It will focus on problems relevant to rare fruit growers, including pests like the lychee erinose mite and the ambrosia beetles that carry the laurel wilt fungus, as well as diseases like anthracnose, root rots, and Ganoderma. It will include management tips as well. This is the second in a series of three talks on plant pests, diseases, and management strategies for the home grower, but for this presentation it is not necessary to have attended the first talk last September.

Holiday Potluck Dinner

Our next meeting will be our annual Holiday Potluck Dinner, Monday, December 8 at our usual location in the Harllee Building on the Manatee County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221. The general arrival time is 6:30 pm. At 7:00, a very brief business meeting will precede the potluck dinner.

Please bring a dish to share, and to help save on waste, bring your own plates and utensils. We will provide water and some non alcoholic drinks.

For this meeting there will be no fruit tasting table or raffle table, just loads of great food and fun with our fellow club members. If you have not yet signed up and would like to attend, please either

1. Contact Sarah Mitchell at 941-725-1568, no later than December 4th, and let her know what you would like to bring and how many will be attending, or

2. Complete this brief online form with that same information: Holiday Potluck RSVP Form.

Setup begins at 5:00pm, and If you would like to arrive early to help, that would be welcomed.

If you would like to participate in our white elephant gift exchange, please bring one wrapped gift, value under $10. Be creative and fun in your gift choice. We will draw numbers to determine the order and then the fun begins. The first player picks a gift and shares with the group. Following players can either pick a new gift or take a previous player’s gift.

We hope to have several other fun activities, and will certainly have great food and companionship. We hope you can join us!

Palma Sola Winter Nights Under the Lights
The annual Winter Nights Under the Lights event at Palma Sola Botanical Park will be December 18, 19, 20, and 21 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Admission is free, with donations accepted to support the Park. There will be acres of lights, Santa and Mrs. Claus, holiday music, gift market, hot cider and cocoa, food trucks, decorated trees, crafts, Toys for Tots and more. More details are here. The MRFC is a proud sponsor of this event.

Palma Sola Survey – Take it and share it please
The fruit tree collection at Palma Sola is a major effort of this club, and since the damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, we need to redesign and replant much of the collection. But we, the Palma Sola sub-committee need your feedback on how to make it better. What trees do you want to see? How do we inspire more people to plant fruit trees? Click here to take the survey, it only takes a few minutes: https://forms.gle/qEZdNGcQmGd9ebN27

2026 Dues
We are now accepting 2026 dues (which are still only $12), please click here for more information about dues and to pay online. You may also pay with cash or check (made payable to MRFC) at this or a future meeting. If you are not sure whether you have paid yet, please ask at the membership table at the meeting, or email a query to MRFCemail@gmail.com.