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.

November Meeting - Mark Bailey - Persimmons

November Meeting - Mark Bailey - Persimmons

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, November 10th, 2025 7pm

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Mark Bailey is the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Extension agent for Marion County. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors in Entomology and Nematology, and received a Masters in Plant Protection and Pest Management from the University of Georgia.

Mark has served as an extension agent for more than ten years, and works to develop a sustainable local food system. His specializations include entomology, plant pathology, edible landscaping, and agricultural entrepreneurship. He is currently engaged in the research and development of passion fruit as a crop in Florida.

At home he grows hundreds of fruit trees, which include varieties of citrus, persimmons, passion fruit, and mulberries. He will speak on Persimmons, an underutilized fruit in Southwest Florida.

Please bring fruit for the tasting table and/or plants to donate for the raffle (no citrus plants, please). Don’t forget to collect a free raffle ticket for your donation. Your participation is very much needed and appreciated.
A friendly reminder: If you bring a plant, please label what it is. Also, write your name and the plant on the Raffle list. If you win a plant, please put your name next to the plant on the Raffle list.

Meetings are not recorded. First time visitors are welcome! Become a member for only $12. Join online or at a monthly meeting. https://www.mrfc.org/p/become-member.html 

October Meeting - Muaaz Hassan - The Essence of Grafting

Slides from Presentation

October Meeting - Muaaz Hassan - The Essence of Grafting

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, October 13th, 2025 7pm

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Muaaz Hassan has been cultivating a 1.5 acre permaculture-inspired food forest in Bradenton since 2018.  He is passionate about sub-tropical fruit trees, and is an advocate for sustainable and natural farming practices focusing on soil health.

Muaaz propagates a selection of high quality nursery stock tailored for central Florida at his backyard nursery. He will present on the essence of grafting.  

His favorite fruits are mangos, annonas, jaboticabas, mulberries and loquats. He is available for appointment at 941-538-2959.

Please bring fruit for the tasting table and/or plants to donate for the raffle (no citrus plants, please). Don’t forget to collect a free raffle ticket for your donation. Your participation is very much needed and appreciated.

A friendly reminder: If you bring a plant, please label what it is. Also, write your name and the plant on the Raffle list. If you win a plant, please put your name next to the plant on the Raffle list.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic or a specific speaker? Let the Program Committee know by completing this online form: Suggestions for Program Topics and Speakers.

MRFC members are encouraged to bring a dish for the tasting table or a plant for the raffle table if you can. Please sign the registers at these tables so that our editor can credit you in next month's newsletter.

We are now accepting 2025 dues (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.

September Meeting - Caitlin Sollazzo - Plant Pests and Diseases

September Meeting - Caitlin Sollazzo - Plant Pests and Diseases

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, September 8th, 2025 7pm

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our September Speaker

from the Program Committee 

Caitlin Sollazzo is 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.

Her topic will be An Overview of Plant Pests and Diseases. How to tell
the difference between insect, mite, nematode, bacterial, fungal, and
viral issues—plus tips for recognizing common symptoms and knowing
what to look for. This is the first in a series of three talks on
plant pests, diseases, and management strategies for the home grower.
The remaining two presentations will be in 2026.

Slides from Presentation

August Meeting - Eric Henson - Dragon Fruit

August Meeting - Eric Henson - Dragon Fruit

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, August 11th 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our August Speaker

from the Program Committee 

Our August speaker, Eric Henson, is the owner and operator of Casting Kayaks, a Sarasota enterprise that provides kayaks and fishing gear for enthusiasts in the Sarasota area. An expert tournament fisherman, he writes articles and creates videos for many magazines and fishing companies. Eric is also a horticulturalist focusing on dragonfruit, as featured on his Instagram site bigechronicles. He will speak to us about this exotic Florida fruit.

ON THE TRAIL OF TROPICAL FRUIT Exploring the Manatee Rare Fruit Council’s collection at Palma Sola Botanical Park

Here is a link to the article in Horticulture Magazine about the MRFC Fruit Tree garden at Palma Sola Botanical Park. 

 https://mcusercontent.com/7286ca37dd7e41932ea6f1795/files/91a6f4a1-8b47-a520-a832-5fb212388853/Hort_Magazine.pdf

July Meeting - Sean Patton - Creating Healthier Ecosystems, Starting in Our Own Backyards

July Meeting - Sean Patton - Creating Healthier Ecosystems, Starting in Our Own Backyards

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, July 14th, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our speaker on July 14 will be Sean Patton, a graduate of New College of Florida, where he studied Marine Biology and Ecology. After graduation, he became an aquatic biologist working in the swamps, lakes, and other bodies of water found in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Concerned about the traditional, costly, impermanent, and ineffective systems within the private sector of environmental management, he began researching alternative methods of restoring Florida's landscapes to their most balanced and natural forms. He created his own company, Stocking Savvy  to utilize naturally-occurring biological systems, native plant species, harvesting, and a coalition of green businesses to restore habitat across our state. He believes every backyard can be a flourishing habitat and every pond a paradise.

With co-author Kendall Southworth, Sean recently published a book, Florida’s Aquatic Butterfly Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful Backyard Habitat for Attracting 70+ Species with 100+ Native Plants, a guidebook for creating aquatic butterfly gardens in Florida.

Sean will speak about how we can create healthier ecosystems, starting in our own backyards.

June Meeting - John Dawson - Citrus Care in the Home

June Meeting - John Dawson - Citrus Care in the Home Landscape

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, June 9th, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

from the Program Committee

Our June speaker will be fellow MRFC member John Dawson. John is a Master Gardener with 20 years of experience in horticultural education. 

John has grown citrus in Manatee and Dade Counties, and has years of experience at the Manatee County Extension Office diagnosing citrus problems. He will speak on Citrus Care in the Home Landscape, including the history of Citrus in Florida and here in Manatee County, and how to select, plant, maintain and protect citrus in your landscape.

Slides from John's presentation 

May Meeting - Josh Jamison - Ongoing Experiments With Lesser Known Crops at Cody Cove Farm and Nursery

May Meeting  - Josh Jamison - Ongoing Experiments With Lesser Known Crops at Cody Cove Farm and Nursery

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, May 12th, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our speaker will be tropical edible plant expert (and MRFC Fruit Tree and Plant Sale vendor) Josh Jamison. He is the primary grower and horticulturalist at Cody Cove Fruit Farm and Nursery in Babson Park, FL. Cody Cove is a small family farm whose goal is to provide nutritious food to the community and promote sustainable agriculture through offering high quality plants and produce. Its focus is on collecting elite edible plant varieties from around the world and making them available to home gardeners, small farms and beyond.

Josh’s presentation will be “Ongoing Experiments With Lesser Known Crops at Cody Cove Farm and Nursery.” He will bring plants for sale, a rare opportunity to acquire these edibles.

🌱🌺🍍🌿

Please bring fruit for the tasting table and/or plants to donate for the raffle (no citrus plants, please). Don’t forget to collect a free raffle ticket for your

donation. Your participation is very much needed and appreciated.

A friendly reminder: If you bring a plant, please label what it is. Also, write your name and the plant on the Raffle list. If you win a plant, please put your name next to the plant on the Raffle list.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic or a specific speaker? Let the Program Committee know by completing this online form: Suggestions for Program Topics and Speakers.

MRFC members are encouraged to bring a dish for the tasting table or a plant for the raffle table if you can. Please sign the registers at these tables so that our editor can credit you in next month's newsletter.

We are now accepting 2025 dues (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.

April Meeting - Jonathan Crane - Climate change: Opportunities and risks for tropical fruit production in Florida

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, April 14th, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

from the Program Committee

Dr. Jonathan Crane is a Professor at the University of Florida, Associate Director of the Tropical Reseach and Education Center, and Tropical Fruit Crop Specialist for IFAS Extension. The recipient of numerous awards for professional achievements and grants for his research and extension work, he is a well-known and highly respected expert in tropical fruit horticulture. His areas of specialization include tropical and subtropical fruit production systems, mitigation of environmental plant stress, plant physiology, enhanced flowering and fruit set/pollination, and sustainable production practices.

Several of our local tropical fruit experts are graduates of Dr. Crane’s annual summer course on Tropical Fruit Production and Research, and over the years he has given numberous informative presentations in our area, including his July, 2023 presentation to the MRFC on Pollination. At our April meeting, his topic will be Climate change: Opportunities and risks for tropical fruit production in Florida.

Slides from the presentation

Rare Fruit Tree Sale Saturday March 22nd, 2025

  2025 Rare Fruit Tree Sale!

Join us for the area's largest rare fruit tree sale 

Saturday, March 22nd, 2025

9am-2pm

🥭🥑🥥

Premier Sports Campus 

5895 Post Blvd, Lakewood Ranch Florida 34211

-

Bring a Wagon and Cash

No ATM on site

MRFC Fruit Tree Sale Flyers to Print and Share

These are great to print and post in areas where fruit/gardening enthusiast may frequent like international grocers, restaurants, and more. 

MRFC Tree Sale Color Flyer

MRFC Tree Sale 1/2 sheet color flyers

MRFC Tree Sale B/W Flyer

MRFC Tree Sale B/W 1/2 sheet flyers

___________________________________________________________

Sign up for MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale Email Reminders

March Meeting - Jeff Wasielewski - Hurricane Preparation and Recovery

Speaker/Topic: Jeff Wasielewski - Hurricane Preparation and Recovery

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, March 10, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Jeff Wasielewski, a Commercial Tropical Fruit Extension Agent for Miami-Dade County, is based in Homestead, FL. Drawing from more than 25 years of horticultural experience, he provides environmentally sound practical information in classes, workshops, publications, blogs, and social media.

A quick search online will produce many of Jeff’s articles on growing tropical fruit species. Among his many education outreach activities, Jeff hosts Tropical Fruit Tuesdays, an online workshop series whose goal is to teach homeowners and commercial growers the key points of selecting, planting, growing and maintaining tropical fruit trees in subtropical and tropical counties. Each episode focuses on a specific tree or a growing or maintenance technique. You can sign up online to participate in any of the free workshops, and all previous workshops are available for viewing on the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade Extension YouTube site.

Because of the great distance from Homestead, Jeff’s talk and Q&A will be by Zoom, but fear not, he is a very experienced online presenter. The topic will be Hurricane Preparation and Recovery. Jeff will show us techniques that can make an enormous difference in the survival and recovery of our fruit trees when hurricanes strike.

February 2025 Meeting - Rod Greder - Soil

Speaker/Topic: Rod Greder - Soil

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

From the Program Committee 

Our February speaker will be Rod Greder, Ph.D., who recently retired as UF/IFAS Extension Agent at Sarasota County, specializing in Sustainable Agriculture. Raised on a 500-acre beef, corn and hay farm in Iowa, and he received his PhD in Plant Genetics from the University of Illinois. His work has varied from managing his 83-acre farm to conducting seed research. His current work focuses on designing products that make managing pasture-based livestock ranches more profitable, sustainable, and accessible. 

After living in Minnesota for 30 years, Dr Greder left his position at the University of Minnesota Extension program to work at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Extension in Sarasota. In his words: "Turning romance into reality is my mantra. I've worked with small farmers since 2015. I walked the talk for 14 years raising grass-fed beef and pastured poultry and produced 1 acre of fruits and vegetables on an 83-acre farm. We offer a Small Farm School, Beginning Farmer Incubator and an Apprenticeship program in Sarasota County. The classes give would-be farmers a chance to practice in the field, get advice on building a business plan, and have someone connect them with buyers and customers along the way.”

Dr. Greder will speak on Soil.