Wellington Garden Club: Pests, Fungus, and Tree & Turf Health — Expert Guidance for Wellington Homeowners
The Wellington Garden Club invited Mike Sands — the Village of Wellington’s own head horticulturalist and a certified Master Naturalist — to present on pests and fungal issues affecting trees and turf in South Florida’s climate. Here’s what Wellington homeowners should know.
⚠️ Meeting date has passed. This post references a September 2024 Wellington Garden Club presentation. For upcoming Wellington Garden Club meetings and programs, contact the WGC directly or visit wellingtonfl.gov for community event listings.
The Wellington Garden Club hosts regular educational meetings at the Wellington Community Center, bringing in local experts to address the specific horticultural challenges Wellington homeowners face. South Florida’s climate — year-round warmth, humid summers, occasional drought stress — creates an environment where pests and fungal issues develop faster and with less seasonal interruption than in northern gardens. Understanding what to watch for, and what to do about it, is practical knowledge for any Wellington homeowner maintaining a lawn and landscape.
About the Speaker: Mike Sands
Mike Sands is the head horticulturalist and spray technician for the Village of Wellington — the person responsible for maintaining Wellington’s municipal trees, turf, and landscape. He holds multiple Florida state licenses including ornamental and turf, right-of-way, aquatic, and natural area management, and is a certified horticulturist and Master Naturalist with over two decades of experience.
Mike is also affiliated with Tangled Roots Orchid Nursery in Loxahatchee, where he specializes in bifoliate Cattleyas and is involved in innovative growing methods including 3D-printed biodegradable pots and a new fertilizer line. He has served as president of the Tropical Orchid Society and on the board of the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association.
Common Pests and Fungal Issues in Wellington’s Zone 10b Landscape
- Whitefly: One of the most pervasive pests in South Florida landscapes; affects ficus hedges, areca palms, and many ornamentals; populations explode in warm humid conditions; whitefly infestations can defoliate a ficus hedge in a single season if untreated; systemic treatments applied to soil are the most effective long-term control
- Chinch bugs: The primary turf pest in South Florida St. Augustine grass; damage appears as irregular yellow-brown patches in full-sun lawn areas, typically starting near driveways and sidewalks; populations peak in hot dry conditions; often misidentified as drought stress, delaying treatment
- Scale insects: Affect palms (particularly areca and royal palms), ornamentals, and fruit trees; appear as waxy or cottony deposits on stems and fronds; heavy infestations cause yellowing and dieback; treated with horticultural oil sprays and systemic insecticides
- Take-all root rot: A fungal disease of St. Augustine turf common in Wellington during the wet season; causes irregular yellowing and thinning; turf pulls up easily at the roots (which appear rotted); often follows periods of excessive rainfall or overwatering; treated with fungicides and improved drainage
- Gray leaf spot: Fungal disease causing small tan or brown lesions on St. Augustine blades; spreads rapidly during warm humid periods; often triggered by overuse of nitrogen fertilizer during the summer growing season
- Ganoderma butt rot: A fungal pathogen affecting palms, particularly older sabal and royal palms; identified by the presence of a conk (shelf fungus) at the base of the tree; no effective treatment; affected palms eventually collapse and must be removed
Preventative Practices Mike Sands Emphasizes
- Proper irrigation timing: Watering in the morning allows turf and plant surfaces to dry during the day, reducing fungal development; evening watering leaves surfaces wet overnight and significantly increases fungal disease pressure
- Fertilization discipline: Avoiding high-nitrogen fertilizer applications during the summer wet season reduces gray leaf spot risk in St. Augustine turf; Palm Beach County’s fertilizer ordinance also restricts nitrogen and phosphorus applications during the wet season (June–September)
- Regular scouting: Walking your landscape monthly and looking at leaf undersides, stem bases, and turf margins catches infestations early when treatment is more effective and less costly
- Mulching: Maintaining 2–3 inches of mulch in planting beds conserves moisture, moderates soil temperature, and reduces the splash dispersal of soil-borne fungal pathogens onto plant stems
About the Wellington Garden Club
The Wellington Garden Club meets regularly at the Wellington Community Center and hosts presentations from local experts on topics relevant to South Florida gardening, landscape management, and horticulture. Membership is open to Wellington residents. For meeting schedules and how to join, check with the Village of Wellington at wellingtonfl.gov or contact the WGC directly.
Wellington’s large-lot neighborhoods and mature landscapes are among the features buyers specifically cite when choosing this community. Maintaining those landscapes — managing the pests and fungal pressures that South Florida’s climate makes inevitable — is part of what it means to own a home here. The Wellington Garden Club and experts like Mike Sands are community resources that make that maintenance more manageable. The Wilder Real Estate Group has served Wellington homeowners since 1996 and is pleased to share local resources that help residents protect the investment they’ve made in their properties.
Brian Wilder
The Wilder Real Estate Group · Keller Williams Wellington
In business since 1996 · 1,500+ Palm Beach County transactions
Bilingual coordination with Lucy Lopez: 561-285-8809
561-201-4717 · palmbeachcountyhomeforsale.com