If you grow a garden, eventually you will have a problem with your plants.

Whether it’s a hungry critter looking for a free meal or the latest blight going around, it's frustrating.

Also challenging? Determining what’s causing a problem in the first place — for instance, a number of things can cause yellow leaves or wilting.

First, look for signs or symptoms.

Symptoms are reactions to the problem, such as discolored leaves, stunted growth, or cankers on a stem.

Signs are organisms causing the problem, such as a fuzzy mold, bacterial ooze, or an insect or insect droppings.

Some signs and symptoms make the problem easy to determine; some take more work.

Some may even be secondary to the real issue. Signs of black mold on a leaf, for example, are commonly caused by insects (aphids, scale insects, or mealybugs) drinking plant fluids and exuding honeydew, a sticky substance that coats leaves.

Problems may be caused by other living things (biotic) or nonliving things (abiotic).

Common abiotic problems include not enough or too much water, too little sunlight, or a lack of nutrients in the soil.

Living things that can hurt plants include animals, insects, other plants, fungi, bacteria and viruses.

Fungi causes most plant diseases. If you see symptoms such as spots on leaves or fruit, yellowing leaves, wilting, cankers, or dying seedlings, you might be dealing with a fungus.

Bacteria can cause some of the same symptoms. Spots on leaves or fruits, wilting, cankers, or oozing tissues can show up with a bacterial problem.

Viral problems often show up as mosaic patterns on leaves or fruit, crinkled leaves, stunted or malformed plants, or yellowing foliage.

Some symptoms may help more than others in determining the problem, but any information is better than none.

Remember, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension service is always here to help in identifying your plant problems.

The better you can describe the signs and symptoms you see, the easier it is to get accurate information. A sample or picture of the problem can also help immensely.

Call Okaloosa County's Extension at 689-5850, or drop by 3098 Airport Road in Crestview.

Evan Anderson is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ANDERSON: When plants have problems, report what you see

Unless you keep close track of obscure holidays and observances, you probably didn’t know that August is “What Will Be Your Legacy? Month.”

Still, you might want to use this particular month as a reminder to take action on what could be one of your most important financial goals: leaving a meaningful legacy.

A legacy isn’t simply a document or a bunch of numbers — it’s what you will be remembered for, and what you have left behind that will be remembered. It’s essentially your chance to contribute positively to the future, whether that means providing financial resources for the next generation, helping charitable organizations whose work you support, or a combination of both.

To create your legacy, you’ll need to do some planning. And you can start by asking yourself these questions:

What are your goals? When you think about leaving a legacy, what comes to mind?

First, you may well want to leave enough money to help your grown children meet their financial goals. After that, you probably have other things you’d like to accomplish.

Perhaps you want to provide resources for your grandchildren to attend college; set up a scholarship at your alma mater; or give financial support to a cultural, social, religious or scientific group.

By thinking about your goals and putting them on paper, even informally, you’ll be taking the important first step in leaving the legacy you desire.

How can you turn your goals into reality? If you don’t take some concrete steps, your legacy just won’t materialize.

And the most important step you need to take is to create a comprehensive estate plan. Your estate plan can be quite involved, because it may involve several legal documents, such as a will, living trust, health care power of attorney, and so on.

In creating these materials, you will need to work with your legal and tax advisers because estate planning is definitely not a “do-it-yourself” endeavor.

You probably shouldn’t wait until you are deep into retirement to take action on your estate plan because developing the necessary documents and arrangements can take a fair amount of time — and you’ll want to make these preparations when you’re in good mental and physical health. Also, the longer you wait to set up your estate plan, the less likely it will be that you’ve communicated your wishes clearly to your family members, who may end up unsure about what you want and what their roles are in carrying out your plans — that’s an outcome you certainly don’t want to see.

Clear communications are essential to developing a successful estate plan. You should not only tell your family members — and anyone else affected by your estate plan — what you are thinking of doing, but also inform them about the professionals with whom you are working and the locations in which you are storing any vital documents, such as your will.

By identifying your goals, working with the appropriate professionals to create an effective estate plan, and communicating regularly with your family members and other “key players” in your life, you can go a long way toward leaving the legacy you desire.

So, do what it takes to launch that legacy.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial adviser. Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisers are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your estate-planning attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SHANKLIN: Your legacy is in your hands

NAVARRE — Reptiles will take over Northwest Florida July 25.

Well, at least, they will take over the Navarre Conference Center during ReptiDay. The event, set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature vendors and breeders displaying hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, spiders and small exotic animals.

Top breeders and vendors will exhibit animals, merchandise, cages, supplies, and live and frozen feeders.

In addition, they will share expert advice about the animals, their habitats, feeding and care.

In addition, seminars by industry experts will educate and entertain throughout the day. Many of the seminars feature live animals with an opportunity for guests to interact with them.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: ReptiDay

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25

WHERE: Navarre Conference Center, 8700 Navarre Parkway, Navarre

COST: $10, adults; $5, children 5-12; and free for children under 5

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Unusual, exotic reptiles on display Saturday in Navarre

Some plants in my landscape provide fond memories — those are plants that I propagated.

For instance, there’s a mulberry tree in my backyard that I rooted years ago. I took cuttings from an old mulberry tree in my hometown.

As a boy, I climbed the tree; got in trouble once for coming home with mulberry stains on my clothes. I liked the berries; still do.

I have good childhood memories about that tree.

About 20 years ago, I visited the property adjacent to my childhood home during mulberry season. The tree was still there, so I took about eight or 10 cuttings and enjoyed a few mulberries.

About a year after my visit, the property was sold and the new owner bulldozed the tree. But because of the cuttings that I rooted, the tree still lives — not just in my memory.

Trees produced by those cuttings are genetically the same as the parent tree. Essentially, they are clones. The one in my backyard produces mulberries each year. 

You, too, can propagate memories.

Not all plants can be propagated from cuttings, but many can be. Sometimes, trial and error is necessary to learn proper timing in taking cuttings. But most reliable references will provide the time of year to take cuttings.

After making that determination, follow these steps:

1. Remove stem cuttings from the parent plant with a clean, sharp knife or pruner. Your cutting should be 4 to 6 inches long, and not much thicker than a pencil in diameter.

2. Remove the bottom two-thirds of leaves on each cutting. Then, stick the cuttings upright in a propagation medium. I usually use a good-quality potting mix and mix in a little coarse sand or perlite for better drainage. Insert the cuttings deep enough to hold them upright; that's usually ½ to 1 inch.

3. Wound the cuttings.Scrape the lower ½ to 1 inch of the stem with a clean, sharp knife. The scrape should remove the bark or “skin.” This should help promote rooting of moderate- to difficult-to-root plants.

4. Dip the cutting in a rooting hormone. Cover the scrape with the rooting powder before inserting the cutting into the rooting medium.

You can use a 4-inch or 1-gallon pot, or a bedding plant flat with drainage holes, as a rooting container. I may stick as many as 10 stem cuttings in a gallon-size pot.

Place the container of cuttings in a shady location outdoors and keep it moist. Cuttings should produce roots in two to 16 weeks, depending on plant species and the environment.

After cuttings have rooted, carefully remove them and plant each rooted cutting in its own 4-inch or gallon-size pot.

Keep the potting medium moist but not soggy.

After roots adequately fill the pot, cuttings should be strong enough to be planted in the ground.

As your rooted cuttings grow, hopefully they will provide fond memories.

Larry Williams is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: WILLIAMS: You can propagate memories